WASHINGTON,DC (Catholic Online) – I have followed the political career of former Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich for a long time. There are few Americans unaware of his role as the architect and "idea man" behind the historic "Contract with America".

His leadership helped to bring the Republicans to victory in the House of Representatives in 1994. As the Speaker of the House he provided leadership which led to a balanced budget amendment and a period of fiscal stability. He was named an "exceptional leader" by Time Magazine in 1995 for this contribution.

Speaker Gingrich is also an accomplished scholar. He is a history Professor with an earned Doctorate. He is a very intelligent man with a grasp of public policy issues like few others in public service. Over the years I have followed his career, I have been impressed with his willingness to propose fresh solutions for ever challenging public needs.

For example, his proposals in the early 2,000’s for person, family and free market based health care reforms, are just now being given the due consideration they deserve.  His genuine concern for those who are in need of medical care is one of the areas where he has not received the recognition he deserves.

 

 

The man is brilliant. Anyone who has listened to him in the 2012 Presidential debates – if they are being honest – agrees he is well informed on every issue of public policy. The man is articulate- and he is prolific. He has written twenty three books – including thirteen New York Times bestsellers. He is comfortable with creative ideas and unafraid of big picture thinking.

Coupled with all of these abilities, Newt Gingrich has a hopeful vision for the future. This defies the stereotypes too often associated with "conservative" politicians. I recall years ago when the amazing rise in communications technology had just begun, I searched for a "futurist" among the ranks of the then "conservative" leaders.  I found just such a "conservative" futurist in Newt Gingrich.  

However, I must admit that it was his faith journey in later life which made my respect for him become something more, admiration. I have learned in my own life that the past is either a tutor or a millstone. For Newt Gingrich, a man comfortable in his own skin, the past has become a tutor.

This Professor has learned that we are always students. His response to questions concerning his own past reveal the wisdom borne of experience, infused with real faith. It is not how many times we fall down, but whether we get up and learn how to walk. 

In an article in the National Catholic Register in 2011 entitled "Why I Became a Catholic" Newt bore witness to the journey which brought him into the Catholic Church. It is the story of an intellectual – who is also a "down to earth" man. It is also similar to numerous other journeys in the history of converts to the catholic Christian faith.

Newt’s Catholic journey was not a dramatic "Damascus" experience such as the one recorded in the Acts of the Apostles which captured the Apostle Paul  for Christ and His Church.(See, Acts 9) Rather, it was a slow and steady attraction to the fullness of truth – and the beauty – contained within the fullness of Christianity found within the Catholic Church.

He began – and then ended – this wonderful account with these words, "I am often asked when I chose to become Catholic. However, it is more truthful to say that over the course of several years I gradually became Catholic and then decided one day to accept the faith I had already come to embrace. After a decade-long – perhaps lifelong – faith journey, I was finally home." 

 

In between he tells of how his intellect was satiated and his desire for happiness fulfilled in the Catholic Church. As a "revert" to the Church – one who questioned my way back into the faith of my childhood – I understand and am moved by such accounts. They call to mind what Blessed John Paul called, in his magna-carta on the Moral Life which bears the name, the "Splendor of Truth". The Catholic Christian faith does not frown on questions. Rather it welcomes them as the very path to truth and into the heart of the Church. 

His work over the past few years in film production, along with his gifted wife Callista, is extraordinary. Most of those who read me know that Blessed John Paul II is my life "champion". I was captured by his message as a very young man and my life and vocation has been deeply affected by his witness in both life and death. I have dedicated my studies and the rest of my life to making his work more widely known.

I will never forget the first time I watched "Nine Days that Changed the World" hosted by Newt and Callista Gingrich. I was profoundly impressed with the way in which they both understood and were able to capture those historic moments and the obvious love and respect they have for Blessed John Paul II.
 
It comes as no surprise that Newt Gingrich’s poll numbers are beginning to climb. His performance in the Presidential debates demonstrates that he is competent, consistent, calm and convincing.  He is clearly Pro-Life, defends the primacy of marriage and the family and society founded upon it and is a passionate defender of authentic freedom. He is also a man with ideas and the ability to articulate them. 

The pundit class is finally beginning to take the candidacy of this intelligent and gifted man seriously. He shows calm in the chaotic displays called debates and stands out. In an age filled with crisis, suffering under ill informed and ineffective leaders, such calm and competence are refreshing. Visit the Gingrich campaign’s web site and see where he stands on the vital issues.