New Book Explores 250 Years of Faith, History and Change at Christ Church Alexandria
Cultural historian Charleen Smith-Riedel traces the story of one of Alexandria's most iconic landmarks.
ALEXANDRIA, VA – A new book by Alexandria cultural historian Charleen Smith-Riedel offers readers a fresh look at the 250-year history of Christ Church, one of the city’s most recognizable and historically significant institutions.
God and the Generals: The Story of Christ Church Alexandria, Virginia examines the church’s evolution from colonial Virginia through the nation’s founding, the Civil War, World War II, and the modern era.
According to Smith-Riedel, the book explores the intersection of faith, community, and national history while examining how Christ Church has navigated some of the most significant events in American life.
“The Christ Church building plays a role in both the spiritual identity of worshippers and the national and cultural identity of its visitors,” Smith-Riedel writes in the book’s introduction. “National history is not the message of Christianity and likewise, the message of the Christian Church cannot simply be superimposed on the history of the United States.”
Drawing on historical records and church archives, the book begins with the establishment of Fairfax Parish in 1766 and follows the congregation through more than two centuries of change.
Among the stories highlighted are George Washington’s connection to the parish, the formation of the Episcopal Church after the American Revolution, Christ Church’s occupation by Union forces during the Civil War, and the church’s role during World War II when President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill attended a worship service there on New Year’s Day 1942.
Smith-Riedel also examines more recent chapters in the church’s history, including discussions surrounding memorials to George Washington and Robert E. Lee and the congregation’s response to events following the violence in Charlottesville in 2017.
As the narrative moves between local events and national developments, the book presents Christ Church as a place where the broader story of America has often played out on a local stage.
Smith-Riedel is a cultural historian and a member of Christ Episcopal Church in Alexandria.
God and the Generals: The Story of Christ Church Alexandria Virginia is available in paperback for $20. Copies may be purchased at the Christ Church Gift Shop, the Alexandria History Museum at the Lyceum, through BookBaby, and through Amazon.
