(b.October 1, 1924), was the 39th President of the United States, 1977–81; Governor of Georgia, 1970–75; Georgia State Senator, 1962–66; managed family peanut farm and warehouse, Plains, Georgia, 1953–70; served in the U.S. Navy, 1947–53, electronics instructor and engineering officer aboard atomic-powered submarines; married Rosalynn Smith, 1947; and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, 1947.
On Tuesday, March 16, 1976, in an interview with Robert L. Turner, Jimmy Carter explained:
We believe that the first time we’re born, as children, it’s human life given to us; and when we accept Jesus as our Savior, it’s a new life. That’s what “born again” means.3823
On Thursday, July 15, 1976, Jimmy Carter delivered his Democratic acceptance speech in Madison Square Garden, New York City:
We have been shaken by a tragic war abroad and by scandals and broken promises at home. … Guided by lasting and simple moral values, we have emerged idealists without illusions, realists who still know the old dreams of justice and liberty. … We feel that moral decay has weakened our country. … Our country has lived through a time of torment. It is now a time for healing. We want to have faith again! …
I have spoken many times about love, but love must be aggressively translated into simple justice. The test of any government is not how popular it is with the powerful, but how honestly and fairly it deals with the many who must depend on it.
It is time for a complete overhaul of our tax system. It is a disgrace to the human race. …
Peace is the unceasing effort to preserve human rights. Peace is a combined demonstration of strength and good will. We will pray for peace and we will work for peace. …
Ours was the first nation to dedicate itself so clearly to basic moral and philosophical principles: That all people are created equal and endowed with inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; and that the power of government is derived from the consent of the governed.3824
On Thursday, January 20, 1977, in his Inaugural Address, President Jimmy Carter stated:
As my high school teacher, Miss Julia Coleman, used to say: “We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles.” …
Here before me is the Bible used in the inauguration of our first President in 1789, and I have just taken the oath of office on the Bible my mother gave me just a few years ago, opened to the timeless admonition from the ancient prophet Micah:
“He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God”(Micah 6:2). …
Ours was the first society openly to define itself in terms of both spirituality and of human liberty. It is that unique self-definition which has given us an exceptional appeal, but it also imposes on us a special obligation, to take on those moral duties which, when assumed, seem invariably to be in our own best interests. …
Within us, the people of the United States, there is evident a serious and purposeful rekindling of confidence. And I join in the hope that when my time as your President has ended, people might say this about our Nation: that we had remembered the words of Micah and renewed our search for humility, mercy, and justice.3825
In regards to his inauguration, Jimmy Carter stated in his book, Keeping the Faith—Memoirs of a President (published 1982):
Shortly after noon, a few minutes before our walk began, I had tried to express in my inaugural address as simply and clearly as possible my ambitions for America. Over a period of several weeks I had done a great deal of work on these few words, and in the process had read the inaugural addresses of the Presidents who served before me. I was touched most of all by Woodrow Wilson’s. Like him, I felt I was taking office at a time when Americans desired a return to first principles by their government. His call for national repentance also seemed appropriate, although I feared that a modern audience might not understand a similar call from me.
With Rosalynn I had discussed which of two Bible verses to cite. I had known them both since childhood, and they were an integral part our religious beliefs. At first, I intended to use II Chronicles 7:14 (“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins, and will heal their land”), but after some second thoughts about how those who did not share my beliefs might misunderstand and react to the words “wicked” and “sin,” I chose Micah 6:8.
I kept my address very brief—one of the briefest of all. Its sentiments were compatible with my announcement as a candidate in December 1974 and with my acceptance speech at the Democratic Convention. It foreshadowed the thrust of my administration, and even the farewell address to the nation which I was to give almost four years later.
I stood on the bunting-draped, ornate temporary platform at the east front of the Capitol, strangely calm as I looked out on the beautiful scene. I could pick out only a few personal friends among the upturned faces, but at that time I felt that all of them were my friends; I knew they did not want me to fail. I was eager to tell them what was in my heart, although I realized it was a time more of pageantry than sober thought for most of them. It was just the opposite for me.
I had been cautioned to speak slowly and distinctly in order to minimize the distortion of the amplifiers and loudspeakers in the tremendous outdoor arena. (Later, when I watched a television replay, I thought my words had come too slowly.) I had labored over my talk and, at least to me, it was important.
