Posted on 12/06/2003 10:13:15 AM PST by truthandlife
CBN.com – Stephen Mansfield is the author of "The Faith of George W. Bush." He spoke with Gordon Robertson about President Bush's faith on The 700 Club. Gordon Robertson: Stephen what do you think was the most, in your research for this, the most suprising thing you discovered.
Stephen Mansfield: I think what surprised me the most is how Bush went seeking spiritually at mid-life. I mean here he was, son of a vice-president, good looking, wealthy, well-educated and yet at mid-life he went seeking spiritually in a way that's very rare among American presidents. Very rare.
Gordon Robertson: You chronicle the journey…(evangelist) Arthur Blessitt seems to have an impact and then Billy Graham has an impact and then a Bible study in Midland (Texas) has an impact. Was there a defining moment? Or was this sort of an evolution of faith?
Stephen Mansfield: Sort of an evolution of faith. You know, many people come to faith in sort of a progression and Bush did as well, that's why he's often a little clumsy in answering the question, 'When were you born again?' Arthur Blessitt prayed with him in 1984 when the oil world was in a tail-spin and Bush was really seeking. Then Bush saw a friend of his become radically born-again, the kind of person you want to lock up for six months, you know, giving their testimony, reading their Bible, talking about Jesus everywhere. And when Bush went for a walk on a Maine beach in 1985 with Billy Graham, that's when I think he really sealed his decision to follow Jesus and he says he emerged from that weekend a changed man.
Gordon Robertson: His family, you also go through the family history. Reading the book it's almost like reading a history book from one of the noble families of America from New England. And you go through that history and it seems that there are ministers in his background. There are deeply religious people in his family line. That's what struck me the most, because I didn't know that. I thought I knew a lot about the Bushes, but I didn't know going back -- What's the basis for their family motto?
Stephen Mansfield: The basis for the family motto is a story that one of his ancestors told after a very moving experience where a captain jumped into the hold of a ship that was on fire and rescued all the crew. And the motto became, "Do the right thing." And this has come down through the Bush family line. As a matter of fact, one of the stories I tell in the book is about George W's father giving him some cufflinks when he became Governor of Texas. And these cufflinks were meant to sort of symbolize this heritage of faith and passion to do the right thing. And George Sr. said to George W., 'Now it's your turn.' And so in a sense he was blessing him and passing this heritage of faith and manhood down to George W.
Gordon Robertson: Is that sort of the prime mover? You look at some of his actions since Sept. 11 and they've been, by all accounts, bold strokes, including what he just did over Thanksgiving, going to Iraq to be with the troops. And the invasion of Afghanistan and just being tough as nails, saying, 'If you won't give 'em up, we're coming in.' And doing the same with Saddam Hussein, 'If you won't comply with inspections --.' Is that the motivator? 'Do the right thing?'
Stephen Mansfield: I think that's part of it. But back when Bush was Governor of Texas, he had James Robeson in the governor's mansion and he said, 'Look, I can't explain it, but I have a sense that my country is about to go through a horrible trauma. I believe I'm supposed to be president at that time.' He said, 'I know what it does to a family, I know the price of it, but I believe God wants me to do this and I'm going to do it.' When 9-11 happened, I think Bush felt like Churchill in World War II, that he was walking with destiny. And I think the boldness you mentioned is the result of a sense that he really is God's man for this hour.
Gordon Robertson: You mentioned James Robeson, and he's actually turned his view -- he met George before the transformation and he's come to respect him. Before he used to dismiss him as being somewhat of a gadfly.
Stephen Mansfield: He told us, he said, 'I thought George W. was a playboy, I thought he was a sports nut, I thought he was a lightweight.' He said, 'Later, when I met him I was really impressed by the transformation in his life.' And by the way, when Robeson first met him, George W. hadn't been discipled, hadn't really matured in his faith. So he is giving testimony of quite a transformation in George W's life.
Gordon Robertson: Are there any inconsistencies? Is that part of this, too?
Stephen Mansfield: You know, as a man writing a book on Bush, it was a wild experience to try to categorize or label Bush, in a sense. I titled the last chapter, 'Bush Unbound,' because he's always surprising us. As your piece said, he appoints homosexuals, he invites Ozzy Osbourne to the White House. He does a lot of things that you don't expect. At the same time, he's trying to do what there's no blueprint for, he's trying to feel his way along the path of religiously responsible politics, and so he's always surprising us and I think he always will.
Gordon Robertson: Do you think he's actively shaping what he's doing based on a biblical worldview?
Stephen Mansfield: I think he is attempting to. I think he is attempting to. At the same time, I think he is not trying to be preacher-in-chief. He's not a pawn of preachers. He's trying to be the president of a democracy, while at the same time being accountable to his God. And that's not going to produce the results that some folks would like to see.
Gordon Robertson: I couldn't imagine being in his shoes today. It's got to be unbelieveable, because you're getting hit from every side and some of the situations we're facing in America today seem almost impossible. What would you tell Christians to do, right now, for President Bush?
Stephen Mansfield: You know, my hunger is to see the body of Christ be more the people of God than either Democratic or Republican. And my hope is to see them pray. My hope is to see them understand that he is president of more than just the born-again. He's having to deal with issues that we are barely able to get our minds around as Christian people. But I think the primary thing is that the hard right-wing or hard left-wing of politics is not the ultimate for the people of God. I thnk they have a calling to approach it from a more biblical perspective and from a more prayerful perspective than we have. I think this next election is going to be bloody, I think it's going to be difficult, and if we don't pray I think we could be in trouble.
Gordon Robertson: Stephen, thanks for being with us. If you want to get a copy of the book, "The Faith of George W. Bush" just log on to CBN.com. It's also available in bookstores across the nation. Thanks for being with us.
Stephen Mansfield: Thank you.
So having all that and being all that, he really didn't need God
/sarcasm/
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