President Jimmy Carter believed that religious actors play a crucial role in promoting peace and advancing human dignity. His lifelong commitment to fostering dialogue, protecting human rights, and addressing the root causes of conflict inspired and united people around the world.
The Baptist World Alliance recently issued a press release about President Carter, a Baptist lay leader and President of the United States of America from 1977 to 1981 – that notes his remarkable work for justice and peace around the world. It is reprinted below.
The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) mourns the death of Jimmy Carter – seasoned Baptist lay leader and President of the United States of America from 1977 to 1981 – and celebrates his remarkable work for justice and peace around the world.
A lifelong Baptist, a Bible teacher, and a deacon at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia, Carter had a long history of involvement with the BWA. He served as Honorary Chair of the BWA’s Special Commission of Baptists Against Racism in 1992, and he was the recipient of the first BWA Congress Quinquennial Human Rights Award in 1995.
Former BWA General Secretary Denton Lotz presented the award to Carter during the Baptist World Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina, “in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the cause of human rights around the world and his commitment to Christian peace and justice.”
In response, Carter expressed: “I’m proud to be part of the BWA: one hundred million men and women around the world who don’t let political values separate us from one another. We see ourselves as brothers and sisters, regardless of our ethnic or racial differences, political philosophies. We are joined together in a common faith, and I’m proud to be a part of it. It’s very reassuring to me as I travel around the world doing the work of the Carter Center to have this feeling of comradeship and mutual support in the name of our humble Savior.”
Carter spoke at several Baptist World Congresses, including in 1980 (Toronto, Canada), 1985 (Los Angeles, CA, USA), and 2005 (Birmingham, England). In 1985, he addressed Cold War tensions and called on Baptists to meet human needs, fight oppression, and exhibit the qualities of “peace, humility, concern for others, forgiveness, mercy, generosity, (and) a willingness even to be persecuted in God’s name.”
At the BWA’s centenary Congress in 2005, Carter challenged BWA Baptists to “adhere to the basic and undistorted gospel message, to draw close to Christ and therefore to one another, and to follow our Savior Christ the Prince of Peace in reaching out to the lost and alleviating the suffering of others.”
In 1982, Carter founded the Carter Center to work for conflict resolution, democracy, and the protection of human rights around the globe. He also was a significant advocate and decades-long volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, building affordable housing for people in need. In 2002, he was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in conflict resolution, economic and social development, and the advancement of democracy and human rights.
Carter was a devoted husband to his wife Rosalynn for 77 years as well as a loving father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.
“On behalf of the BWA, we give thanks for the life of President Carter and his tireless work for human rights around the globe,” said Elijah Brown, BWA General Secretary and CEO. “We remember with gratitude his servant leadership and his faithful witness to the Gospel as he worked to advance human rights for all. Carter was a living embodiment that politics is not the pinnacle of public service. As a believer in the Baptist tradition, his faith was a call to all of us to remain deeply rooted in a local church community while working for peace and serving our neighbors with the good that each one of us can do. We hold the Carter family in our prayers, and we commit to honor the legacy of our brother in Christ by continuing our work for human rights and religious freedom worldwide.”