Ronald Reagan: Remembering the champion of religious liberty on his birthday

"Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant, and the rule of law under God is acknowledged." - Ronald Reagan, March 8, 1983

Ronald Wilson Reagan, born this week in 1911, was one of America's most deeply read and thoughtful presidents, and one of its most spiritually grounded. Trained early in life by his evangelical Christian mother, he never forgot the lessons she taught him. And in the Oval Office he became a history-changing champion of religious liberty.

In fact, most Americans--even most conservatives--don't realize how Ronald Reagan's Christianity was a core part of his entire philosophy of government as well as something he lived personally.

Reagan viewed all of life, including public life, through a spiritual lens, lacing speeches with references to the practical implications of doctrines such as sin and the fall (part of his case for limited government, law and order, and confronting evil in regimes such as the Soviet Union), and the creation and dignity of every human being in image of God (part of his case for free enterprise and against abortion).

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