Our thirty-ninth President, Jimmy Carter, the first President to live to 100 years of age, has passed away. Our thoughts and prayers should be extended to his family, and we should render proper respect to his place in history. To ascend to the office of President of the United States is to gain the position of being the most powerful man in the world. Regardless of your belief about the worth of his time in office, he was President from 1977 to 1981.
A Great Surprise
Jimmy Carter served as the Governor of my home state of Georgia from 1971 to 1975. He was a graduate of the United States Naval Academy in 1946 and served as a Naval Officer through 1953. At the death of his father, he returned to Plains, Georgia, to take over the family’s peanut farming business. By all accounts he was successful in running the business and very soon turned his attention to local politics. He was elected as a Georgia State Senator in 1963 serving the 14th district through 1967.
Carter’s first run at the governor’s office came in 1966. He positioned himself as a moderate and expressed support for racist policies then in place in the state. He was personally opposed to segregation, he later said. His run for the governorship failed, even though he appeared to be a good yellow-dog Democrat. He was defeated in the Democratic primary by populist and segregationist Lester Maddox. Carter finished third behind Maddox and liberal Democrat Ellis Arnall, who had served as Governor from 1943 to 1947. Maddox defeated Arnall in a runoff.
It was an interesting time in Georgia politics. The 1966 general election ended up with Arnall staying in the race as an independent and for the first time allowed a Republican, Bo Callaway, to have a very real shot at gaining the Governor’s mansion. Callaway won the popular vote over Maddox (46.5% to 46.2%) but the rules at the time allowed the state senate to choose the winner if the 50% threshold was not reached. The presence of the independent Arnall shifted the decision to the heavily democratic senate and Maddox was installed as Governor.
Carter would run again in 1970. I was in high school at this time and did not believe he had much of a chance of being elected. The Georgia constitution at the time prevented the incumbent Maddox from seeking reelection. Another former Governor, Carl Sanders, a moderate, served in the office from 1963 to 1967. You could not run for successive terms, but you could run after being out of the office for one term. There were seven candidates in the Democratic primary, and to my surprise, Carter placed first but was forced into a runoff with Sanders. Carter easily won the runoff.
My family were Republicans, as odd as that was in Georgia at the time. We believed that Hal Suit, the Republican candidate had a real chance at the highest office of the state. But Georgia was a democratic state through and through and Carter won the office by a 59%-41% vote.
It was rather shocking that in his inaugural speech, he declared, “The time for racial discrimination is over.” While I certainly agree that the time had come for the repeal of those policies, it was a complete reversal of his campaign statements. From my personal perspective, I did not think that Carter was extremely popular as Governor. But at the time every Governor in Georgia was a lame duck. Carter set his eyes on the national stage and began planning a run for president.
Timing is Everything – Sometimes
It still seems surreal to me that Carter was able, as a complete unknown on the national scene, to garner the Democratic nomination in 1976. The details of his rise in the Democratic party are a matter of record. His election to the office of President was a matter of fortunate timing.
Watergate certainly had a monumental impact on the election. Gerald Ford, the incumbent Republican who had stepped in after Richard Nixon’s resignation in 1974, was a moderate promising to continue Nixon’s policies. This prompted Ronald Reagan’s attempt to gain the party’s nomination. Ford narrowly won.
Carter would, ironically, position himself as a Washington D.C. outsider. The ever-progressive media took to Carter like government money to a bad idea. Carter would win both the popular and electoral votes in a very close race. Two states decided the election, Ohio and Wisconsin, where the margin of victory for Carter was razor thin. It was deemed that the black vote in those states pushed Carter over the top.
A Failed Presidency
The best word to describe Carter’s years in the White House would be failure. His foreign policy was abysmal. Conservatives were angered at his presidential amnesty for all Vietnam draft dodgers. Domestic policy was not kind to him, due in large part to his inability to understand the key factors affecting the economy. Inflation was out of control and the energy crisis of 1979, fueled at least in part by Carter’s poor Middle East policies, were significant factors in Carter’s extremely low approval ratings, tanking at 31% in 1980.
Carter’s handling of the Iranian hostage crisis near the end of his term was an utter disaster. I was a U.S. Naval officer by that time and was a participant in the failed rescue attempt of the hostages in 1980. Most of us involved at the time believed that running a military operation from D.C. was not the right way to do it. Carter’s military background should have given him the tools to handle the situation more competently. But by this time Carter was a bleeding-heart liberal without the backbone to handle foreign affairs with dignity and strength.
