Our nation pauses this week to remember the life and legacy of Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States. Since his death it's been easy to find the full spectrum of opinion about his effectiveness as president ranging from accusations of 'worst president ever' to 'a much needed antidote to the Nixon legacy'. I won't engage in that debate here. Instead, I want to write about his character because if you are a Christ follower living in a democracy, what seems indisputable is that the character of a leader should be a foundational consideration when one is exercising privilege and responsibility of choosing a national leader.
Jimmy Carter demonstrated many qualities that are elevated by our creator as essential for those who lead, and I would argue that the word leadership can be applied broadly to marriage, parenting, business, and of course politics and nation states. This means, no matter what you thought of his presidency, there are things you can learn by considering the character qualities that undergirded his leadership. Here some elements of his Christ based ethic:
A commitment to truth. Proverbs 12:22 says Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight. This insight isn’t a one off in the Biblical narrative. A thread is woven from Genesis to Revelation about how the headwaters of all our woes is deception, and how the truth, alone, will set us free.
Jimmy Carter came to power after Richard Nixon’s chronic culture of lies and cover ups had destroyed trust in American politicians. One of Carter’s most famous promises, rooted in his faith in Christ, was his commitment to ‘always tell the truth to the American people’ and he sought to remain faithful to his promise, including his response to a question in a 1976 interview about his sex life in which he introduced Jesus’ teachings on private lust to Playboy ‘readers' and without going into detail, his answer was so honest that it created a firestorm. As Rosalyn would say later regarding the interview, ‘at least you know he won’t tell a lie.’ His disarming honesty would stand in stark contrast to the lies that would come before and after him in presidential leadership. He didn't preach about honesty. He just told the truth, privately and publicly, when it was good news or painful news.
Indeed. Though we no longer expect honesty from our leaders, the reality is that truth telling matters. When Israel was in a state of dramatic decline, prophets spoke over and over again to both the faith and political leaders about the culture of deception that had been allowed to grow unchecked, so much so that when the true words of Jeremiah the prophet were brought to the king, he shredded the scroll and burned it in the fire. People had fallen in love with deception.
We’re still there today it seems, and when a culture of deception becomes the norm, people fragment into tribes, each one declaring its own version of truth (remember these: 'I did not have sex with that woman' (Bill Clinton 1998)... 'the fact that we can't find weapons of mass destructions is strong evidence they exist'. (Donald Rumsfeld 2002) and ‘… there are ‘facts’ and ‘alternative facts!’ (Kelly Ann Conway, January 2017)) As a result we've become jaded, no longer believing leaders or news sources. Each of us are then left to find a version of truth that confirms our biases and deepens our folly, and a culture of cynicism and distrust flourishes.
One of the reasons evangelicals overwhelmingly supported Carter was because he was honest. Honesty was not only seen as a refreshing contrast to the chronic lies of his predecessor; it was also seen as a foundational and essential quality for a healthy leader.
We’ve come to a place where the words of a Russian dissident ,seen in this post, written then about a totalitarian regime, now ring true in our own world of American democracy. Let it be said that in any discussion of ethics, a commitment to truth telling is vital for the health of families, organizations, and nations. I’m still wondering how we’ve managed to overlook this. Nobody wants a lying spouse, or surgeon, or CEO, or investment advisor, or pastor. Why do we celebrate lying politicians?
A commitment to shalom.
The Camp David Treaty for Peace between Israel and Egypt, brokered by Jimmy Carter, was arguably the most effective Middle East peace treaty ever crafted, and the key players in its establishment were all in agreement that it only happened because of the character and leadership of Jimmy Carter who began by inviting all participants to join him in a prayer for peace.
The peace accord was simply a flowering of Carter’s deep, and Biblically based commitment to shalom which, as I’ve stated elsewhere, isn’t just a commitment to personal peace, but rather a belief that peace is an ecosystem and that there can be no true or lasting peace as long as there is anyone suffering under oppression or marginalization.
His vision for shalom is the why behind…
His push for the equal rights amendment for Women, and his ongoing criticism of culturally embedded misogyny, which remains to this day in America and most of the world. Working for women’s rights later expanded to numerous global projects including a project to address systemic, gender-based discrimination and violence in Ghana and Nigeria by engaging religious and traditional leaders as key agents whose influence was crucial in changing harmful social norms perpetrated in the name of religion.
His commitment to providing shelter for unhoused through habitat for humanity. There’s too much to share in this short post about his work here, so I’ll point you to this link for more. Carter’s commitment here was informed by his belief that shelter and clothing were foundational to a life of dignity and that every person is made in God’s image and worthy of that dignity.
His commitment to health. Carter said, “… access to health care is a human right, especially among poor people afflicted with disease who are forgotten, ignored, and without hope. Just to know that someone cares about them not only can ease their physical pain but also remove an element of alienation and anger that can lead to hatred and violence.”
His commitment to the earth. He was an early adapter regarding the environmental crisis (so was Nixon) and had solar panels installed at the White House as a nod to the future of alternative energy sources. While people can argue about the best alternatives, and the role of capitalism and consumption in this crisis, what’s difficult to see today is the outright denial of the crisis, as if the disappearing water table, undeniable climate change, polluting of the water table, astronomical insurance rates due to weather events, etc, are ‘just the way it is…’. This outright denial is a form of deception, and we’d be wise to empower leaders on both the left and the right who are willing to face realities when things are headed the wrong way.
Humility and Commitment in relationships
After his resounding defeat in 1980, Carter returned to his small hometown in Georgia, began teaching Sunday School, took up a hammer and worked with Habitat, started writing (32 books in all), established the Carter Center as the headwaters of the many works listed above, and continued the work he’d engaged in as president: working for the common good, and the flourishing of all of humanity, exactly as Christ, and the prophets before him, exhorted us to do. No fanfare. No boasting. Just getting on with the business of his calling. He realized, as we all must someday, that while the context and scope of our calling may change, the essence of it never does.
All the while, he was deeply in love with his wife of 77 years. While she deserves her own post about female leadership, empowerment, and influence, for now its vital to note that, from God’s perspective, an abiding love relationship with one’s spouse is evidence of a great depth of wisdom and maturity, both of which are leadership qualities. Their’s was not a ‘grit your teeth and grind it out because God hates divorce’ kind of love. It was a genuine affection, a mutuality of service and submission to each other, and a deep appreciation for the unique qualities the other brought to the union. It was, and remains, an example for millions.
Leaders inherit circumstances not of their own making, such as pandemics, terrorist attacks, oil embargoes, and hostage crises because of a coup in foreign land. How they deal with what is dealt them is surely a factor in a leader’s legacy, but leadership is more than the ability to navigate crises; it’s even more than vision casting, or being a great public speaker. What we learn from the national response of grief and honor offered to Jimmy Carter in his death is that a leader’s legacy is inextricably woven into a leader’s character, because who you are as a leader sends a message, especially in democracies, where leaders are chosen by the people. The message people received from Jimmy Carter is that honesty, charity, humility, faithfulness in relationships, and a commitment to seeking shalom for all people are qualities worth emulating.
I wish these were still qualities we cared about when we elect leaders, but the question of why they aren’t is a subject for another day. For now, I join with millions of others in honoring President Carter for offering me an example of what kind of character qualities to build into my life, and to look for in others when building a team.
Great commentary and reflections. I'm sure when he reached heaven he was greeted with "Well done good and faithful servant".