January 10, 2025 • 21 mins
What lessons can a former president's legacy teach us about today's political landscape? President Jimmy Carter's inaugural address from 1977, given nearly 50 years ago, remains relevant to the social and political climate in our country and world today.
In this episode Melissa and Bishop Wright have a conversation focused on President Carter's speech. They point to his courage to openly acknowledge governmental mistakes and how this parallels biblical principles of confession and repentance. They discuss President Carter's leadership and how admitting error demonstrates integrity and builds trust across party aisles. Listen in for the full conversation.
Read For Faith, the companion devotional.
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Episode Transcript
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Bishop Wright (00:00):
If we would have done some of the things that
President Carter asked us to do,would we be still in this same
situation?
So this is the burden ofleadership.
The burden of leadership is tofind ways to tell people things
that they don't necessarily wantto hear at a time when they
don't necessarily want to hearit.
Right as one person has said,you know, leadership is the art
(00:23):
of disappointing people at arate that they can absorb.
Melissa (00:40):
Welcome to For People with Bishop Rob Wright.
I'm Melissa Rau and this is aconversation inspired by For
Faith, a weekly devotion sentout every Friday.
You can find a link to thisweek's devotion and a link to
subscribe in the episode'sdescription.
Good day, bishop.
Bishop Wright (00:55):
Hey Melissa.
Melissa (00:57):
This week's For Faith fodder is an excerpt from the
late Jimmy Carter's inauguraladdress dated January 20th 1977.
It's potent, relevant and, withany luck, will get folks'
attention with its ownresurgence of sorts.
So, as the US prepares to swearin President Trump for his
(01:18):
non-consecutive second term,what are you inviting us to take
away from Jimmy Carter'saddress delivered nearly 50
years ago?
Bishop Wright (01:26):
Yeah, 48 years ago.
Well, first of all, as I saidin our last podcast, jimmy
Carter was our 39th president.
That's obvious and not only Ilove you said potent, not only
an impactful post-president, butan impactful president, and I
(01:46):
think we need to go slow andconsider some of the important
things that he did how far aheadof the future he was on energy.
How far he was on environment,climate, how far ahead he was on
lots of topics.
Far ahead he was on lots oftopics.
And you know he comes up out ofthe soil of Plains, georgia,
(02:17):
and to the governor's mansionhere in Atlanta and then on to
the White House, and so a lotwill be said about him.
We're recording a day ahead ofhis state funeral at the
Washington National Cathedraland where President Biden,
apparently, will give the eulogy, and I just I like for us to.
You know, think about his ownwords.
What did he have to say?
(02:38):
And so you know what did hestand up and say?
You know, almost 48 years ago,about the nation and about what
his views were, and you knowwhat I like about his writing
and I believe his life and hisleadership was he felt that
(02:58):
America was a great nation andthat sort of is in all of his
writings.
But he thought that thisexception, this American
exceptionalism, this idea alsocarried with it a responsibility
, and that was to make good onour highest and best ideals, and
(03:20):
that that should actually beand that that should actually be
tangible for every tier ofsociety.
And so we need people like DrKing and we need people like
Jimmy Carter, who not only readthe Bible.
When they get done reading theBible, they close the book and
(03:44):
then try to implement what theyhave read in sometimes very
difficult circumstances andreally resistant and reluctant
systems.
Melissa (03:50):
So, bishop, in his speech in this inaugural address
we're coming right off ofVietnam War, and he even
connotes that the government hasmade some mistakes, and I
believe he's trying to pull andgalvanize the nation back
together.
I suspect he believed thegovernment to be worthy of
(04:12):
citizens' faith and trust, andso he said we must once again
have a full faith in our countryand in one another.
And so, bishop, 50 years agowas a long time ago, and a lot's
changed.
I like to think we've made someprogress in a number of
different areas, and yet it'sclearly been one step forward
and maybe even sometimes twosteps back.
(04:34):
So I have faith in God alone.
How do I put faith into agovernment who has consistently
disappointed me by especiallyletting down those I love?
Bishop Wright (04:45):
Yeah Well, what a tough question that is.
You know, let's talk aboutJimmy Carter's speech and then
move into that.