With the 1979 oil crisis on his hands, a very poor relationship with Congress, and his arrogance of feeling that his positions were best for the country despite obvious facts to the contrary, he was destined to be ousted from the White House. His defeat in the 1980 election to Ronald Reagan was both humiliating and a confirmation of his failed presidency. It was a landslide victory for Reagan, despite his Republican primary opponent, John Anderson, running as an independent. Anderson positioned himself as a moderate alternative to Reagan’s conservatism. The point is that you would have thought that he would take votes from Reagan. Whether he did or not is debatable, but Carter was not helped by Anderson’s presence on the ballot. The popular vote went to Reagan by a 51%-41% count. The electoral vote was 489 to 49, with Carter only garnering 6 states plus D.C. to his credit.
The Diplomatic but Medling Former President
I would suggest that no former President was more of a meddler in political affairs after leaving office than Jimmy Carter. While he perceived himself to be a great diplomat his personal involvement in foreign affairs was an intrusion not welcomed, even by many democrats. It started in 1981 when Carter met with Israeli Prime Minister Begin and then in 1983, he took a tour of Egypt and met with the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). Carter was never a supporter of Israel and often publicly announced his disdain for the nation.
Carter’s meddling in international affairs is a matter of record and includes junctures in South Africa, Darfur, Sudan, Cyprus, Korea, Syria, and an attempt to go to Zimbabwe. He spent the entirety of Reagan’s time in office criticizing both the President and his policies.
Carter even had a surprisingly poor relationship with Bill Clinton. Part of that was due to the Monica Lewinsky scandal to which Carter took exception. Ironically, Carter, in a 1976 interview with Playboy magazine, while discussing his religion’s view of pride said, “I’ve looked on a lot of women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times.” (1) This did seem to conflict with Carter’s claim to be a “born-again Christian.”
Both Bush presidents were highly criticized by Carter. After the 9/11 attacks, Carter initially called for support of Bush regarding the need for “unity.” Later he would oppose the Iraq War and criticize Bush accusing him of lies and misinterpretations in the effort to oust Sadam Hussein. He further accused Bush of exploiting the 9/11 attacks and even blamed the media for not being more critical of him.
Believe it or not, Carter was even critical of Barrack Obama. The details of his criticisms of his successors are a matter of record and can be easily researched.
The Philanthropist and Human Rights Activist
Of greater interest to the general Christian community would be the consideration of Jimmy Carter’s professed faith as an evangelical Christian. His death has brought out many accolades for his allegedly deep and sincere faith. He was a member of a Baptist church and taught Sunday School there for many years. Carter, a strong proponent of social justice, was a philanthropist who had a genuine interest in helping the less fortunate.
Carter was praised as a man of deep faith and a shining example of goodness by Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D, GA); President Joe Biden; Rev. Paul Baxley, executive coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (the organization Carter affiliated with after his departure from the Southern Baptist Convention over its refusal to sanction the ordination of female pastors); Rev. Clint Pressley, current President of the SBC; Franklin Graham, President of Samaritan’s Purse; and Greg Lauri, Pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship; among many others.
His work with Habitat for Humanity was applauded by the CEO of that organization:
We are deeply saddened by President Carter’s passing, and our prayers are with the Carter family. President and Mrs. Carter began volunteering with Habitat for Humanity near their home in southwest Georgia more than 40 years ago, and soon brought worldwide attention to the need for decent and affordable housing. We are grateful for the incredible impact the Carters have had on Habitat and on the families who have benefited from their shining example. The Carters put Habitat for Humanity on the map, and their legacy lives on in every family we serve around the world. – Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International
Carter would go on to be involved in several social justice and other philanthropic endeavors over the course of his life. Working through the Carter Center, a nonprofit he established in 1982, he focused on numerous human rights issues. The organization worked to monitor more than 110 elections in 40 countries. The stated goal was to help bolster democracy in those areas. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his efforts.
Salvation by Good Works?
If salvation was granted based on good works Jimmy Carter would be an excellent candidate for the award. But salvation, biblically understood, is a gift to be received not an award to be earned (Rom. 6:23; John 1:12-13). It is not for me, or anyone else, to say whether someone is genuinely saved. The Lord is the judge and each of us will answer to Him at the judgment seat, whether lost or saved (Rom. 14:10-12; Rev. 20:11-15).
