Riverwood Presbyterian Church

Politics

June 12, 1987

by Clay Staggs

I am an unabashed fan of Ronald Reagan. I think he was a great (not perfect) president in a time that desperately called out for great leadership. In many ways, his ghost haunts the Republican Party to this day, which is searching for the next great leader of that caliber.

Twenty years ago today, Ronald Reagan stood in front of the Brandenburg Gate, on this side of the Berlin Wall, and gave a speech in which he uttered the now famous line, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” Here’s a clip of that speech:

Isn’t it amazing how much the world has changed since then? There’s now one Germany, not two. That wall was torn down, and shortly after it, the entire “Iron Curtain.” Reagan, once reviled by many politically, has since died, and was given a hero’s burial, being credited even by his former adversaries for his role in bringing down communism.

Yet, in many ways, the world has not changed much at all. In this speech, Reagan asserted that when nations allow their people to live in freedom, the cause of peace is advanced. Consider how similar this is to George W. Bush’s more recent speeches where he argues that freedom is best antidote for middle eastern dictatorships and Islamic fascism. I think Reagan was right (and, by extension, so is Bush 43) that tyrannies are generally destabilizing in the world, and that free democracies rarely make war on each other, thus advancing peace. But note that the problem remains the same today as in Reagan’s time (as it was in FDR’s time, etc., etc. all the way back through history): oppression and tyranny. We who are reformed are likely to see this as an affirmation that, over history, the depravity of mankind is unchanging and constant. That’s certainly how I see it.

Yet, God is gracious to us here in the West and in the US in particular. We today enjoy freedom, liberty, and prosperity almost unheard of in human history. I believe that God has worked through ordinary, imperfect men like Reagan to give us that blessing. This speech just reminded me of that. The Powerline guys are friends with the author of this speech, Peter Robinson. Over on their site, he recalls the story of how the speech came to be delivered over the objections of many in the government at the time. Fascinating stuff. You can read it here.