Beverly LaHaye, prominent Christian conservative activist, dies at 94
Beverly LaHaye, the prominent conservative Christian activist who founded the advocacy organization Concerned Women for America and is seen as a pioneering figure for Evangelical political engagement, has died at the age of 94.
LaHaye had died on Sunday, Concerned Women for America announced. She leaves behind three children (a fourth child had died in 2017), nine grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren.
"Beverly LaHaye was not born into privilege nor blessed with extraordinary skills and abilities. Her life is a beautiful demonstration of what God can do with a person who is fully devoted to Him," stated CWA.
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"She was a faithful follower of Jesus Christ all the days of her life and God used her in extraordinary ways to make a difference in the world around her."
Beverly Jean Ratcliffe was born on April 30, 1929, in Detroit, Michigan. In 1947, while in college, she married Tim LaHaye, co-author of the best-selling Left Behind series.
Beverly LaHaye became inspired to advocate for conservative causes after watching a television interview of Betty Friedan, the founder of the pro-abortion National Organization for Women, in 1978.
"While watching LaHaye decided to create an organization that expressed the views of women who did not agree with Friedan's views," wrote Arlisha R. Norwood of the National Women's History Museum, in 2017.
"She described the pivotal moment years later, 'after what she had said, if that is what a humanist nation was going to be like, I did not want any part of it.'"
LaHaye founded Concerned Women for America in 1978, a conservative advocacy organization that eventually launched chapters throughout the United States, and was its president until 2010.
"Mrs. LaHaye championed the forgotten women of this country, whose voices were not being heard in Washington and in the culture," CWA CEO Penny Nance said in a statement. "Her life is a testament to the impact one woman with a vision and mission can have on the course of history."
LaHaye was an advocate for the pro-life cause, a staunch supporter of the modern state of Israel, an advocate for traditional marriage and also campaigned against the Equal Rights Amendment, helping to prevent its passage.
LaHaye moved the CWA headquarters from San Diego to Washington, D.C. in 1985. The LaHayes believed that the move was "vital in order for CWA to have its greatest impact on the culture as the organization continued to expand," the CWA website states.
On numerous occasions, LaHaye testified before Congress against abortion and other policies she believed stood against Christian family values. She also spoke on behalf of Supreme Court justices Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia in their confirmation hearings, according to CWA.
"Mrs. LaHaye's growing influence in the conservative movement, as well as Republicans holding a majority place in office, led to LaHaye's prominence during the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush," the website notes.
Rev. Johnnie Moore, the president of the Congress of Christian Leaders and an Evangelical public relations executive, said in a statement shared with The Christian Post Monday that Lahaye "inspired a generation of Christian women to put their faith in action."
"She was the matriarch of modern Evangelical political engagement but always first, and foremost, a faithful Christian who never sought the power she had," Moore said.
LaHaye authored and co-authored multiple books, including The Spirit-Controlled Woman, Understanding Your Child's Temperament, Who But A Woman? and The Desires of a Woman's Heart.
LaHaye has received honors, including the Southern Baptist Convention's Religious Freedom Award in 1991, the Council for National Policy's Thomas Jefferson Award for Servant Leadership in 2001, the Faith and Freedom Coalition's Winston Churchill Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016, and the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association's Platinum Book Award for 1 million copies sold of her book, The New Spirit-Controlled Woman, in 2019.
In 2016, after 69 years of marriage, Tim LaHaye died at age 90. She offered remarks at the end of his funeral service held later that year that were directed to her family.
"I'm sure today, he's looking forward to all 39 of you joining him in heaven one day, to spend eternity in the presence of our Savior, who gave his life for each one of you. He would not want any one of you to be left behind, and I say that with all sincerity," she told them.
