On the morning of Feb. 2, more than 3,500 political leaders, military chiefs and corporate moguls meet for eggs, sausage, muffins – and prayer. The Washington, D.C. gathering, the 65th National Prayer Breakfast, is an opportunity for new friends and old associates, from 50 states and 140 countries, to break bread and forge fellowship in Jesus' name.
Convened on the first Thursday in February, the gathering, known as the Presidential Prayer Breakfast until 1970, has always included the American head of state.
As a scholar of American religious history, I am intrigued by how presidents negotiate the intricacies of church/state relationships versus religion/politics entanglements. Most avoid the former while trying to benefit from the latter. That's why the prayer breakfast is noteworthy – it is an opportunity for leaders to appear as Christ's servants rather than formidable heads of state.
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