I think what he was trying todo, and you know, what's
interesting about PresidentCarter is is that if you know
your Bible you could actuallysee his pattern right.
So, to admit that he mademistakes I think that's what
(05:06):
jumps out at me from thisinaugural speech.
So, to stand up on arguably oneof the best days of his life
and a day so full of hope andpromise, he mentions the fact
that we have missed the mark.
And then you look at nowadays,you know, sort of what seems
smart to do these days is tonever admit a mistake, never
(05:29):
admit a misstep.
You know to, you know,basically throw this idea of
repentance, you know, in thegarbage bin in the garbage bin.
And so we see in Carter thispattern of you know, we confess
(05:50):
and we move forward.
And so here it is in his speech.
And so I think that's what hewas trying to say in as much as
I can, you know, begin to parsehis mind is is that, with full
acknowledgement of how we'vemissed the mark, let us move
forward.
And even he says it.
You know that.
You know in those times, youknow where we stood together,
(06:12):
even though it was brief, but itwas magnificent.
In those days no prize wasbeyond our grasp.
And so this is the thing that'sbefuddling about the practices
we've taken up in our modernpolitical conversations the
admittance of missteps orwrongdoing, even wrongheadedness
, does not actually make usweaker, it makes us stronger.
(06:34):
It does not diminish faith inour work.
It actually increases faith inour work.
To know that we are reflective,to know that we have the
courage to say when we've missedthe mark, actually is a measure
of character, actually is ameasure of integrity.
And so here we see it again,right from the beginning, where
(06:54):
he says basically we've hadmissteps but we can be stronger
and I believe America can bebetter, is really what he says.
It really just sort of jumpsoff the page at you.
Is that, given our missteps andVietnam was a terrible misstep
McNamara and others basicallylied.
(07:15):
The Kennedys knew about it,Lyndon Johnson knew about it.
You know, our time in SoutheastAsia cost us American blood, to
say nothing of those folks onthe other side of this police
action that grew into a war.
That's no diminishment forthose who fought the war bravely
(07:39):
, but it is against those whosent those at the time boys to
war, young men to war, brokefamilies for a lost cause when
we knew full well.
And so Carter think about that.
So he says this in 77, you know, vietnam is really wrapping up
(08:00):
73, 74.
And so, yeah, so we start a newday, but we started with the
acknowledgement of how we'vefallen short.
I see, integrity there wouldhave been powerful to update
this idea If those responsiblefor January 6, four years ago
(08:31):
could have turned to the cameraand said this was misguided,
this was an assault on democracy.
This is not our best day.
We can do better.
This should have never happened.
I think that people being, youknow, the people that I know
across this country, could hearthat, could accept that, could
find a way forward and it wouldprobably accrue to more trust.
(08:54):
But to deny what we saw, togaslight us, to call those
things something than what weactually saw, I think really
erodes trust.
And if you don't believe me,that's fine.
But talk to some young20-year-olds and they're willing
to just write off the wholeenterprise.
(09:16):
And here you know, and that is,there's no one in government
that is truthful, faithful andthat has integrity.
This is what they say to me,and so they wonder why be
involved in the process at all.
But when I read Carter and I'mnot just being nostalgic here,
(09:37):
but when I read Carter I seethis gospel pattern where we
repent, we admit, and then wesort of strengthen ourselves,
steel ourselves with our hope,and that is that we can be
better, we rely on one another,and that the blessings of this
liberty have to penetrate everylevel of this society.
That's how we move forward here.
Look, he sums it up beautifullywhen he says look, government
(09:59):
must be competent andcompassionate, right?
I mean amazing.
Melissa (10:30):
It is awesome, it's like one of my favorite lines,
and so how might we be, or whatmight we do, if and when a
government cannot be, or is notchoosing, to be, competent and
compassionate?
Bishop Wright (10:43):
Yeah, well, look, I think one of the things that
occurs to me is that we've gotto be always on the watch, for I
think in our sedentarylifestyles, the vast majority of
us, with our too much screentime, what can happen to us is
that we start looking toeverybody but ourselves to
(11:04):
create a better world.
Right, and so look, democrat orRepublican, past, present or
future, nobody at the highestoffice in this nation can do it
all.
Neither can it happen here inAtlanta at the statehouse.