According to God’s Word, those who are saved will demonstrate their salvation by living in obedience to the will of God as revealed in the Word of God. They will not be perfect, but they will progressively be more and more like their Savior. Christianity as a faith was designed by the Lord to move believers into Christlikeness which certainly includes standing on and for the truths espoused in the Bible.
I believe it is fair to assess Carter’s faith life on whether he championed the truths taught in the Bible. It would be my assessment that he failed miserably in that regard. Thomas E. Kidd, research professor of church history at Midwestern Baptist Seminary in Kansas City, said of Carter, “When Americans recall Jimmy Carter’s legacy, we often think of his piety, illustrated by his years of teaching Sunday school at his Baptist church and his tireless labor for nonpartisan charities such as Habitat for Humanity. … And yet, his passing also reminds us of a time when many white evangelicals still voted for Democrats. For all his personal Christian devotion, Carter never captured the hearts of white evangelicals the way Republican presidents have since Ronald Reagan in 1980. That Carter failed to do so is one of his most perplexing legacies” (The Dispatch, December 31, 2024).
Perhaps the reason Carter failed to capture the hearts of evangelicals, regardless of their skin color, was that his progressive liberal positions clearly contradicted the teachings of Scripture. The following list gives more than ample reason for evangelicals abandoning Carter in the 1980 election and their continued suspicion of his less than true biblical faith in the years following his time in the White House. While he claimed to be “born again” his professed faith was denied by his practical actions:
- Carter supported both the ERA and abortion rights, even though he consistently maintained that he was “personally” against abortion.
- He appointed several avowed feminists to his administration.
- He was the first president to openly support gay and lesbian activists, despite his one-time alleged personal opposition to homosexuality.
- His opposition to homosexuality apparently ended by 2015 when he said, “I believe Jesus would approve gay marriage, but that’s just my personal belief.” Of course, he admitted that he didn’t “have any verse in scripture” to back up his opinion. (Bob Allen, Global Baptist News)
- He broke ties with the Southern Baptist Convention in 2000 over the denomination’s resistance to female pastors.
- In 1997 he chided Southern Baptists and other evangelicals for saying that Mormons were not Christians and in need of evangelizing. He was not good at biblical theology.
Kidd summarized in this way, “This helps explain why Jimmy Carter, one of the most overtly devout presidents in American history, lost the evangelical vote. By contrast, thrice-married and often profane Donald Trump has twice been elected to the presidency with broad support from evangelical voters. Sure, Carter read his Bible and taught Sunday school, but he was usually wrong in the eyes of evangelicals on the issues that mattered most to them. Trump rarely darkens a church door and he often bungles attempts to speak about the Bible. But politically, Trump delivers the goods the GOP’s evangelical base wants. Most importantly, his Supreme Court appointees eviscerated Roe v. Wade in the 2022 Dobbs decision. For evangelical voters, personal piety can’t compete with actual support for conservative moral issues. Jimmy Carter learned this lesson to his chagrin in 1980. The failure of the Carter model has shaped American religion and politics ever since” (The Dispatch, December 31, 2024).
A Final Analysis
I was confounded by Carter’s statement that he did not “have any verse in scripture” to back up his opinion on gay rights. This would have been true about many of his progressive “evangelical” positions. It seems to me that if you claim to be a “born again” Christian you should know your Bible and be able to support your social and political positions on the basis of holy scripture.
Jimmy Carter accomplished much good in his lifetime. His work with Habitat for Humanity is noteworthy. But we need not laud him as some paragon of virtue who championed the cause of Christ. His unbiblical positions on numerous clear biblical issues and his arrogant prognostication against the religious right stand out as troublesome in the least and unchristian in the worst. Here’s what I know. Jimmy Carter has faced the judgment of almighty God. He, like every other human being one day will, has encountered the Lord Himself (Heb. 9:27). The outcome of that judgment is unknown to us. All we can know with certainty is the legacy that Carter left. When we compare that legacy to the teaching of the Word of God it seems to me that there was much amiss in Carter’s faith. I trust that there is a wideness in the mercy and grace of God. As a preacher of the gospel, I would suggest that to be sure that your eternal destiny is heaven believe, speak, and live a life of holiness that conforms to the teachings of the Bible (Rom. 12:1-2).
(1) – “The Playboy Interview: Jimmy Carter.” Robert Scheer. Playboy, November 1976, Vol. 23, Iss. 11, pp. 63–86. (Found on Wikipedia.org article on Jimmy Carter.)
