Pres. Jimmy Carter takes a look at the progress of the house that he is helping to build during Habitat for Humanity International’s 2005 Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project in Benton Harbor, Michigan.
We always remember our first experiences. In 1976, I had my first experience casting a ballot for the president of the United States. James Earl “Jimmy” Carter Jr. (1924- 2024) — an engineer, a former naval officer, a humble peanut farmer, and a born-again Christian — was a welcome candidate after the disgraceful fall and resignation of President Richard M. Nixon for the lying and covering- up of the Watergate scandal.
Carter got my vote when he told the American people, “I’ll never tell a lie. I’ll never make a misleading statement. I’ll never betray the confidence that any of you had in me.” Here are just some of the stunning biographical details that illustrate why I supported him then and why his spirit still matters to me and so many others today.
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Jimmy was a Baptistwho balanced democracy and personal belief
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Carter grew up as a Southern Baptist and was the first U. S. president to announce unabashedly he was a “born again” Christian. He proselytized his ideas with folksinger Bob Dylan. He also applied his ideals across religious lines in 1978 when brokering peace between Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in the Camp David Accords.
In 1976, Carter owed his presidential victory to White evangelical Christian voters. They lauded Carter because he didn’t play down his Christianity but lived out loud his meaning of being a born-again Christian entering American politics. During his presidential run, Carter unapologetically told The New York Times, “If there are those who don’t want to vote for me because I’m a deeply committed Christian, I believe they should vote for someone else.”
Carter taught Sunday School for decades, and Carter’s favorite Bible verse was from Micah 6:8. “Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.” He lived by it!
Carter upheld the total separation of church and state. He opposed public money and tax exemptions for religious schools and institutions. He discontinued the tradition of inviting evangelicals to conduct White House prayer services, a once cozy niche for prominent evangelicals like Rev. Billy Graham, who he admired.
However, if Jimmy Carter were running for president today, they would consider him a heretic and excommunicate him for his stances on Christian nationalism, white supremacy, reproductive justice, LGBTQ+ rights, Palestine, and interpretation of scripture, among others.
Jimmy Carter was an enlightened son of a segregationist
Carter, a Georgian like many of the civil rights leaders of his era, wasn’t involved in the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, never confronted his father’s pro-Confederate views nor his denomination’s support of slavery, nor met with Martin Luther King Jr.
“Carter never did anything racist himself. But he didn’t participate,” Carter’s biographer Jonathan Alter told the Associated Press. “And King was right there.” However, to the shock of his white evangelical base and the awe of the black voters, Carter, at his inauguration, issued an edict: “The time for racial discrimination is over.”
Carter appointed the first Black woman to serve in a presidential Cabinet and the first Black man to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations: Andrew Young, a Civil Rights Movement icon. He also formed a relationship with King’s family during his presidency.
Jimmy Carter was an LGBTQ+ allywho grew with the times
During Carter’s administration, he was concerned about LGBTQ+ issues, like employment discrimination. After his presidency, he advocated abolishing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the military’s ban on out LGBTQ+ service members.
As an honest man, Carter was candid about his struggle with marriage equality. But he leaned into his faith to guide him. In 2005, an Advocate reporter asked him why he had no problem with gays and lesbians like many Christians. “I’m a worshipper of Jesus Christ, who never mentioned homosexuals in any way — certainly not in a [damaging] fashion,” Carter replied.
In 2015, in response to the Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision, which legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states, Carter publicly gave a shoutout of approval.
“I think Jesus would encourage any love affair if it was honest and sincere and was not damaging to anyone else,” he told HuffPost Live. “I believe Jesus would approve of gay marriage.”
Jimmy Carter walked the talk
Faith was foundational to Carter’s politics. However, his faith-driven public service bloomed after his presidency; he became the quintessential statesman and the nation’s greatest ex-president.
Like many Americans, I hold Carter in high regard. I liked his calm demeanor and balanced approach in difficult conversations and heated debates. He was not an alarmist but a measured man, thoughtful in his actions and responses. I admired the type of man he walked in the world.
I’m glad President Jimmy Carter was my first.
May he rest in peace.
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