The former President, now 61, remains a dedicated Sunday school teacher and an active observer of the political scene.
Jimmy Carter’s election as President in 1976 symbolized America’s longing for purity in the wake of the Watergate scandal. He was an outsider to Washington politics, a southern farmer with impressive credentials as governor of Georgia, and a former naval officer.
During Carter’s term in the Oval Office, the sleeping giant of religious conservatism awoke. And in the 1980 presidential election, it supported not the Southern Baptist Sunday school teacher, but the divorced former governor of California who had made a name for himself in the movies.
Conservative Christians by and large opposed Carter’s policies on abortion, gay rights, and spoken prayer in public schools. In contrast, many felt his philosophy of servant leadership and his bold stands for peace in the Middle East and human rights around the world exemplified the highest ideals of Christian leadership.
Last month, Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania, conferred on the former President its highest honor, the Distinguished Public Service Citation. The citation reads, in part: “As President, you taught us that a great nation can be both powerful and compassionate.”
Carter was the inaugural speaker for the Messiah College Annual Lectures on Religion and Society. He spoke to students, faculty, and journalists on a variety of issues. A summary of his statements follows.
• Abortion. Carter identified abortion as the only issue “where I had to modify my own Christian beliefs to carry out the duties of President.… It’s impossible for me to imagine Jesus Christ approving abortion.” However, he said he was sworn to uphold the law of the land. Carter said he never approved federal funds for abortion. He added that he tried to minimize the need for abortions by encouraging sex education, attempting to remove the social stigma surrounding unwed mothers, and simplifying adoption procedures.
• Religion and public policy. Carter said an individual’s highest calling is to demonstrate agape, or sacrificial love. But he said there is a difference in what individuals and nations can aspire to. As President, he said, “I didn’t have the right to sacrifice the interests of American citizens for [citizens of other nations],” adding that “the highest possible standard of a nation is justice.” He cited peace, human rights, and the alleviation of suffering as being among the elements of a foreign policy that is informed by Christian values.
• Nicaragua. Carter recently toured five Central American countries, including Nicaragua. “The truth as I observed it [in Nicaragua] is quite different from what we hear in the news and what we hear from Washington,” he said. Both sides in the conflict want peace, Carter said, calling U.S. foreign policy in Central America the “greatest obstacle” to a peaceful resolution. He said the U.S.-backed contras “are not competent fighters,” and are enhancing communism “by convincing the people of Nicaragua that their main enemy is the United States.” Carter acknowledged the Sandinistas have committed human rights abuses, including censoring the press and putting limitations on Nicaragua’s Catholic church. But he said Nicaragua’s leaders told him freedom would return if the civil war ended.
• South Africa. Reagan’s policy of constructive engagement, applying behind-the-scenes pressure while maintaining close ties, “is a disaster because of the general presumption of the world that [it] in effect means approval [of apartheid],” Carter said. He added that the South African government has no incentive to change its policies of racial separation in the absence of active condemnation from the United States.
• U.S.-Soviet tension. “Ours is the strongest, most powerful nation on earth militarily,” Carter said, “despite what you may hear from the Pentagon when they’re looking for a higher defense budget.” He said it is unlikely a conflict escalating into nuclear confrontation would begin in Europe. Among Soviet allies in Eastern Europe, he said, there is a great hunger for freedom from Soviet domination. He said the Soviets know many citizens of Warsaw Pact nations would not participate in an invasion of Western Europe. Carter said the Middle East is a more likely place for armed conflict to escalate into a major East-West confrontation.
• Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). “The so-called Star Wars proposal is one of the worst mistakes any President has made in the recent history of our country,” the former chief executive said. Carter called Reagan’s description of how SDI would work “totally misleading.” He said he knows of no scientist who thinks the program is technologically feasible. Carter said it would cost $1 trillion to develop the system, adding that if the system were in place, “it could be easily and cheaply counteracted.”
• The Reagan administration. Carter alleged that Reagan’s tendency to resolve problems through military force rather than diplomacy constitutes a “radical departure” from previous U.S. foreign policy. He added, however, that Reagan has handled the problem of terrorism well by showing restraint. He credited Reagan with being an effective politician, but said the President has benefited politically from a worldwide recession and a reduction in oil prices. He said Reagan is popular because he avoids accepting responsibility for his errors, he provides simplistic answers to complicated questions, and he emphasizes America’s greatness and superiority.
• Carter’s current activities. Since 1982, the former President has taught at Emory University in Atlanta. He is developing the Carter Center of Emory University, a policy center for addressing world issues through nonpartisan study and consultation. In addition, he is active with Habitat for Humanity, a charitable organization that helps poor people build their own houses. Carter said under no circumstances would he run again for public office. He said he would like to see his wife, Rosalynn, run for office, but added she has no plans to do so.
in Grantham, Pennsylvania