Entirely right, citizen stillmeans a lot.
(11:26):
Citizen means I takeresponsibility.
Citizen means that, so much asI can in my sphere of influence,
I can begin to work my values,live my values, live a life of
integrity, and then let thatsort of overflow on wherever I
find myself.
(11:46):
Truthfulness, integrity,generosity that still matters in
the world.
It still matters.
Melissa (11:54):
It does, it does matter , and I was doing some research
too, and I discovered that JimmyCarter also delivered something
called the Malay speech, and Ican't help but wonder if this is
part of the problem.
Right, maybe we have beenabdicating our hope and trust to
the government, and yet we needto be stepping up and into some
responsibility, like you said.
Bishop Wright (12:15):
Yeah, well, I'm writing a piece now because, as
we know, the inaugurationhappens also on the 96th
birthday celebration of Dr King.
And what worries me is thatsome people will spend the next
four years sort of blindlyidolizing the president and
(12:36):
other politicians and the otherhalf of the people will spend
all of their time excoriating orcastigating politicians or the
president.
And the argument I'm going tomake there is that I think that
both of those approaches arewrongheaded, misguided.
(12:56):
I think agency, agency, agency,right, I think you know a blind
veneration, idolization ofanybody is wrongheaded.
It has terrible consequences.
And I think you know, just sortof being consumed by criticism
of politicians is alsowrongheaded.
(13:16):
And if we watch Dr King, he didneither.
He neither idolized norcastigated because he knew that
the work was systemic and notpersonality driven.
And so we see this also again,you know, in Carter.
Carter believes in the Americanpeople.
Now, this is 1977.
This is this great mountaintopmoment for him.
(13:38):
You know a nuclear submarineengineer.
You know Annapolis grad.
You know long, stable marriage,loving marriage with Rosalind,
his life partner, just wonderful.
Got out of the car and walked.
You know the distance reallyshowed us his down to earthness,
and we love that about him.
(13:58):
He gets to 79.
And he basically looks Americain the face and tells them that
this is where we are and thatyou're going to have to, that
you're going to have to sufferwith me a little bit here if we
(14:18):
want energy independence and ifwe want to, you know, sort of
move this economy forward.
And of course it's called theGreat Melees speech.
Yeah, and it's interesting, youknow.
I don't know if melees thatword, um, that characterization
of it, has aged.
Well, I think you know, when youread leadership books, he
(14:39):
looked to the constituents ofthis country, stakeholders,
citizens of this country, andasked them to do their part.
And now, when we think back,wow, what would it have been
like if America could havedecided to turn the thermostat
down and take some other steps?
Where would we be now?
(15:01):
He was way far ahead and he wasvery vulnerable.
And then you look at thehostage situation in Iran and
(15:22):
you look at the gas lines andyou look at inflation and it was
just too much.
But to look at citizens in theface and to ask them to endure
certain things so that we allcan win seems right, I wonder,
more than the politicians, ifit's not a commentary about who
we are.
Are we not willing to give upanything to move things along,
are we not?
I mean, are we so addicted toconvenience and look, I'm not
(15:44):
special in this regard, I likemy conveniences too but the
question is still the questionwhat would we give up to further
our democracy?
What would we give up to makesure that our grandchildren,
right, enjoyed some of thethings that we enjoy now?
As you and I are talking, firesare raging in California.
There are other weather issues,you know.
(16:08):
There are other hardships allaround the country, you know.
One wonders, you know, if thisisn't cumulative, and if we
would have done some of thethings that President Carter
asked us to do, would we bestill in this same situation?
So this is the burden ofleadership, of leadership is to
(16:35):
find ways to tell people thingsthat they don't necessarily want
to hear at a time when theydon't necessarily want to hear
it, right, as one person hassaid.
You know, leadership is the artof disappointing people at a
rate that they can absorb, right.
And so you know what we learned, and I think that what I'm
happy about is that we knowJimmy Carter more by what he did
(16:56):
than what he said, and so evenin looking at his addresses and
so on and so forth, it'sinteresting that there is not a
big gap between what he said andwho he was, and I think that's
what's made him so beloved tolots of different people on both
sides of the political aisle.
Melissa (17:15):
Right, and Jimmy Carter was definitely a man of great
faith.
