Strength for the Fight

Church History
“This book is an essential resource for historians and scholars interested in the intersection of religion and sports in the United States. The extensive documentation alone makes it an exceptional book, but at its core, Smith’s examination of the various facets of Robinson’s private and public faith life opens into a compelling history of American sports, politics, and religion in the mid-twentieth century.”

Publishers Weekly
“Offers valuable insight into a baseball legend. Smith demonstrates an impressive command over the secondary literature on Robinson, and overcomes the athlete’s reticence to discuss his faith to deliver a meticulous appraisal of Robinson’s understudied religious beliefs.”

“In Strength for the Fight, Gary Scott Smith brings a scrupulous historian’s eye for details and patterns, alongside his own abiding concern for faithful Christian practice, to create a compelling fusion. To those of us immersed in the drama of Jackie Robinson’s struggles to break baseball’s color barrier, the focus has always seemed to be on the solitary hero, fueled by a mysterious intensity and strength. Now, with Smith’s well-documented narrative, we see that the mystery of Robinson’s strength was at least in part the result of a deep faith commitment and a sense of having divine justice on his side. On a topic that has received heavy attention (and rightly so), this book accomplishes the rare feat of reinforcing the power of a well-known narrative while deepening our understanding and appreciation of that narrative’s rich spiritual depths.”
— Michael R. Stevens
professor of American literature at Cornerstone University

“An insightful and uplifting account of the role that faith played in Jackie Robinson’s life on and off the field. Meticulously researched, Strength for the Fight situates Robinson’s faith in wider society and culture as no other book does. It’s a significant contribution not only to our understanding of Robinson but also to the growing field of religion and sports.”
— Michael G. Long
coauthor of Jackie Robinson: A Spiritual Biography

“Gary Scott Smith’s Strength for the Fight is a wonderful book for two reasons. One, it serves as an excellent introduction to the life and times of Jackie Robinson for people only familiar with his baseball career. Second, for readers who are familiar with Robinson as a baseball player, activist, and staunch champion of the Black community, Strength for the Fight provides the kind of detail that shows Robinson’s life in a new, stark, and fresh light.”
— Robert Greene II
assistant professor of history at Claflin University

“If, like me, you can’t learn enough about Jackie Robinson, you must read Gary Scott Smith’s book. Its focus on how Robinson’s progressive Christian faith supported his passionate commitment to social justice and his fight against racism, both in the world of baseball and in American society, is a vital contribution to understanding Robinson’s legacy and its significance to the field of religion and sport.”
— Rebecca T. Alpert
author of Religion and Sports and Out of Left Field: Jews and Black Baseball

“While growing up in the racially segregated city of Pasadena, going to a predominantly white university and participating in sports, confronting Jim Crow racism in the army during World War II, challenging baseball’s apartheid system while playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers, and being on the front lines of the civil rights movement during and after his playing days, Robinson drew strength and hope from his faith. Gary Scott Smith tells this remarkable and little-known story in his book Strength for the Fight. Smith explores the intersection of sports, politics, and religion in Robinson’s amazing life. You don’t have to be a baseball fan, or be religious, to enjoy this well-written book.”
— Peter Dreier
coauthor of Baseball Rebels: The Players, People, and Social Movements That Shook Up the Game and Changed America

“Few sports figures have made a greater impact on American culture than Jackie Robinson. In this important biography, Gary Scott Smith examines the contours of Robinson’s Christian faith, showing how it shaped his life—inside and outside of baseball. Not only does Smith reveal how Robinson’s faith provided him the fortitude to be the first African American to play in the white major leagues, but he also shows how Robinson’s Christianity was at the center of a life devoted to fighting for racial justice in America. Rich in source material and wonderfully written, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in Jackie Robinson, baseball history, and American religion.”
— Christopher H. Evans
coeditor of The Faith of 50 Million: Baseball, Religion, and American Culture

Religion & Politics
“Even-handed and fair, the power of Strength for the Fight comes from Smith’s extensive source material. . . . Strength for the Fight is essential reading for anyone who wants a better understanding of Robinson’s Christian faith or a new angle on an often-told American story. With wide-ranging source material, Smith’s book makes it clear that we should not overlook the complex and nuanced ways that the combination of religion and sport have shaped public life.”

The Englewood Review of Books
“Smith’s account of Robinson helps us have a greater understanding of his life and its significance, deepening our appreciation for him as a person shaped by the Christian tradition. But it also helps us to understand our moment, the importance of family in faith formation, the role of the church and its ministers in influencing our moral imagination, and the place of sports as a vehicle not only for recreation and fun, but as a crucible for character.”

The American Spectator
"What makes Smith’s work so thoroughly excellent is its focus on Robinson’s faith. Smith, a historian of sports and religion . . . is one of the few historians who understands and relates the secret to Robinson’s success: faith."

Christianity Today
“Gary Scott Smith offers a more intimate account of Robinson’s spiritual life than was previously known. Rooted in previous books on his subject, Smith’s book is both a work of synthesis and a triumph of original research that casts a distinct analytical eye on Robinson’s religious life. . . . While Strength for the Fight is a consistently interesting and informative read, its strongest sections are the ones focused on Robinson’s life after baseball.”