Beverly LaHaye, the influential conservative Christian activist known for founding the advocacy organization Concerned Women for America and regarded as a trailblazer in Evangelical political involvement, has passed away at the age of 94.
LaHaye’s death was announced by Concerned Women for America on Sunday. She leaves behind three children (a fourth child had died in 2017), nine grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren. According to CWA, “Beverly LaHaye’s life is a testament to the transformative power of devotion to God, rather than privilege or exceptional talents.”
“She remained a devoted follower of Jesus Christ throughout her life, and God used her in remarkable ways to impact her surroundings,” the organization added.
Born Beverly Jean Ratcliffe on April 30, 1929, in Detroit, Michigan, she married Tim LaHaye, co-author of the bestselling Left Behind series, in 1947 while they were in college.
Beverly LaHaye was motivated to advocate for conservative causes after witnessing a television interview featuring Betty Friedan, founder of the pro-abortion National Organization for Women, in 1978. “While watching, LaHaye was moved to establish an organization that represented women who held differing views from Friedan’s,” wrote Arlisha R. Norwood of the National Women’s History Museum in 2017.
Reflecting on this pivotal moment years later, LaHaye remarked, “‘After hearing what she had said, if that’s what a humanist nation was going to be like, I did not want any part of it.'”
In 1978, LaHaye founded Concerned Women for America, a conservative advocacy organization that expanded across the United States through various chapters, and she served as its president until 2010.
“Mrs. LaHaye was a champion for the overlooked women of our country, whose voices were not being represented in Washington and in society,” said CWA CEO Penny Nance in a statement. “Her life exemplifies the profound impact that one woman with a vision and mission can have on shaping history.”
LaHaye was a dedicated advocate for the pro-life movement, a staunch supporter of the modern state of Israel, a defender of traditional marriage, and actively campaigned against the Equal Rights Amendment, contributing to its failure to pass.
In 1985, LaHaye relocated the headquarters of Concerned Women for America (CWA) from San Diego to Washington, D.C. The LaHayes viewed this move as essential for maximizing CWA’s influence on the culture as the organization grew, according to the CWA website.
LaHaye actively testified before Congress on multiple occasions, advocating against abortion and other policies that she perceived as conflicting with Christian family values. Additionally, she spoke in support of Supreme Court justices Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia during their confirmation hearings, as noted by 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.
Read full story at ChristianPost.com.
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