And so what are we beinginvited to do, bishop, as not
just US citizens, at this time?
But, as Jesus followers.
Bishop Wright (17:25):
Yeah, well, you know they say that if you're on
a desert island, right, and youcan only take two books of the
Bible, right.
Take the book of Romans, paul'sletter to the church in Rome,
and take, depending on who youask, and then take the gospel of
Luke, and so this 12th chapterof Romans, though it's not
(17:46):
quoted here.
When I hear Jimmy Cartertalking, I think about the 12th
chapter of Romans, where hetalks about we are many, but we
are one body, and thatindividually, we all have gifts,
and those gifts are manifoldand they come through all
different kinds of personalitiesand all kinds of different ways
(18:06):
to be.
But then he goes on to say youknow, in the 12th chapter, in
the ninth verse let love begenuine.
Hate what is evil, hold fast towhat is good, you know.
Bless those who persecute you,bless and do not curse them.
Do not repay anyone evil forevil, but take thought for what
(18:27):
is noble in the sight of all.
Do not be overcome by evil ifwe move down to the end of the
12th chapter.
Do not be overcome by evil, butovercome evil with doing good.
When I think about Jimmy Carter,I think that he had a
tenaciousness about him, atenacity when it comes to trying
(18:48):
to do good and just think aboutit.
He was labeled a countrybumpkin, a hick.
Even till now they're callinghim an outlier.
There was a famous picture someyears back when there were, I
think, five presidents alltogether and President Carter
was sort of way down the lineand sort of not, with the other
(19:09):
group standing closely, and hedidn't want to play a lot of the
Washington games.
Some say that made him naiveand unsuccessful.
But here we are celebrating hisintegrity and his resolute
conviction that service andfaith go hand in hand.
Melissa (19:30):
Yeah Well, I really appreciate you lifting Jimmy
Carter and his leadership up.
I think sometimes we fall intothe trap of forgetting that
there are incredibly gifted,wonderfully faithful human
beings who are living andpreviously lived that we forget
that there are incredible modelsof people that we can model
(19:52):
ourselves after, not just Jesus,of course.
Jesus is the dude right, andI'm giving thanks for Jimmy
Carter's life and witness forsure today, Amen, yeah, we'll
think about it as we think abouthis state funeral on the 9th.
Bishop Wright (20:10):
Some people, as I've said to you before, some
people you really have to workhard to to preach their eulogy,
uh, and some people, if you hadfour hours you couldn't say it
all, and thank God that we'vehad as our 39th president, uh,
uh, and for so long, a wonderfulpost, uh, post-presidency, uh,
someone who, uh, words cannotadequately capture, adequately
(20:33):
capture what he has witnessed,bore witness to in the life of
this nation.
Melissa (20:37):
Indeed Bishop.
Thank you and thanks forlistening to For People.
You can follow us on Instagramand Facebook at Bishop Rob
Wright.
Please subscribe, leave areview and we'll be back with
you next week.
You.
If we would have done some of the things that
President Carter asked us to do,would we be still in this same
situation?
So this is the burden ofleadership.
The burden of leadership is tofind ways to tell people things
that they don't necessarily wantto hear at a time when they
don't necessarily want to hearit.
Right as one person has said,you know, leadership is the art
(00:23):
of disappointing people at arate that they can absorb.
Melissa (00:40):
Welcome to For People with Bishop Rob Wright.
I'm Melissa Rau and this is aconversation inspired by For
Faith, a weekly devotion sentout every Friday.
You can find a link to thisweek's devotion and a link to
subscribe in the episode'sdescription.
Good day, bishop.
Bishop Wright (00:55):
Hey Melissa.
Melissa (00:57):
This week's For Faith fodder is an excerpt from the
late Jimmy Carter's inauguraladdress dated January 20th 1977.
It's potent, relevant and, withany luck, will get folks'
attention with its ownresurgence of sorts.
So, as the US prepares to swearin President Trump for his
(01:18):
non-consecutive second term,what are you inviting us to take
away from Jimmy Carter'saddress delivered nearly 50
years ago?
Bishop Wright (01:26):
Yeah, 48 years ago.
Well, first of all, as I saidin our last podcast, jimmy
Carter was our 39th president.
