3 of 3

Evangelist Billy Graham:

Ronald Reagan was one of my closest personal friends for many years. Ruth and I spent a number of nights at the White House and had hundreds of hours of conversation with the President and First Lady.

Mr. Reagan had a religious faith deeper than most people knew. Nancy is one of the strongest and most dedicated women I have ever known. She and the children have my love and prayers.

The President was a man of tremendous integrity, based on his religious belief. I visited him and Nancy on numerous occasions in recent years and always had prayer with them. Though her husband was unable to communicate at times, Nancy would say, "When you prayed, I think he knew you were here."

The love between Ronald and Nancy Reagan was an example to the nation. No man ever had a more loyal and loving wife and no children ever had a more loving and faithful mother than Nancy.

Focus on the Family chairman and founder James Dobson:

I loved President Reagan as a man and admired him as a leader. He restored dignity to the White House and demonstrated a deep respect for the institution of the family, which had been badly damaged by the excesses of the 1960s and '70s.

I observed him from close range during his presidency and was always impressed by his warmth and the ease with which he led. He talked often about America being a 'shining city upon a hill' -- a reference to Jesus' words in Matthew 5. President Reagan's values were often rooted in the timeless truths of Scripture.

May we never forget the contributions this great man made to this nation.

(It's worth noting that Graham had originally been scheduled to speak at Reagan's funeral, but cannot because of his own ill health. Franklin Graham is scheduled to speak at a Mexico evangelistic crusade and will be unable to attend as well. However, Reagan family spokeswoman Joanne Drake told The Orlando Sentinel that Billy and Ruth Graham were the first people to speak to Nancy Reagan after her husband's death.)

Other links of note regarding Reagan and his faith:

• Pope John Paul II Pays tribute to Reagan | Vatican statement said John Paul recalled Reagan's contribution to "historical events that changed the lives of millions of people, mainly Europeans" (Associated Press)
• The intellectual origins of Ronald Reagan's faith | Ronald Reagan's two favorite books--not coincidentally--both happened to have a profound effect on him spiritually (Paul Kengor, The Heritage Foundation, April 30, 2004)
• Ronald Reagan: Messiah, Antichrist or normal mainline church guy? | Maybe his most important legacy in American religious culture is the Religious Right and the Religious Left (Terry Mattingly, GetReligion)
• Reagan's penchant for prayer | Ronald Reagan brought his belief in the power of prayer and the importance of the Bible to the Oval Office. An excerpt from Paul Kengor's God and Ronald Reagan (Beliefnet)
• Ronald Reagan, my Christian hero | He was as pro-life, pro-family, pro-national defense and pro-Israel--as we were. (Jerry Falwell, 2002, Beliefnet)

Copyright © 2004 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Suggest links and stories by sending e-mail to weblog@christianitytoday.com

What is Weblog?

Check out Books & Culture's weekly weblog, Content & Context.

See our past Weblog updates:

June 4 | 3 | 2 | 1

May 28 | 26 | 25 | 24

May 21 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 17

May 14b | 14a | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10

May 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3

April 30 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26

and more, back to November 1999

first page |  3 of 3

share this page

June (Web-only) 2004, Vol. 48