Here is the article:
Nearly every tribute to Jimmy Carter is necessarily encumbered with caveats about Carter, the president. While it is true that the “Reagan revolution” provided America with needed jolts of patriotic and economic strength, Carter, our 39th president, consistently exhibited traits that public figures of our own times would do well to model.
Many people remember the infamous “Carter years” with disdain, recalling mortgage rates in the teens, the Iranian hostage crisis, and long lines at the gas pumps. However, despite his struggles, many – including myself – deeply admired him as a human being, respected him as our president, and fondly remember his earnest smile and friendly wave. I believe he was a genuinely good human being and because of his generally virtuous nature, Carter was a politician who didn’t like to play politics.
Today, our nation suffers under another “naive in chief” (though President 39 was, I believe, a man of vastly superior character to 46). The late-night comics have gotten some easy laughs riffing on how Jimmy Carter must have been thrilled with the Biden presidency. But unlike Biden, President Carter was, I believe, a benign presence. He could have been the man next door from just about any neighborhood in heartland America – the one who showed the neighborhood kids how to fix their bikes. His persona was pretty much identical to that of my dad’s friends from that era, an approachable grown-up you knew you could trust and who would help if he could.
When Carter took office in January 1977, America was in the aftermath of Watergate, the Vietnam War’s end, and the sexual and social upheavals of the 1960s, which were engendering a “new normal.” The 1970s were a time when guilt over sin would be scorned in prime-time (thanks, Norman Lear) and the legal cords tethering America to the moral foundations of Western civilization would begin to be severed (thanks, ACLU).
Carter’s strong Christian faith and his commitment to his faith played a significant role in his presidency. He was the first U.S. president to identify as a “born-again Christian,” and this was a significant departure from the dominant moral forces of the time. This decision to publicly share his faith was a bold move, and it challenged the status quo. He injected an evangelical Christian testimony into public discourse, and suddenly the term “born again” became part of the American vernacular.
As the Christian Post’s “Morning Brief” puts it, “Using words from the Gospel of John, chapter three, candidate Carter talked about being ‘born again,’ and suddenly the term was part of the American vernacular. General Motors advertised a ‘Born Again Oldsmobile.’ Updated editions of books and TV shows were marketed as being ‘born again.'”
The article concludes by praising Carter’s humility, service, and commitment to his faith, stating that he served his country, his church, and his God, and that he left an example that we can all follow.
