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The Dartmouth
July 27, 2025 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Professor looks at religion, presidents

Visiting professor Randall Balmer spoke about faith and the presidency.
Visiting professor Randall Balmer spoke about faith and the presidency.

Balmer, who is a professor at Barnard College, first became interested in religion and the presidency after the 2000 election. He was curious how American society had progressed from its public indifference toward religion in the 1960 election of John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush's debate declaration, "Jesus is my favorite philosopher," in 2000. Beginning his lecture with an overview of Kennedy's struggle against anti-Catholic sentiments, Balmer touched upon the religious issues that have been significant to recent presidents.

The United States identifies itself as an extremely religious country, Balmer said. Kennedy had to deal with nativists who believed democratic countries like the United States were incompatible with Roman Catholicism. Balmer also pointed to the significance of quiet efforts to control religion in presidential campaigns. He explained that 10 days after Billy Graham, an evangelist, promised Kennedy that he would not make an issue of his religion, Graham led a conference of Protestant ministers in Switzerland detailing how they could weaken Kennedy's campaign.

Despite the attempts to make religion a controversial issue in Kennedy's campaign, Balmer said the "Kennedy paradigm" of voter indifference toward candidates' faith allowed for Kennedy's election to the presidency.

Religion, however, soon became a fixture of the presidential office.

Balmer defined former President Lyndon Johnson as "a figure of Shakespearean dimensions" because of the religious influences in his policy ambitions.

When Johnson asked one of his aides to say grace before a meal, he is said to have bellowed "speak up, I can't hear you." The aide, who was also a Baptist minister, responded, "I wasn't speaking to you, sir."

Balmer portrayed Johnson as a president who applied the teachings of his religion to his political promises.

"His mother taught him that the strong have an obligation to care for the weak," Balmer said. "This explains why Lyndon Johnson pushed for civil rights at considerable political cost to himself. It also explains his Great Society ambitions."

Balmer delved deeper into the spiritual lives of past presidents, exploring former President Jimmy Carter's personal crisis after he lost the race for governor of Georgia in 1966. After the event, Carter went on a mission trip to Lock Haven, Penn., traveling door to door to share the Gospel with others.

"What he wanted to talk about was that experience in Lock Haven and the joy of talking about Jesus with other people," Balmer said. "I call Jimmy Carter a redeemer president."

Balmer also placed George W. Bush in this "redeemer" category.

"They promised they would cleanse the temple of the Oval Office from the sins of their predecessors," he said.

In the current presidential race, Balmer said voters should heavily consider politicians' statement of faith and warned the audience against being "blinded by the false gospel of America's moral superiority."

"I think ultimately, when we the voters are asking questions about candidates' faith, the responsibility lies with us," he said. "We have too easily accepted the statements of these presidents without really interrogating those claims or finding out how sincere they are about these things."