That's obvious and not only Ilove you said potent, not only
an impactful post-president, butan impactful president, and I
(01:46):
think we need to go slow andconsider some of the important
things that he did how far aheadof the future he was on energy.
How far he was on environment,climate, how far ahead he was on
lots of topics.
Far ahead he was on lots oftopics.
And you know he comes up out ofthe soil of Plains, georgia,
(02:17):
and to the governor's mansionhere in Atlanta and then on to
the White House, and so a lotwill be said about him.
We're recording a day ahead ofhis state funeral at the
Washington National Cathedraland where President Biden,
apparently, will give the eulogy, and I just I like for us to.
You know, think about his ownwords.
What did he have to say?
(02:38):
And so you know what did hestand up and say?
You know, almost 48 years ago,about the nation and about what
his views were, and you knowwhat I like about his writing
and I believe his life and hisleadership was he felt that
(02:58):
America was a great nation andthat sort of is in all of his
writings.
But he thought that thisexception, this American
exceptionalism, this idea alsocarried with it a responsibility
, and that was to make good onour highest and best ideals, and
(03:20):
that that should actually beand that that should actually be
tangible for every tier ofsociety.
And so we need people like DrKing and we need people like
Jimmy Carter, who not only readthe Bible.
When they get done reading theBible, they close the book and
(03:44):
then try to implement what theyhave read in sometimes very
difficult circumstances andreally resistant and reluctant
systems.
Melissa (03:50):
So, bishop, in his speech in this inaugural address
we're coming right off ofVietnam War, and he even
connotes that the government hasmade some mistakes, and I
believe he's trying to pull andgalvanize the nation back
together.
I suspect he believed thegovernment to be worthy of
(04:12):
citizens' faith and trust, andso he said we must once again
have a full faith in our countryand in one another.
And so, bishop, 50 years agowas a long time ago, and a lot's
changed.
I like to think we've made someprogress in a number of
different areas, and yet it'sclearly been one step forward
and maybe even sometimes twosteps back.
(04:34):
So I have faith in God alone.
How do I put faith into agovernment who has consistently
disappointed me by especiallyletting down those I love?
Bishop Wright (04:45):
Yeah Well, what a tough question that is.
You know, let's talk aboutJimmy Carter's speech and then
move into that.
I think what he was trying todo, and you know, what's
interesting about PresidentCarter is is that if you know
your Bible you could actuallysee his pattern right.
So, to admit that he mademistakes I think that's what
(05:06):
jumps out at me from thisinaugural speech.
So, to stand up on arguably oneof the best days of his life
and a day so full of hope andpromise, he mentions the fact
that we have missed the mark.
And then you look at nowadays,you know, sort of what seems
smart to do these days is tonever admit a mistake, never
(05:29):
admit a misstep.
You know to, you know,basically throw this idea of
repentance, you know, in thegarbage bin in the garbage bin.
And so we see in Carter thispattern of you know, we confess
(05:50):
and we move forward.
And so here it is in his speech.
And so I think that's what hewas trying to say in as much as
I can, you know, begin to parsehis mind is is that, with full
acknowledgement of how we'vemissed the mark, let us move
forward.
And even he says it.
You know that.
You know in those times, youknow where we stood together,
(06:12):
even though it was brief, but itwas magnificent.
In those days no prize wasbeyond our grasp.
And so this is the thing that'sbefuddling about the practices
we've taken up in our modernpolitical conversations the
admittance of missteps orwrongdoing, even wrongheadedness
, does not actually make usweaker, it makes us stronger.
(06:34):
It does not diminish faith inour work.
It actually increases faith inour work.
To know that we are reflective,to know that we have the
courage to say when we've missedthe mark, actually is a measure
of character, actually is ameasure of integrity.
And so here we see it again,right from the beginning, where
(06:54):
he says basically we've hadmissteps but we can be stronger
and I believe America can bebetter, is really what he says.
It really just sort of jumpsoff the page at you.
Is that, given our missteps andVietnam was a terrible misstep
McNamara and others basicallylied.
(07:15):
The Kennedys knew about it,Lyndon Johnson knew about it.
You know, our time in SoutheastAsia cost us American blood, to
say nothing of those folks onthe other side of this police
action that grew into a war.
