After more than forty contentious years in the public eye, Hillary Rodham Clinton is one of the best-known political figures in the nation. Yet many of her admirers would be surprised to hear Clinton state that her Methodist outlook has "been a huge part of who I am and how I have seen the world, and what I believe in, and what I have tried to do in my life." Gary Scott Smith examines the role of Clinton's faith in her life and work. Clinton's lifelong Methodism shaped a missionary zeal that, combined with her impressive personal talents, fueled many of her high-profile political endeavors while helping her cope with the prominent travails brought on by never-ending conservative rancor and her husband's infidelity. Smith places Clinton's faith within the context of projects ranging from healthcare reform to a "Hillary doctrine" of foreign policy focused on her longtime goal of providing basic human rights for children and women. The result is an enlightening reconsideration of an extraordinary political figure who has defied private doubts and public controversy to live the Methodist dictum that one must "do all the good you can."
Gary Scott Smith is a professor of history emeritus at Grove City College. His many books include Mark Twain: Prophet, Preacher, and Social Philosopher.
Preface Acknowledgments Introduction: "Stay in Love with God" "I Felt My Heart Strangely Warmed": Clinton's Spiritual Roots "Let Your Light Shine to All": From Wellesley to the White House "Light Yourself on Fire with Passion": America's First Lady "Be Rigorous in Judging Ourselves and Gracious in Judging Others": New York Senator and 2008 Presidential Candidate "I Look upon All the World as My Parish": Secretary of State and Seeking the Oval Office "Be Not Weary of Well Doing": The 2016 Presidential Campaign "God Grant That I May Never Live to Be Useless!" Notes Index
"People are fascinated by, even obsessed with, Hillary Clinton's faith, and they have not been shy about taking extreme positions, some rabidly skeptical and others blindly accepting of her sincerity. Gary Scott Smith provides a dramatic overview of the extraordinary range and depth of public perception about Clinton's religiosity, and how those views were infracted by gender, the changing role of First Ladies, and the sharp fracturing of the American religious landscape."--Margaret Bendroth, author of The Last Puritans: Mainline Protestants and the Power of the Past "Through careful scholarship and insightful analysis, Gary Scott Smith demonstrates how Clinton's progressive Christianity--rooted in a commitment to her childhood Methodism--was central to her public life, and key to her ability to endure numerous personal setbacks. Smith's book not only is an important work for understanding Hillary Clinton's political career but contributes to our understanding of religion's undervalued role in shaping the political left in recent American history."--Christopher H. Evans, Do Everything: The Biography of Frances E. Willard
