Research On Religion » Ronald Reagan

Robert D. Rubin on Judicial Review & the Religious Right

tonygill — Sun, 28 May 2017 08:00:08 +0000

Prior to the 1980s, conservative evangelical Christians were skeptical of the US federal court system, having suffered a number of setbacks within the Supreme Court involving issues such as education and abortion. This begins to change in the 1980s as the now organizationally-consolidated Religious Right began a new legal strategy of embracing judicial review and positioning themselves as an aggrieved minority. Dr. Robert D. Rubin, an independent scholar who earned his Ph.D. at Indiana University, discusses how this change occurred in the legal and social crucible of Mobile, Alabama in the 1980s. After a bit of background on how Dr. Rubin discovered this topic, we review the religious and political landscape of both the United States, writ large, and the US South, in particular noting important changes such as the Civil Rights Movement and various Supreme Court Decisions (e.g., Epperson v Arkansas) that gave rise to the Religious Right movement. We then examine two very specific cases that passed through the chambers of Judge Brevard Hand — Jaffree v Board of School Commissioners and Smith v Board of School Commissioners. The Jaffree case involved an atheist parent who had a problem with a school prayer that his child was being forced to recite in a public school. The second case involving Douglas Smith took up the issue whether the public school curriculum in Mobile County was advancing the religion of “secular humanism.” Robert details the dimensions of these cases and notes how Smith v Board saw religious conservatives going on the offensive and employing some of the arguments used to remove prayer from the school to place religion on an even playing field. Tony then questions Dr. Rubin about the character and judicial philosophy of Brevard Hand. The conversation includes reflections upon Robert’s various meetings and interviews with Judge Hand, a man who challenges the stereotypes of the “rotund and suspender-wearing judges” often depicted on television. We also review the justice’s legal philosophy, which emphasized the principles of republican majoritarianism, federalism, and self-reliance. Tony picks up a whiff of Alexis de Tocqueville in this discussion and asks Robert if he noticed any particular books in Judge Hand’s personal library, to which he gives an interesting and revealing answer that provides insight into the mind of southerners. (To find out what book it was, you will have to listen to the podcast… or read the links below.) We close our podcast with Robert’s reflections about what he learned throughout the research process, wherein he learned to see the importance of viewing the world through the eyes of others, and a bit of discussion about his next project that examines the importance of prayer in enhancing civil discourse. Recorded: May 10, 2017.

Phoenix Moomaw on Ronald Reagan’s Faith (Our 250th Episode!)

tonygill — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 08:00:55 +0000

For our annual Fourth of July show, and our 250th episode, we invite our very first freshly-minted high school graduate, Phoenix Moomaw of The Bear Creek School, to discuss his recently completed senior project investigating the faith of President Ronald Reagan. Phoenix is well-positioned for this research project given that his grandfather — Donn Moomaw — was Ronald Reagan’s pastor at Bel Air Presbyterian Church from the time that Reagan was an actor, his tenure as governor of California, and during the White House years. To add to this, Phoenix’s family discovered a set of letters written by Ronald Reagan that had previously gone undiscovered and uses this correspondence (dating form the governorship and presidency years) to build his thesis.

We begin the discussion talking about the nature of Mr. Moomaw’s senior project. He provides his school’s rationale for requiring such a project and mentions a few of the other activities his classmates did. He then talks about how he came about his project in particular. The impetus for his investigation of Reagan’s faith was prompted by the discovery of several folders of letters in his grandfather’s garage that dated back to the 1960s and 1980s. He takes time to give us a taste of these letters and reads one them related to the treatments of Presbyterians under the Sandinista regime. Phoenix’s desire to scan these discovered documents to pass around to his family then became a project designed to determine how much of an influence religion played in Reagan’s life, and we walk through the steps of his research project discussing his three days spent in the archives at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley. It is also noted during the interview that Phoenix relied upon personal discussions with his grandfather about his recollections of Reagan, including a time when Reagan reached out to Rev. Moomaw regarding a decision whether or not to pardon a death row inmate.

Phoenix’s principal research question was to determine how authentic Reagan’s faith was and how this played out in actual policy decisions. He uses as his basis for analysis C.S. Lewis’s theological test of true faith put forth in Mere Christianity, and Richard Neibuhr’s concept of “Christ above culture” in his book Christ and Culture. He explains both of these concepts for listeners. As for the former, Phoenix notes that Reagan did have an authentic faith as a “mere Christian.” Reagan also saw a place for religion and politics and maintained a moral compass for the nation. The analysis of whether Reagan was “Christ above culture” is more nuanced given that this concept holds up a standard that is separated from culture, but one that attempts to influence culture. Phoenix notes how difficult it is for a president to live according to this standard. Phoenix’s grandfather noted that Reagan did not want to talk theology much and did not believe he could influence culture much. Phoenix concludes from this that Reagan entered into office with a strong religious background, but as time wore on his beliefs were shaped by his office and he lost sight of much of big picture that he entered the White House with, becoming mired in daily decisions. Even though Reagan did pray over these difficult decisions, it was difficult to hold to the “Christ above culture” standard. We reflect upon how difficult this is for all of us. Recorded: June 24, 2015.

Gary Scott Smith on Presidential Faith

tonygill — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:00:46 +0000

A week before Presidents’ Day, we visit with the chair of the Department of History at Grove City College, Prof. Gary Scott Smith to survey the faith of various presidents in US history. Our discussion opens with some thoughts as to why it is important to understand the religious underpinnings of the occupants of the White House. Prof. Smith then reveals who he considers both our most and least religious presidents. Our coverage of individual presidents proceeds slightly out of chronological order as we first dip into the interesting spiritual background of Dwight Eisenhower and how his beliefs reflected the nature of the 1950s. We then step back in time to discuss Thomas Jefferson and the controversies surrounding his theological leanings. Prof. Smith offers up his perspective on Jefferson’s famous “wall of separation” quote. We then cover George Washington and Abraham Lincoln before moving into the 20th century. Whilst in the 20th century, our survey of presidents encompasses the beliefs and practices of Woodrow Wilson, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton. We briefly make reference to Richard Nixon before moving to our two most recent presidents, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Finally, Gary offers up some thoughts on whether or not Mormonism will become an issue for Mitt Romney should he secure the nomination of the Republican Party in the 2012 elections. At the very end of the interview, Tony professes ignorance about much of what was discussed and wonders why he is so lacking in knowledge. Prof. Smith provides us a few thoughts about the state of historical education as pertains to the faith of our presidents. Recorded: January 13, 2012.