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God in Eisenhower’s Life, Military Career, and Presidency
A History of the Influence of Religion in His Life and Leadership as WWII Supreme Allied Commander and President of the United States
Introduction by Paul Jungmeyer
Foreword by Andrew Goodpaster
Imprint: Wipf and Stock
As the Supreme Allied Commander in the fight against the Nazis, General Dwight Eisenhower was one of the most important leaders of the last century. His position as a five-star general was crucial in achieving a positive outcome in World War II. Today, he is considered one of the most respected US presidents, but the critical role that his religious beliefs played in his life and work is widely ignored. As one historian wrote, Eisenhower was the most religious president in the twentieth century. He was critical in influencing the nation's enlarged accommodation to faith, specifically the Christian faith.
The central role Eisenhower's faith played in his life, from growing up in Abilene, Kansas, to becoming the most powerful leader in the world, is thoroughly documented for the first time in this book. Indeed, Eisenhower's belief in God made him who he was and allowed him to achieve the work that made him one of the most respected leaders of the free world. This book sets the record straight about common erroneous beliefs concerning President Eisenhower and his family. It is necessary to understand the forces that shaped him so we can put his life and many achievements into perspective.
Jerry Bergman has taught at the college level for forty years. A multi-award-winning author, his work has been translated into thirteen languages and is in over 1,500 college libraries in twenty-seven countries. Over eighty thousand copies of the forty-three books and monographs that he has authored or coauthored are currently in print. He has also spoken over two thousand times to college, university, and church groups in America, Canada, Europe, the South Sea Islands, and Africa.
“Jerry Bergman's excellent book is on a very selected aspect of Dwight D. Eisenhower’s life, his religion. Bergman skillfully covers this facet of Eisenhower in fine detail, leading the reader to understand how a career military officer and United States president could ‘quote Scripture by the yard.’ Although not a stated intention of the author, many readers will also come to realize just how much American society has changed since the end of Eisenhower’s presidency.”
—Emerson T. McMullen, Professor of History, Georgia Southern University
“It is refreshing to read in Jerry Bergman's book how Dwight D. Eisenhower acknowledged his dependence upon God. Faced with difficult decisions during his career as commander-in-chief of the Allied Forces and, later, president of the United States, he relied upon the biblical principles taught to him by his parents. . . . Dr. Bergman clearly shows that it was these convictions that were crucial in making Dwight Eisenhower one of the outstanding leaders of the twentieth century.”
—David Herbert, author of Becoming God: Transhumanism and the Quest for Cybernetic Immortality (2014)
“I read Professor Bergman’s book with great interest because it threw much light on a subject I have always had interest in, President Eisenhower. While reading it I said to myself over and over ‘now I understand Ike’s motivations and why he behaved as he did.’ Bergman eloquently makes his case, which will force the rewriting of sections of books about Eisenhower as a man, as the supreme commander of the Allied Forces, and as president.”
—Professor William Lake, PhD
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