What Would Jimmy Do?

A book called Our Endangered Values: America’s Moral Crisis and written by an avowed evangelical Christian is an unlikely addition to my nightstand. But after hearing President Jimmy Carter eviscerate the Bush Administration for taking American down a path of moral destruction, I decided I needed to buy his newest book, if only as a gesture of thanks.

Even if the book were crap, I reasoned, at least a few bucks might go towards a 2-by-4 for Habitat for Humanity. I’m confident Carter isn’t socking away book profits to buy a big yacht or a Major League baseball team.

Given Carter’s reputation for thoughtful reflection and industriousness, I was expecting an excruciatingly researched Michener-sized tome, but instead found a small book, barely cracking 200 pages with unusually large type, oversized margins, and not one endnote. I guess some people are beyond listing their sources—ex-presidents and bloggers.

My childhood memories of Carter are vivid: peanuts and bright smiles, then over time, gas shortages, inflation and hostages. No more smiles. Just an ashen, spent, broken man.

When I saw images of him on the roofs of Habitat for Humanity houses, I thought he literally took up carpentry. After such a dismal presidency, it seemed he just wanted to skulk away to Georgia and do something low key and safe. Safe is good after such a humbling defeat. I imagine that Michael Brown is studying up to be a barista right about now.

But in fact, Carter has been a tireless promoter of human rights, public health, democracy and justice all over the world, winning a Nobel Peace Prize along the way. That’s all well and good, but this may be the crusade of his life. As a former president and a Christian himself, Carter is in a plum position to point out the utter immorality of the fundamentalist and neoconservative agenda that has destroyed our standing in the world.

It’s good to know that at least some of my core values are shared by an evangelical Christian. Among other things, Carter is outraged that America gives so little to impoverished countries (16 cents of every $100 in gross national income), refuses to join the rest of the industrial world to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, has turned its back on anti-nuclear proliferation agreements, engaged in torture of detainees and adopted an immoral policy of preemptive strike.

I still can’t go along with Carter on many issues; he still opposes federal funding for reproductive service, which simply means reproductive freedom is denied to the poor. And you’ll never make it to my short list of true heroes as long as you profess that same-sex behavior is sinful, no matter what the circumstances. “Love the sinner, hate the sin” is a huge step over stoning us to death, but it’s still dehumanizing and condescending.

But as far as public policy goes, Carter supports civil unions. He wonders why the fundamentalists are so concerned about homosexuality but have little to say about divorce, another big biblical no-no. An authentic reading of the Bible would point toward the need for a constitutional amendment banning divorce rather than gay marriage. On both issues, Carter is a pragmatist—most Americans condone divorce and the right for same sex couples to live their lives without governmental intrusion, so we best just leave the constitution alone.

When an evangelical Christian exposes the immorality of the fundamentalism that has led our country astray, it helps restore my faith in faith.