Includes bibliographical references (p. 287-316) and index.

Political observers have long sought to understand the complex relationship between Hillary Clinton's faith and her politics. Now, in this first spiritual biography of the former first lady, historian Paul Kengor details how her lifelong religious beliefs have intertwined with her personal history to make her the politician that she is today. Born into a strict Methodist family and raised on private prayer and self-reliance, Hillary used the Methodist Church's emphasis on community service to catalyze her involvement in the changing world. The chaos of 1960s and 1970s America challenged Hillary's religious underpinnings, and Kengor examines the motivations that eventually led Hillary back to church as first lady of Arkansas. Her days in the White House tested her faith like no other time, and Kengor investigates how she relied on God for the power to save her marriage and survive the most difficult chapter of her political career.--From publisher description.