Onward Christian Soldier

December 30, 2024

In a nation that worships money and guns, Jimmy Carter was that rarest of breeds – a real Christian.

When I learned yesterday that our 39th president had just died at the age of 100, I had mixed feelings. He’s the only president I’ve ever seen in person, when he was in a limo near the Oakland airport in 1979. I voted for him in 1976, but in 1980 I cast a protest vote for a third party candidate since Carter had no chance of defeating Ronald Reagan.

As president, Carter did several things that alienated me. At the time I felt that he was weak and incompetent in dealing with the Iran hostage crisis, although with the passage of time I must admit that he did succeed in bringing the hostages home safely while avoiding war with Iran. I also didn’t like his naive acceptance of massive numbers of refugees, including about 135,000 Cubans in the Mariel boatlift, many of whom committed criminal acts of violence after they arrived here. Like many religious people, he could be sanctimonious, and like almost all politicians, he had a big ego.

But in a complicated, dangerous, imperfect world, Carter was a visionary. His hard work and idealism paid off with the Camp David peace agreement between Egypt and Israel that has endured to this day. His wisdom and generosity in returning sovereignty of the Panama Canal to that country was an act of justice that created goodwill throughout Latin America. His championing of human rights worldwide led to the release of tens of thousands of political prisoners in Indonesia, Argentina, and elsewhere, many of whom had been tortured.

President Carter promoted environmental conservation all over the world, and he helped prevent deforestation in Nepal, Costa Rica, and other countries. And he protected over 100 million acres of wilderness in Alaska. He was way ahead of his time as an advocate for clean and renewable energy, and to set an example he put solar panels on the roof of the White House. His successor, Ronald Reagan, chose to make the country reliant on fossil fuels, and took down those solar panels.

It was after his presidency that Jimmy Carter was arguably even more admirable. Unlike several past presidents he didn’t try to get rich on the speaking circuit. Instead he lived a life of humble service to humanity as a private citizen. He volunteered as a construction worker for Habitat For Humanity, helping to build homes well into his 90’s. He was active and influential in nearly eliminating tropical diseases such as river blindness and Guinea worm in poor countries. He promoted democracy around the world by leading election monitoring and mediation efforts. He “waged peace,” as he put it, all over the planet.

I don’t share Carter’s religious views, but as our country prepares for a new president who is the antithesis of Carter’s morality, I think it’s important to remember and honor a true Christian man of decency, honesty, and integrity.