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A leading conservative thinker offers the first in-depth look at the religious life of our country's greatest founding father, George Washington.

Washington has long been viewed as the patron saint of secular government, but in Washington's God, Michael Novak and his daughter, Jana, reveal that it was Washington's strong faith in divine Providence that gave meaning and force to his monumental life. Narrowly escaping a British trap during the Battle of Brooklyn, Washington didn't credit his survival to courage or tactical expertise; he blamed himself for marching his men into certain doom and marveled at the Providence that delivered them. Throughout his career, Washington held fast to the conviction that America's liberty was dependent on our faithfulness to God's will and our trust in Providence.

Washington's God shows Washington not only as a man of resource, strength, and virtue, but also as a man with deeply held religious values. This new presentation of Washington--as a man whose religion guided his governance--will bring him into today's debates about the role of faith in government and will challenge everything we thought we knew about the inner life of the father of our country.

Michael Novak is the George Frederick Jewett Scholar in Religion, Philosophy, and Public Policy at AEI. Jana Novak, who spent a decade working in politics in senior positions for several prominent national politicians, has also worked for three prominent Washington and national magazines, and is the co-author of the 1998 book, Tell Me Why.