That's no diminishment forthose who fought the war bravely
(07:39):
, but it is against those whosent those at the time boys to
war, young men to war, brokefamilies for a lost cause when
we knew full well.
And so Carter think about that.
So he says this in 77, you know, vietnam is really wrapping up
(08:00):
73, 74.
And so, yeah, so we start a newday, but we started with the
acknowledgement of how we'vefallen short.
I see, integrity there wouldhave been powerful to update
this idea If those responsiblefor January 6, four years ago
(08:31):
could have turned to the cameraand said this was misguided,
this was an assault on democracy.
This is not our best day.
We can do better.
This should have never happened.
I think that people being, youknow, the people that I know
across this country, could hearthat, could accept that, could
find a way forward and it wouldprobably accrue to more trust.
(08:54):
But to deny what we saw, togaslight us, to call those
things something than what weactually saw, I think really
erodes trust.
And if you don't believe me,that's fine.
But talk to some young20-year-olds and they're willing
to just write off the wholeenterprise.
(09:16):
And here you know, and that is,there's no one in government
that is truthful, faithful andthat has integrity.
This is what they say to me,and so they wonder why be
involved in the process at all.
But when I read Carter and I'mnot just being nostalgic here,
(09:37):
but when I read Carter I seethis gospel pattern where we
repent, we admit, and then wesort of strengthen ourselves,
steel ourselves with our hope,and that is that we can be
better, we rely on one another,and that the blessings of this
liberty have to penetrate everylevel of this society.
That's how we move forward here.
Look, he sums it up beautifullywhen he says look, government
(09:59):
must be competent andcompassionate, right?
I mean amazing.
Melissa (10:30):
It is awesome, it's like one of my favorite lines,
and so how might we be, or whatmight we do, if and when a
government cannot be, or is notchoosing, to be, competent and
compassionate?
Bishop Wright (10:43):
Yeah, well, look, I think one of the things that
occurs to me is that we've gotto be always on the watch, for I
think in our sedentarylifestyles, the vast majority of
us, with our too much screentime, what can happen to us is
that we start looking toeverybody but ourselves to
(11:04):
create a better world.
Right, and so look, democrat orRepublican, past, present or
future, nobody at the highestoffice in this nation can do it
all.
Neither can it happen here inAtlanta at the statehouse.
Entirely right, citizen stillmeans a lot.
(11:26):
Citizen means I takeresponsibility.
Citizen means that, so much asI can in my sphere of influence,
I can begin to work my values,live my values, live a life of
integrity, and then let thatsort of overflow on wherever I
find myself.
(11:46):
Truthfulness, integrity,generosity that still matters in
the world.
It still matters.
Melissa (11:54):
It does, it does matter , and I was doing some research
too, and I discovered that JimmyCarter also delivered something
called the Malay speech, and Ican't help but wonder if this is
part of the problem.
Right, maybe we have beenabdicating our hope and trust to
the government, and yet we needto be stepping up and into some
responsibility, like you said.
Bishop Wright (12:15):
Yeah, well, I'm writing a piece now because, as
we know, the inaugurationhappens also on the 96th
birthday celebration of Dr King.
And what worries me is thatsome people will spend the next
four years sort of blindlyidolizing the president and
(12:36):
other politicians and the otherhalf of the people will spend
all of their time excoriating orcastigating politicians or the
president.
And the argument I'm going tomake there is that I think that
both of those approaches arewrongheaded, misguided.
(12:56):
I think agency, agency, agency,right, I think you know a blind
veneration, idolization ofanybody is wrongheaded.
It has terrible consequences.
And I think you know, just sortof being consumed by criticism
of politicians is alsowrongheaded.
(13:16):
And if we watch Dr King, he didneither.
He neither idolized norcastigated because he knew that
the work was systemic and notpersonality driven.
And so we see this also again,you know, in Carter.
Carter believes in the Americanpeople.
Now, this is 1977.
This is this great mountaintopmoment for him.
(13:38):
You know a nuclear submarineengineer.
You know Annapolis grad.
You know long, stable marriage,loving marriage with Rosalind,
his life partner, just wonderful.
Got out of the car and walked.
You know the distance reallyshowed us his down to earthness,
and we love that about him.
