Midweek Review #28 Ronald Reagan the Christian Apologist
Ronald Reagan's personal letter to his ailing father-in-law Loyal Davis was recently discovered in a collection of Nancy Reagan's belongings. The letter shows the evangelical conviction of Ronald Reagan. But more than that, it demonstrates how to use apologetic arguments in the evangelization of the lost. Reagan cites prophecies, Lord/Liar/Lunatic, and the unmatched influence of an itinerant Jewish preacher who only ministered for three years.
Transcript
Dear loyal, I hope you'll forgive me for this, but I've been wanting to write you ever since we talked on the phone
I'm aware of the strain you are under and believe with all my heart. There is hope for that Loyal I know of your feeling your doubt, but I could
I just impose on you a little Some 700 years before the birth of Christ the ancient
Jewish prophets predicted the coming of a Messiah They said he would be born in a lowly place
Would proclaim himself the Son of God and would be put to death for saying that All in all there were a total of 123 specific prophecies about his life all of which came true
Crucifixion was unknown in those times yet. It was foretold that he would be nailed to a cross of wood and One of the predictions was that he would be born of a virgin
Now I know this is probably the hardest for you as a doctor to accept The only answer that can be given is it's a miracle
But loyal I don't find that as great a miracle as the actual history of his life Either he was who he said he was or he was the greatest faker in Charlton who ever lived
But what a liar and a faker Suffered the death he did when all he had to do to save himself was to admit he'd been lying
The miracle is that a young man of 30 years without credentials as a scholar or priest began preaching on street corners
He owned nothing, but the clothes on his back, and he didn't travel beyond the circle less than a hundred miles across He did this for only three years and then was executed as a common criminal
But for 2 ,000 years he has had more impact on the world than all the teachers
Scientists emperors generals and admirals who ever lived all put together The Apostle John said for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son
That whosoever believed in him Would not perish but have everlasting life
He proceeds to go on to encourage loyal to believe and to tell
God that you put your hand yourself in his hands signed off love Ronnie Ronald Reagan wrote this to his father -in -law just before loyal Davis died
Found that quite amazing that the Washington Post published that this week But what I love about Ronald Reagan in what he writes in this particular letter is
That he witnesses from arguments Logical arguments, in fact, did you notice he begins with prophecies and he cites all the prophecies that foretold the coming of Christ That's my favorite argument for the deity of Christ and his work being true
He also goes to the Lord liar lunatic argument. That's a classic right who came up with that one
Okay, CS Lewis Lord liar lunatic, so he's he's doing apologetics here
Then he goes to the idea of an obscure street preacher who becomes the most famous person in the history of the world
After preaching for only three years and being crucified Yet he has he in fact says that this
Jesus is more important than all the other leaders of the world put together Put together none has had the kind of influence that Jesus has had
Next he mentions John 3 16 the classic
Bible verse that sums up the whole idea of the Bible that God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son