Newton’s pastoral heart comes out in this letter. He is straightforward, blunt, and biblical. At the same time, it is very evident that he simply wants his parishioners to hear the sermons for their own Christian good and growth in godliness. Newton certainly wasn’t a legalist looking to make people proud of their church attendance.

The question of where Barack Obama and his family will go to church after he takes office is attracting a lot of media attention. As the author of “Faith and the Presidency: From George Washington to George W. Bush,” I was recently interviewed by the “Washington Post” and the “Times of London” to help provide... Continue Reading