By Jim Heffernan
This is an older book I’ve just read. At the time of writing, I was too busy with my day-job to do much non-technical reading. Even if it is an older book, its message still rings true.
This book came not long after Jimmy and Rosalynn resigned from the Southern Baptist Convention because their consciences could not abide the role fundamentalism had taken in the Convention.
The book consists of 17 chapters and covers subjects ranging from his religious views, the position of women in society, abortion, divorce, homosexuality, the role of government, science and fundamentalism. Each time, he comes down on the side of true Christian kindness and charity.
I was most struck by his chapter on fundamentalism. I had always thought that fundamentalism was something that only applied to religion. I see now that we’ve also brought it into our political views. When we’re a fundamentalist of any cloth, we adopt a bespoke, custom-made reality. We seek out people and news sources that share our views. We regard those who don’t share our views as either misguided or evil.
I feel the central tragedy of our times is that whatever reality you want to accept, there is some corner of the media that will support it.
I really wish I had come upon this book sooner. Jimmy Carter’s call to moralism is something we need today more than ever.
Here’s an excerpt from page 30 that I think encapsulates the spirit of the book. It’s a response to a question he was asked about the Nobel Peace Prize, which he received for brokering a peace between Egypt and Israel.
“There is a remarkable trend toward fundamentalism in all religions-including the different denominations of Christianity as well as Hinduism, Judaism, and Islam. Increasingly, true believers are inclined to begin a process of deciding: ‘Since I am aligned with God, I am superior and my beliefs should prevail, and anyone who disagrees with me is inherently wrong,’ and the next step is ‘inherently inferior.’ The ultimate step is ‘subhuman,’ and then their lives are not significant.
“That tendency has created, throughout the world, intense religious conflicts. Those Christians who resist the inclination toward fundamentalism and who truly follow the nature, actions, and words of Jesus Christ should encompass people who are different from us with our care, generosity, forgiveness, compassion, and unselfish love.
“It is not easy to do this. It is a natural human inclination to encapsulate ourselves in a superior fashion with people who are just like us-and to assume that we are fulfilling the mandate of our lives if we just confine our love to our own family or to people who are similar and compatible. Breaking through this barrier and reaching out to others is what personifies a Christian and what emulates the perfect example that Christ set for us.”
224 Pages, September 26, 2006
Available Cloud and Leaf Bookstore, Manzanita and Tillamook Public Library
Watch for Jim’s Top 10 (or so) books of 2023 … I’m wrestling with how high I want to rate this book among my top 10 books of the year. I know it’s way up there.