“I have just taken the oath of office on the Bible my mother gave me just a few years ago, opened to a timeless admonition from the ancient prophet Micah: ‘He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.’ ”
These words did not seem overly critical of our nation, but still held the reminder of the need to seek God’s help and guidance as we sought to improve our commitment to justice and mercy.3826
In regards to his first days in office, Jimmy Carter stated in his book, Keeping the Faith—Memoirs of a President (published 1982):
During those first days we shook hands with literally thousands of people. In a series of receptions we welcomed governors, mayors, and county officials, designated Cabinet members, business executives, labor officials, Georgians, members of Congress, the diplomatic corps, military personnel, and many others. We wanted to thank some of them for their friendship and help; in other cases, we were eager to meet for the first time the political, diplomatic, and military leaders with whom I would be working in Washington.
I was particularly impressed when the officers and enlisted leaders of the armed forces visited. We noticed that, more than any other group, they were likely to make some reference to their prayers for us or to say, “God be with you.” Somehow, this emphasis on their religious faith gave me a good feeling. I experienced a sense of brotherhood with them, and remembered from my own eleven years in the Navy that it was members of the military services who most wanted to maintain peace based on a strong America.3827
In regards to Presidential decisions, Jimmy Carter stated in his book, Keeping the Faith—Memoirs of a President (published 1982):
Although I was surrounded by people eager to help me, my most vivid impression of the Presidency remains the loneliness in which the most difficult decisions had to be made. … And I prayed a lot—more than ever before in my life—asking God to give me a clear mind, sound judgement, and wisdom in dealing with affairs that could affect the lives of so many people in our own country and around the world. Although I cannot claim that my decisions were always the best ones, prayer was a great help to me. At least, it removed any possibility of timidity or despair as I faced my daily responsibilities.3828
In his book, Keeping the Faith—Memoirs of a President (published 1982), Jimmy Carter stated:
On the morning of the first hearing, we met in my small inner office and had a brief prayer together.3829
In regards to the country, Jimmy Carter stated in his book, Keeping the Faith—Memoirs of a President (published 1982):
Our country has been strongest and most effective when morality and a commitment to freedom and democracy have been most clearly emphasized in our foreign policy.3830
I had pointed out in my speech accepting the Democratic nomination for President in July 1976 that “Ours was the first nation to dedicate itself clearly to basic moral and philosophical principles … a singular act of wisdom and courage … a revolutionary development that captured the imagination of mankind.” It was time for us to capture the imagination of the world again.3831
In regards to Israel, Jimmy Carter stated in his book, Keeping the Faith—Memoirs of a President (published 1982):
The Judeo-Christian ethic and study of the Bible were bonds between Jews and Christians which had always been part of my life. I also believed very deeply that the Jews who had survived the Holocaust deserved their own nation, and that they had a right to live in peace among their neighbors. I considered this homeland for the Jews to be compatible with the teachings of the Bible, hence ordained by God. These moral and religious beliefs made my commitment to the security of Israel unshakable.3832
Jimmy Carter, in his book Sources of Strength—Meditations on Scripture for a Living Faith, published 1997, stated:
“God doesn’t want us to hide our weaknesses and needs but is eager to satisfy them. Remember the end of the story of the bleeding woman: Jesus sought her out in the crowd, told her “Your faith has healed you,” and urged her, “Go in peace.” Because she’d found within herself the courage to reach out to Jesus in her need, she was renewed and made whole, not only in body but in spirit, forgiven and freed from her sins, her subterfuge, and her shame. Christ is ready to do the same for us.”3833
Jimmy Carter, in his book Sources of Strength—Meditations on Scripture for a Living Faith, published 1997, stated:
“Niebuhr urged Bonhoeffer to remain in America, for his own safety. Bonhoeffer refused. He felt he had to be among the other Christians who he knew were being persecuted in Germany. So he returned home, and for the rest of his life he played the role in the resistance to Hitler. He preached publicly against Nazism, racism, and anti-Semitism. … Bonhoeffer was finally arrested and imprisoned, and in 1945, just a few days before the allied armies liberated Germany, he was executed on the orders of Heinrich Himmler. He died a disciple and a martyr. … The same Holy Spirit that energized and encouraged the first disciples, and that gave Dietrich Bonhoeffer the strength to stand up against Nazi tyranny, is available to us today.”3834