At The Washington Post‘s On Faith page, Sally Quinn and Jon Meacham ask a series of respondents whether the American people view their presidents as spiritual leaders and, further, whether they should. Reverend Janet Edwards answers in the affirmative on both counts:
Americans expect the president to be a spiritual leader as well as a political leader. There is a spiritual aspect to the American enterprise that has roots in the “city upon a hill” image of the Puritans on their ships, as well as later immigrants who set off for the unknown fueled by a hope for a better life. This is why presidents may address the crowd from the Jumbotron at the Super Bowl and why political fundraising as New Orleans was drowning struck such a discordant note.
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