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But if evangelicals expect President Ford to declare himself on national television, say his supporters, they may have a wait. There are dangers that a President closely identified with one group or another might use his association with that group to garner votes, or else be accused of doing so, said Quie. There is also the danger that religious groups would use that association to further their own ends, he added. Ford, he said, is aware that many people are suspicious of such declarations while others want to turn people "into something they're not." For Quie, it is enough that the President "is a man who believes in prayer and doesn't wear his religion on his sleeve."

While some evangelicals in Washington are reluctant to name Ford as a fellow believer—even though they welcome the signs—Newsweek magazine and The New York Times showed no such hesitancy. In a post-resignation cover story, Newsweek flatly declared that "like a growing number of Washington figures, Ford is an evangelical Christian." Said the Times: "It is widely assumed that [Ford's religious beliefs] embrace the evangelical Christian faith." Similar thoughts were expressed by friends and supporters when Ford became Vice President. At that time also, his son Michael, a 24-year-old student at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts, described hisfather as "a man very committed to God" who preferred to show his faith through deeds rather than words.

And the son's faith has been an influence on the father. At a House prayer breakfast earlier this year, Ford told his colleagues that he had been strengthened in faith by seeing the impact of a strong faith on Mike's life. Said Dellenback: "Normally, influence flows from parent to child. In this case it flowed the other way. [Ford and his wife Betty] were impressed by the way the Lord took a grip on Mike's life." At a prayer meeting in Congress shortly before his father became President, Michael prayed: "Protect him and keep him strong in spirit. … Grant him the courage to trust in you always and not in the things of this world. Work in his heart … to seek your guidance and direction in all things."

Meanwhile, evangelist Billy Graham called for thankfulness that "the trauma of the past months is passing" and that "a man of the moral caliber of Gerald Ford was waiting in the wings to take over." Graham, along with others, also called for prayer for the former President and his family.

But there were also some backward glimpses. Presbyterian minister John Huffman, formerly pastor of the Presbyterian church that the Nixon family sometimes attended in Key Biscayne, Florida, told newspapers that the Nixon resignation was "the very best thing for the nation." He added that Nixon had "lied to the American people and to me personally." Huffman, now pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, said that he was assured by Nixon in personal conversations that the president was "doing everything in his power" to get to the bottom of Watergate. The resignation and disgrace were a tragedy for the family, Huffman declared, "but justice must be served."

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December (Web-only) 2006, Vol. 50