President Jimmy Carter was laid to rest this week after an amazing life of 100 years. The many accomplishments and challenges of his presidency have been lifted up in the national and local media in the days since his death. His many years of humanitarian service after being President have also been highlighted, including his work with Habitat for Humanity and international efforts to promote peace and fair elections.
One common feature to the many tributes to President Carter’s life and work is his Christian faith. This is extraordinary for the secular media at a time when the words “Christian” and “evangelical” have come to symbolize division, exclusion, and political domination. It shows us that Jimmy Carter’s life and witness are much needed as an example of what I call credible Christianity. The faith upon which his life was built was both a deep personal relationship with God as well as a commitment to living the Way of Jesus characterized by working for racial justice, gender equality, and peaceful conflict resolution at home and abroad. The two videos posted below are examples of the many media tributes to President Carter. May his life and legacy serve as a call to the kind of credible Christianity that shows our neighbors, nation, and the world what it means to live the Way of Jesus today.