He was a very successful general, and he was just a decent person. Williams told us, “I think that George Washington probably was the most decent American that we have ever had. Walter Williams (1936-2020), whom I had the privilege to interview in 2019 on the campus of George Mason University, where he taught for years, a few months before he died.ĭr. This film on our first president is dedicated to the memory of Dr. As a servant-leader, he oversaw a peaceful transition to the next leader.
But George Washington would not let that happen in America. Throughout history - and even in our own day in many banana republics - there is a great deal of bloodshed in the transition from one political ruler to the next. And the understanding was, ‘No, we’re going to have peaceful elections.” They wanted to call him king, sort of a royal family. He used the power he got to serve the country, not himself or his family.ĭavid Gibbs III, the founder and director of the National Center for Life and Liberty, is another guest in the documentary. One of the great aspects of George Washington was the way he pushed away power. Here in America, you would not be persecuted for your supposedly heterodox religious or political views. George Washington’s favorite Bible verse came from Micah 4:4 in the Old Testament: “But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it.” He viewed this as a metaphor for the new nation. Lillback also said, “We know that he called Jesus the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and he said we can’t be a happy nation unless we follow His example we need to imitate Him.” This is a paraphrase of Washington’s “ Circular to the States” of June 1783.
He was also a man who read the Bible a great deal, as well as the 1662 Book of Common Prayer of the Anglican Church.ĭr. Such a god never answered prayer.īut eyewitnesses gave many reports of seeing our nation’s first Commander-in-Chief spend much time in prayer. Many claim he was a Deist - someone who believed in a distant god who wound up the universe and went away. Contrary to the opinions of many today, even scholars, Washington was a committed 18th century Anglican Christian - and all that that entails. The take-home message of the documentary, and the book on which it is based, is simple. So, whatever his faith was then becomes important for us.” He is extraordinarily important for America. They looked to Washington as a general, as a government thinker, as the first president. He has been called by historians the indispensable man. A man who has given his name to our capital city, he was called the father of this country in his own lifetime.
Lillback says, “When we look at George Washington, we’re clearly looking at the great icon of our country, the United States.
Thanks to Glenn Beck promoting it on radio and TV, it became a bestseller. Lillback and I wrote a book many years ago about the faith of our first president, George Washington’s Sacred Fire. What is the foundation of our liberty? Our Judeo-Christian heritage.ĭr. This film is one episode of a seven-part Foundation of American Liberty series. The film is simply called, “George Washington,” which I made for Providence Forum, founded by Dr. I have recently made a film on George Washington’s life, legacy, and his faith. It’s hard to believe that George Washington, “the father of our country,” fits in that category. We live in an era where the heroes of yesteryear are often vilified.