Jimmy Carter…
I met Jimmy Carter twice. The first and most meaningful was at my seminary graduation when I obtained my Ph.D. His pastor in Plains had earned his Doctor of Ministry degree, and President Carter agreed to speak to honor his pastor.
I still remember much of his speech. It was not the typical seminary graduation speech. Instead of being laden with theology, he told us about the work of the Carter Center. Most of us, despite earning advanced degrees, had never heard of the guinea worm, but President Carter told us how this worm destroyed thousands of lives each year. The threat of the worm could be eradicated by teaching people to use clean water and providing water for them.
I did not realize it at the time, but he was teaching us, like he taught Sunday School for decades, that we were to be doers of the word and not hearers only.
He spoke of the Atlanta project and how Habit for Humanity would revitalize decaying neighborhoods. He was showing us the gospel was not just for the uttermost parts of the world but also for folks here at home.
I remember being profoundly moved, not so much by the content of his words, but by the man himself. Eric Sevareid, a news commentator of an older generation, once said of Harry Truman, “…what stands out now is the character of the man. He seems like a rock now.” What stood out that day to me about Jimmy Carter was the character of the man. He was a man who simply believed what he said.
After he spoke, our names were called, and we walked across the stage to receive our diplomas. President Carter graciously stood there, shook our hands, and said, “Congratulations” to each of us.
The other time I met President Carter was at a book signing in Birmingham, Alabama. I was at a meeting, and he was the speaker. I don’t remember what he said, but I remember buying his book, Turning Point, standing in line, and him autographing the book. The book, which was not one of his best sellers, recounted how he challenged a fraudulent election in South Georgia and won a seat in the Georgia State Senate. This may be why the Carter Center has focused on free and fair elections around the world and why President Carter always advocated for justice.
I admit I felt a connection with President Carter. As Lewis Grizzard, the columnist, once wrote, “I voted for Carter because he talked the way I did.” I grew up in rural Florida, which was the rural South. When we moved off the ranch in 1968 to the suburbs of St. Petersburg, everyone in my class was from Michigan and Ohio. They made fun of my accent. When Jimmy Carter ran for President in 1976, he made it normal to be from the South.
His book, An Hour Before Daylight, is my favorite. His stories of life before electricity and plumbing were the stories of my father and mother’s lives. Times changed so fast, but he left a written record of what it was like to rise early, milk the cows, work hard, and overcome adversity and hard times.
Right before Jimmy Carter’s death, a prominent evangelical leader said he prayed that Jimmy Carter would go to heaven. His inference was that Jimmy Carter’s progressive views were theologically unsound, and that disqualified him from heaven. When I read that, my stomach turned.
Three verses apply. The first is from Ephesians: “It is by grace you have been saved, not of works, lest any man should boast.” Jesus saves people out of his overflowing grace, not because we believe a doctrine, but because we believe in a person. The second verse is from the lips of Jesus: “By this, all men shall know that you are my disciples – that you love one another.” President Carter, over and over, showed the love of Jesus by building homes, doing acts of kindness for his neighbors, and doing his best to stamp out disease. The last verse is from Micah, the prophet: “What does the LORD require of you, O man, but to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.” In a world that speaks less and less about what is right and wrong for the least of these, Jimmy Carter spoke on their behalf.
Whether we agree with his politics or not, can we acknowledge that Jimmy Carter served as a follower of Jesus should serve? I wonder how many people who made the trek to Plains to hear him teach Sunday School had never heard the Bible taught before.
No one, of course, knows a man’s heart. But Jesus also said, “By their fruits, you shall know them.” What do you think Jimmy Carter’s fruit really showed?
For that matter, what does your fruit show?