Standing at Armageddon, 1909‒1914

This chapter shows how Roosevelt continued to be involved in religious issues after his presidency. He joined the staff of the liberal Protestant publication Outlook where he worked under the Reverend Lyman Abbott and wrote several articles dealing with religious issues. Roosevelt also gave a series of lectures at Pacific Theological Seminary in 1911, including one on the importance of the King James Bible. Running for president again in 1912, Roosevelt and the Progressive Party used a plethora of religious imagery in his unsuccessful bid to recapture the Oval Office. The chapter concludes with Roosevelt’s moral character being vindicated in a libel trial in 1913.

Doer of the Word, 1858‒1876

Theodore Roosevelt was born into a religiously devout family in 1858. Antebellum New York culture was shaped by religion and revivalism, particularly the Businessmen’s Revival. This atmosphere, along with the American Civil War, which divided the Roosevelts, shaped the religious practices of the upper-crust Protestant family. Roosevelt greatly admired his father, who was devoted to philanthropy and good works. Roosevelt’s own youthful faith can be seen through revealing diary entries written on the family’s two extended trips abroad—to Europe and the Holy Land. Roosevelt himself officially professed faith and joined his family’s Dutch Reformed Church in 1874.

Hearkening Unto Joshua, 1901‒1909

This chapter analyses Roosevelt’s domestic policies and his personal family life as president. His 1901 dinner with black educator Booker T. Washington and his 1902 settling of a coal strike endeared him to reformers. In 1904 he won election in his own right. As a tolerant Protestant, Roosevelt appointed the first Jew to a cabinet position in 1906, supported the Mormon senator Reed Smoot, and defended the Unitarianism of his hand-picked successor William Howard Taft. At the same time he faced backlash for attempting to remove “In God We Trust” from the national coinage. Theodore and Edith Roosevelt also raised their children in the Christian faith and quietly encouraged their devotion.

Trust in the Lord and Do Good, 1876‒1886

This chapter begins by exploring Roosevelt’s four years at Harvard College. The death of his father in 1878 prompted extended religious musings and the clearest evidence of youthful evangelical faith. Roosevelt married Alice Lee in 1880 and launched his political career in 1881. As a state assemblyman, Roosevelt advocated for reforms in economic and social life. The tragic death of Alice Lee and Martha Roosevelt on the same day in 1884 drove Roosevelt to the Dakota Badlands, where he became a rancher. In these years Roosevelt said much less about personal faith, a marked contrast from his upbringing. The chapter ends with his engagement to Edith Carow in 1886.

The Kingdom of God on Earth, 1909‒1914

In addition to writing for a religious periodical and running for president in 1912, Roosevelt also undertook two major journeys abroad during this time. His African safari of 1909‒10 allowed him to observe and comment on traditional African religions and Christian missionaries. When he returned to the United States via Europe, he once again found himself mixed up in Vatican politics. In 1913‒14, Roosevelt and his friend the Catholic priest John Zahm planned a scientific expedition in South America. Roosevelt and his expedition eventually charted an unknown river in Brazil. These incidents continued to show Roosevelt’s religious ecumenism and support of religion in general.

Preacher of Righteousness, 1886‒1901

From 1886 to 1901, Roosevelt became a historian, civil service commissioner, police commissioner, assistant secretary of the Navy, war hero, and vice-president. He was also forced to deal with his brother Elliott’s alcoholism, infidelity, and untimely death. In all these experiences Roosevelt sought to promote what he regarded as “righteousness.” His histories provided analysis of religious controversies while his work in the Civil Service Commission and police department illustrated his commitment to moral reform. His actions in the Spanish-American War won him a popularity that helped make him New York governor in 1898. Reluctantly, he agreed to run for vice-president in 1900. While Roosevelt did not recover much personal piety in these years, he gained a reputation as a moralistic preacher of righteousness.

Wielding the Big Stick, 1901‒1909

This chapter interprets Roosevelt’s foreign policies as president. It begins by examining the religious background of his support for imperialism—especially the Philippine-American War and the acquisition of the rights to build the Panama Canal. Roosevelt’s adoption of biological evolution and offensive racial theories (as justification for imperialism) are shown in the context of religion. The chapter concludes by examining at length the “Dear Maria” affair, in which conflicts between Catholic politics and church-state separation commitments ended in Roosevelt’s firing of an American ambassador. The “Dear Maria” affair is analyzed in light of ongoing Catholic-Protestant tensions in the United States.

A Great Crusader, 1914‒1919

World War I consumed much of Roosevelt’s attention in his final years. An advocate of American preparedness, Roosevelt used both the Old Testament and New Testament extensively to justify his wartime views. He also continued to defend the separation of church and state and endured another libel trial. Denied a chance to command a division at the front, Roosevelt sent all four of his sons to fight in his stead. The death of the youngest, Quentin, in 1918 preceded his own demise by only a few months. After Roosevelt’s death, Methodist minister Christian Reisner wrote a 400-page book attempting to demonstrate the late president’s Christianity. Historians have since debated the extent to which Roosevelt should be characterized as a Christian. The book concludes by weighing in on that debate.