I give thanks for the life and witness of President Jimmy Carter, who has died at the age of 100. He was a devoted peacemaker and steadfast public servant whose faithful labor for his country, his church, and the cause of global democracy and human rights has long been an inspiration to Christians across the world.
As a politician and humanitarian leader, President Carter met adversity with resilience and never relented when he saw an opportunity to serve. Whether seeking peace in the Middle East, leading the international campaign to eradicate Guinea worm disease, or building houses with Habitat for Humanity, he eschewed wealth and celebrity in favor of service to God and his fellow humans.
In 2002, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” His legacy will live on through The Carter Center, which he founded with his beloved wife, Rosalynn, and which continues the selfless work they did throughout their lives.
When Jimmy Carter took the oath of office to become the 39th president of the United States in 1977, he did so on a family Bible laid open to Micah 6:8. The nation was hurting and divided in the wake of scandal, and to set forth a new vision, he read the words of the prophet: “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.”
May we follow his example of Christian service, and may his soul and the souls of all the departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
The Most Rev. Sean W. Rowe
Presiding Bishop
