God, Presidents, and Public Administration

Abstract

Because of the theocentric nature of moral principles in the American culture, presidents strive to underscore their own morality through expressions of God-based values and images. This study examines the nature of these expressions found in more than two centuries of presidential inaugural addresses. Specifically, four messages can be gleaned from the speeches: (1) the boundaries of morality are clearly marked in that the public service should strive to be theocentric but not theocratic (a democratic public service is different than that of a theocratic one); (2) theocentric values should frame policy, but in doing so, the public service must remember that it serves under God and not alongside God; (3) God-based values should be expressed within professional societies, public administration classrooms, and the public workplace (advocating God-based values does not entail the championing of a particular religion, so that fears of violating the constitutional boundary between church and state are unfounded); and (4) in discussions about theocentric values, the public service must reflect the commonality that exists among the major religions of America: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Hence, we need to find ways to ensure that the presence of God does not lead to bigotry.