Beverly Jean Davenport was born in Oakland County, Michigan, on April 30, 1929, to Lowell Ardo and Nellie Elizabeth (née Pitts) Davenport.[1] Her father was a factory worker in Southfield, Michigan and died of a ruptured appendix when Beverly was almost two years old.[2] Within two years, Nellie Elizabeth married Daniel Ratcliffe, a tool maker in the auto industry in Oakland County, Michigan.[3] From then on, Beverly Jean and her older sister Blanche Aileen used their stepfather's surname as their own.[4]
She graduated from Highland Park Community High School in 1946.[5] She attended Bob Jones University (then named Bob Jones College) and married Air Force veteran and aspiring pastor Tim LaHaye in 1947.[6] After attending college for one year, she dropped out and joined the workforce to support the family finances, as her husband Tim made little money as a pastor.[7][8] In 1956, the LaHayes moved to San Diego, California, where Tim became the pastor of Scott Memorial Baptist Church. Beverly became the church secretary and helped direct junior Sunday School. Despite having a shy personality and struggling with the monotony of homemaking, LaHaye believed that homemaking would help her learn submission.[8] In 69 years of marriage, the LaHayes had four children,[9] Linda, Larry, Lee, and Lori,[10] and nine grandchildren.[11]
LaHaye formed Concerned Women for America (CWA) in 1979.[13] Initially, CWA was a reaction to the National Organization for Women and a 1978 Barbara Walters interview with feminist Betty Friedan.[14] LaHaye stated that she believed Friedan's goal was "to dismantle the bedrock of American culture: the family",[15] and that Christian women were not included in discussions of women's rights. LaHaye held a rally in a local San Diego auditorium which marked the beginning of CWA.[15]
While CWA was originally intended to be a local group, the organization was established nationwide within two years.[16] The organization calls itself "the nation's largest public policy women's organization devoted to biblical principles."[17] When CWA's headquarters moved to Washington, D.C., LaHaye "announced at a press conference: 'This is our message: the feminists do not speak for all women in America, and CWA is here in Washington to end the monopoly of feminists who claim to speak for all women.'"[18]
The CWA strongly supported Ronald Reagan during his presidency, and Reagan credited LaHaye with "changing the face of American politics".[6][8]
CWA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization[19] that is "supported by hundreds of local chapters across the country."[18] In 2014, Salon stated that "CWA [had] become a powerful political force, claiming over half a million members."[13] LaHaye led the organization until 2006.[6]
LaHaye wrote The Spirit-Controlled Woman in 1976,[21] a companion to her husband's book The Spirit-Controlled Temperament. A revised and expanded edition of the book, The New Spirit-Controlled Woman, was released in 2005.[22]The Desires of a Woman's Heart was released in 1993.[23]
^Michigan Department of Community Health, Division of Vital Records and Health Statistics; Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan, Marriage Records, 1867–1952; Film: 174; Film Title: 63 Oakland 06850-10109; Film Description: Oakland (1930–1933)
^Snyder-Hall, R. Claire (2008). "The Ideology of Wifely Submission: A Challenge for Feminism?". Politics & Gender. 4 (04): 563–586. doi:10.1017/S1743923X08000482. S2CID145173940.