By Leslie Montgomery
She’s been called the devil’s handmaiden, a history-maker, a rock star, Bush’s secret weapon, the most influential woman in the world, a rising star, and a race traitor – among other things. Regardless of which opinion people come to about who she is or what label they’ve placed on her character, everyone knows there’s something uniquely different about the 5-foot-7-inch African American woman who currently serves as our Secretary of State.
Condoleezza Rice has a mysterious stability, an enigmatic air, and an inexplicable confidence that is devoid of pride – a trait that is hard to find in the world, let alone in the world of politics. Like many people, I wondered what makes Condoleezza Rice tick? What does she really believe? Is her faith a tool she wields to gain likability and favor with the public, or is it sincere with depth? What I found out in my in-depth research and interviews with her family and friends is that her impenetrable strength and unshakable temperament are evidence of three defining characteristics: a faith that runs deep in her heritage, a personal passion for God, and moral convictions that stem from both.
The foundational Scripture verse that Condolezza’s parents, John and Angelena Rice, held onto throughout her life and impressed in her mind was Jeremiah 29:11: "For I know the plans I have for you; plans for good and not for evil, plans to give you a hope and a future."
They held onto that verse as a family as though it was their lifeline. To understand the full scope of its meaning to the Rices, you must remember that Condoleezza was born in 1954 in Birmingham, Alabama, during the most heated years of the Civil Rights Movement, when bombs were going off daily, murders of blacks went unpunished, and the message to blacks was "You’re worthless, disposable, and unwanted."
While I was impressed with John and Angelena Rice’s determination and perseverance, I was even more in awe with her forefathers. Not unlike the Saints in Hebrews 11, they were treated harshly and fought in faith for the promise of freedom that they knew they might not personally see and partake of. Thus, they fought against prejudice through faith, family and education, believing that although they may not taste the fruit of their labor, their children and grandchildren would some day. Condoleezza Rice is a by-product of generations of people who fought for her to be who and where she is today; an African-American woman in a high ranking position in a predominately all white, male government, with the influence to change the world through Christ.
There were many surprises, twists and turns as I researched and wrote "The Faith of Condoleezza Rice." But the one thing that burned an imprint on my heart was that I have a spiritual responsibility as a parent and grandparent to fight for freedoms that God has given us as believers, so that my children and grandchildren can relish in the fulfillment of those promises and become all that God has intended for them to be. One day someone might be writing a book on one of my grandchildren. I want them to be able to say they had a grandmother who fought for them, in a nation where anything’s possible through Christ. Even more so, in regards to my spiritual input in my grandchildren’s lives, I want to hear the Lord say what I’m positive He’s said to Condoleezza’s grandparents and great-grandparents: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Leslie Montgomery has been director of publications, managing editor, and staff writer for the American Association of Christian Counselors. She has also been a writer for Focus on the Family and she is the author of several books, including "The Faith of Condoleezza Rice" and "The Faith of Laura Bush."
