God and Ronald Reagan: A Spiritual Life (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "January 20, 1924, was a blustery cold, wind-swept Sunday across the plains of Illinois..." (more)
Key Phrases: public presidential papers, religious broadcasters, rendezvous with destiny, Ronald Reagan, Soviet Union, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This engaging if hagiographic study argues the seemingly obvious point that the former President's outlook was shaped by his religious beliefs. Political scientist and Hoover Institution fellow Kengor has pored over Reagan's letters and speeches to glean examples of his faith, from his youth as a Disciples of Christ stalwart and Sunday school teacher to his 1988 trip to Moscow, where he lectured Communists from Gorbachev on down on the importance of religious freedom. More devotional than scholarly, Kengor's treatment emphasizes the ex-president's affinities with evangelical Protestantism; Reagan "invited Christ into his life," acknowledged God's "special plan" for him, believed in end-times prophecy and even had his presidency foretold by the Holy Spirit during a prayer circle. Readers troubled by reports of astrology at the Reagan White House are assured that it determined scheduling, not policy, and that only Nancy was really into it. Kengor accepts the links Reagan himself drew between his religious beliefs and his politics, on social issues like school prayer, sex education, and abortion, and most importantly on his anti-Communism, which harped on Soviet religious persecution and consistently identified atheism as Communism's original sin. But the spiritual rootedness Kengor highlights is not exactly of Gandhian proportions. As he too briefly acknowledges, many of Reagan's pious formulations, like the "shining city on a hill" motif and the imprecations against Communist godlessness, were commonplaces of America's "civil religion." In other words, sometimes it's hard to tell where spirituality ends and rhetoric begins.
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Review

"A profound character study, an engrossing work of history...a heartbreakingly beautiful love story about one man and his Maker." -- Peter Robinson, Reagan speechwriter and author of How Ronald Reagan Changed My Life

"Finally, a book that not only focuses on my dad’s faith but gets it right." -- Michael Reagan

"Paul Kengor now reveals the inner heart and soul of this great man." -- Judge William P. Clark, National Security Advisor, Reagan Administration

"Paul Kengor takes the reader to depths where no other writer has yet been -- Ronald Reagan's very soul. " -- Peter Schweizer, author of Reagan's War

"What an outstanding and thoroughly documented demonstration of the role faith played in the life and leadership of President Reagan!" -- Don Hodel, Secretary of the Interior, Reagan Administration

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Harper; 1st edition (February 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060571411
• ISBN-13: 978-0060571412
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #88,483 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Please disregard the Publishers Weekly review above!, February 11, 2004

By A Customer

This book is anything but a hagiography - it is an unbelievably fair look at the faith of our 40th president. Kengor deals with issues Reagan was highly criticized for by the much maligned "religious right," namely Reagan's lack of church attendance while President and Nancy Reagan's use of astrology. A truly biased biographer interested only in deifying Reagan would have avoided these issues that on the surface reflect poorly on Reagan's faith. Also, identifying Reagan's faith as a driving force in his presidency is not, as the Publishers Weekly review suggests, "seemingly obvious" - it's been largely ignored in the plethora of Reagan scholarship available. It's been 23 years since he first took the oath of office as president, and only now in Kengor's work do we get a book that fully explores the deep faith of Reagan. The most surprising aspect of Reagan's faith is its depth, a fact lost on the Reagan bashers who believe he was nothing but an amiable dunce and mere actor. Carefully tracing Reagan's faith from his childhood, Kengor shows he taught Sunday school, was baptized earlier than most children because of his advanced knowledge of the Bible, and used C.S. Lewis' famed "Liar, Lunatic, or Lord" argument to convince a liberal minister of the deity of Christ. Much of what Kengor draws upon are Reagan's own writings and words, giving the reader an unfiltered view of Reagan's faith. Appallingly, Publishers Weekly said Reagan "harped" on the Soviet Union's religious persecution, as if he was an annoying mother pestering her children to clean their room. Rather, Reagan was animated by his faith to denounce and declare as evil a political-economic system - communism - that killed 100 million people in the twentieth century. Please read this book - it is not only fascinating, but a wonderful work of scholarship. Copious amounts of footnotes (58 pages worth!) back up every claim made in this book, and if weren't for the readable style of Kengor's writing, this could just as easily been an academic book published by a non-trade book publisher. To fully grasp Reagan and his impact on not just America but the world, "God and Ronald Reagan" is necessary reading. I give it my highest possible recommendation.

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I took his class, February 4, 2004

By	Peter Williams (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews

This is a very well documented and thourgh book about Reagan, and surpisingly not dry. I found that it read well and was entertaining in all but a few spots. The most interesting aspect of this book is that viewing Reagan actions and life from a religious point of view turns out to give a much more acturate and personal depection of Reagan than any other material out there on him. After seeing the influence that christianity had on Reagan its amazing that other authors have been able to breeze over this area of his life. And because all other biographies of Reagans life don't take the time to look at Reagans personal religious convictions they provide a very limited view of the person Ronald Reagan. If you read just one book on Ronald Reagan I recomend reading this one because it provides a far more complete and honest depection of Reagan than anything else that i know of out there.

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fair and Balanced, February 21, 2004

By	Nathaniel C. Adams (Hudson, OH USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was privileged to read this book several years ago when it was still a manuscript. I approched it with a critical eye, but found myself moved mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Paul is a very warm guy with a wry sense of humor, and it is apparent in his style. He expected reviews like the one from Publishers Weekly, which is part of the reason why there are nearly 60 pages of footnotes, the other part is that he is a scholar and takes his craft seriously.

So seriously, in fact, that this book was an accident. Kengor was curious how Reagan fought the Cold War and set out to research it. He was struck by how much Reagan's faith influenced his decisions and decided to change tacks. Not one to simply rehash existing records, his research included interviews with family members, co-workers, and friends. Many of his sources are written by Reagan's own hand.

If you are not a Christian, you will be prone to look down on this book because of its discussion of spirituality. I challenge you to read this book with a truly open mind.

Reagan is often criticized as being rather dim-witted. He also was known for being humble and rather soft-spoken. The criticism all stops at the argument that Reagan almost single-handedly toppled the USSR. He did. It was his resolve and leadership. God has a very ironic sense of humor. This dim-witted, meek, and quiet guy did what no one else could. Sounds like irony to me, the simple shaming the scholars.

Read the book; make your own judgments.