A Pastoral President?

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “All who want to come after me must say no to themselves, take up their cross, and follow me…Why would people gain the whole world but lose their lives? What will people give in exchange for their lives?” — Matthew 16:24, 26

There is a reason why the late Jimmy Carter only served one term as President. He believed that people could aspire to higher ideals and causes, and be willing to make sacrifices if needed. That faith was embodied in this observation from his 1979 “Crisis of Confidence” speech:

Too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption. Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but by what one owns. But we’ve discovered that owning things and consuming things does not satisfy our longing for meaning.

That sounds more like a sermon from a preacher than a speech from a President. It raises the question as to whether those two vocations could ever mix.

Various presidents have come close. Lincoln appealed to “the better angels of our nature” as the nation teetered on civil war. FDR galvanized the country at the onset of World War Two with his “nothing to fear but fear itself” speech. And Kennedy cast the dream of beating the Russians to the moon. Such presidential sermons called people to look beyond themselves and be willing to sacrifice for a higher cause.

But these executive homilies come across better when there’s a national emergency or an enemy to confront. What happens when the subject of the presidential sermon is an observation about a national character flaw and a call to repent?

You have the 1980 election. A year after the crisis speech, the President’s challenger got to the heart of things:

Are you better off now than you were four years ago? Is it easier for you to go and buy things in the stores than it was four years ago?

No wonder President Reagan won by a landslide. Platitudes are fine, but the promise of getting more while sacrificing less wins elections. Perhaps Jesus, too, lost some followers when he called them to take up their crosses instead of always wanting fish and bread.

It would be easy to steer this into a mini-rant about the state of American culture, where “What’s in it for me?” seems to be the guiding question, especially in politics. Yet, to travel down that negative road would do a disservice to President Carter.

His post-presidential years are legendary. A return to a simpler life in Plains, Georgia. Teaching Sunday School in his church. Advocating for human rights, conflict resolution, and eradicating diseases in underdeveloped countries. Building houses for Habitat for Humanity.

His rejection by the American people didn’t stop him from doing good. Perhaps that rejection motivated him, in a way. When you get strong pushback while following your convictions, your calling is confirmed. You know you’re making a difference in some way, great or small. And you move ahead, even when you’re approaching 100 and in hospice.

President Carter’s term in office will not rank in the top 10 of American presidencies. But somehow I don’t think he would mind that assessment. He entered politics because of his faith and his desire to make a difference. He knew the price he’d pay, and he was willing to pay it. Such people slowly change the world. They simply show us how beautiful life can be when we follow a higher calling.