"I have to realize that whatever I do has meaning only if I ask that it serves His purpose
I believe that in my present undertaking, whatever the outcome, it will be His doing. I will pray for understanding of what it is He would have me do." - Ronald Reagan, 1976In
God and Ronald Reagan
, Paul Kengor sheds light on the largely unknown faith of Ronald Reagan by weaving together the former President's speeches, writings, and personal experiences. Kengor explores the roots of Reagan's faith during his childhood in Dixon, Illinois, and the fruit that his faith later bore in his acting and political careers. For those who have questioned Reagan's faith, or who seek to understand how faith can influence one's politics, this book should be required reading.
Anecdotes and details from Reagan's childhood demonstrate how a spiritual element appeared and developed in his life. During these early years, "Dutch" was most profoundly influenced by his mother, Nelle. As the Reagans were forced to move from one home to another due to meager financial resources, Nelle provided a spiritual stability that her family, and in particular young Dutch, sorely needed. "Nelle Reagan had a heart for God, and she did her best to impart that faith to her son Ronald," says Kengor, and apparently that faith took root.
Baptized at age eleven, Reagan's relationship with Jesus Christ grew rapidly. Following Nelle's example, Dutch put his faith into practice, using his gifts of acting and teaching. His growth was clearly evident at age fifteen, when he taught a boys' Sunday School class "in the same furnace room he had plastered and painted a few years earlier". With his faith firmly entrenched, Dutch followed a path consistent with his denominational background, attending the Disciples of Christ-affiliated Eureka College.
Having to work his way through school, Ronald Reagan learned the practice of frugality that would keep him humble even as fame entered his life. Believing that he had a role to play in the dramatic/communications realm, Reagan began his professional climb as a sportscaster for a Midwest radio station. With his talents on display, "his profile grew overnight" and soon he had national exposure.
This exposure, coupled with Reagan's personal ambition, soon launched him onto the big screen. Despite working in an environment that was sometimes hostile toward his faith, "Reagan's own spiritual beliefs and observances remained constant".
In the course of becoming a Hollywood star, Reagan began to gain notice for his political speeches. His oratory skills at first took on the evils of fascism, but later confronted the growing menace of global communism. Confronting these evils was consistent with Reagan's belief that Christians should oppose evil wherever it may arise.
Although he was initially a Democrat, Reagan gradually grew more conservative, and was an active supporter of Republican Barry Goldwater in his quest to become President. It was in this role that Reagan gave his famous "Time for Choosing" speech. In that speech, Reagan told the American people, "You and I have a rendezvous with destiny." Reagan defined this destiny as the use of personal faith to conquer communism.
As California governor, Reagan's faith was still quite apparent. "I'm not quite able to explain how my election happened, or why I'm here," he shared in a 1968 interview, "apart from believing it is part of God's plan for me." Surrounding himself with spiritual influences and committing himself to prayer, Reagan made sure that his faith was an integral part of his governorship. In the meantime, he continued to launch verbal volleys against what he saw as the antithesis to his faith: communism.
By the time Reagan ascended to the presidency, he was in full stride in enacting what he saw as God's purpose for him and his beloved country: to defeat the evil face of communism in the Soviet Union. In a speech at the University of Notre Dame, Reagan predicted that "The West won't contain communism, it will transcend communism
It will dismiss it as some bizarre chapter in human history whose last pages are even now being written."
On March 8, 1983, Reagan gave the "Evil Empire" speech that "became a defining moment of his presidency". In the speech, he sought prayer "for the salvation of all of those who live in that totalitarian darkness," and later labeled the Soviet Union as an "evil empire". With a landslide victory for a second term giving him a renewed mandate, Reagan went to work in meeting with his Soviet counterpart Gorbachev and asking him to grant religious freedoms to the oppressed people of his empire. Reagan did not relent, and together with Gorbachev, slowly brought Soviet communism to its knees.
The legacy of Reagan and his victory over Soviet communism must not be underestimated, but neither must the role of his faith in the process. From Illinois to California to D.C., Reagan sought to change the world and confront evil in the name of a God who could not tolerate injustice and systematic evil. In this book, Paul Kengor paints a portrait of a President Reagan that few truly knew, and provides inspiration for political aspirants who seek to use their faith in dynamic ways. Kengor's authoritative work in this regard makes this book a masterpiece in the realm of religious conservative politics.
Stephen Roberts, a junior at Calvin College (MI), is interning at The Heritage Foundation this semester.
To view the original text of this review, please visit TownHall.com.