(13:58):
He gets to 79.
And he basically looks Americain the face and tells them that
this is where we are and thatyou're going to have to, that
you're going to have to sufferwith me a little bit here if we
(14:18):
want energy independence and ifwe want to, you know, sort of
move this economy forward.
And of course it's called theGreat Melees speech.
Yeah, and it's interesting, youknow.
I don't know if melees thatword, um, that characterization
of it, has aged.
Well, I think you know, when youread leadership books, he
(14:39):
looked to the constituents ofthis country, stakeholders,
citizens of this country, andasked them to do their part.
And now, when we think back,wow, what would it have been
like if America could havedecided to turn the thermostat
down and take some other steps?
Where would we be now?
(15:01):
He was way far ahead and he wasvery vulnerable.
And then you look at thehostage situation in Iran and
(15:22):
you look at the gas lines andyou look at inflation and it was
just too much.
But to look at citizens in theface and to ask them to endure
certain things so that we allcan win seems right, I wonder,
more than the politicians, ifit's not a commentary about who
we are.
Are we not willing to give upanything to move things along,
are we not?
I mean, are we so addicted toconvenience and look, I'm not
(15:44):
special in this regard, I likemy conveniences too but the
question is still the questionwhat would we give up to further
our democracy?
What would we give up to makesure that our grandchildren,
right, enjoyed some of thethings that we enjoy now?
As you and I are talking, firesare raging in California.
There are other weather issues,you know.
(16:08):
There are other hardships allaround the country, you know.
One wonders, you know, if thisisn't cumulative, and if we
would have done some of thethings that President Carter
asked us to do, would we bestill in this same situation?
So this is the burden ofleadership, of leadership is to
(16:35):
find ways to tell people thingsthat they don't necessarily want
to hear at a time when theydon't necessarily want to hear
it, right, as one person hassaid.
You know, leadership is the artof disappointing people at a
rate that they can absorb, right.
And so you know what we learned, and I think that what I'm
happy about is that we knowJimmy Carter more by what he did
(16:56):
than what he said, and so evenin looking at his addresses and
so on and so forth, it'sinteresting that there is not a
big gap between what he said andwho he was, and I think that's
what's made him so beloved tolots of different people on both
sides of the political aisle.
Melissa (17:15):
Right, and Jimmy Carter was definitely a man of great
faith.
And so what are we beinginvited to do, bishop, as not
just US citizens, at this time?
But, as Jesus followers.
Bishop Wright (17:25):
Yeah, well, you know they say that if you're on
a desert island, right, and youcan only take two books of the
Bible, right.
Take the book of Romans, paul'sletter to the church in Rome,
and take, depending on who youask, and then take the gospel of
Luke, and so this 12th chapterof Romans, though it's not
(17:46):
quoted here.
When I hear Jimmy Cartertalking, I think about the 12th
chapter of Romans, where hetalks about we are many, but we
are one body, and thatindividually, we all have gifts,
and those gifts are manifoldand they come through all
different kinds of personalitiesand all kinds of different ways
(18:06):
to be.
But then he goes on to say youknow, in the 12th chapter, in
the ninth verse let love begenuine.
Hate what is evil, hold fast towhat is good, you know.
Bless those who persecute you,bless and do not curse them.
Do not repay anyone evil forevil, but take thought for what
(18:27):
is noble in the sight of all.
Do not be overcome by evil ifwe move down to the end of the
12th chapter.
Do not be overcome by evil, butovercome evil with doing good.
When I think about Jimmy Carter,I think that he had a
tenaciousness about him, atenacity when it comes to trying
(18:48):
to do good and just think aboutit.
He was labeled a countrybumpkin, a hick.
Even till now they're callinghim an outlier.
There was a famous picture someyears back when there were, I
think, five presidents alltogether and President Carter
was sort of way down the lineand sort of not, with the other
(19:09):
group standing closely, and hedidn't want to play a lot of the
Washington games.
Some say that made him naiveand unsuccessful.
But here we are celebrating hisintegrity and his resolute
conviction that service andfaith go hand in hand.
Melissa (19:30):
Yeah Well, I really appreciate you lifting Jimmy
Carter and his leadership up.
I think sometimes we fall intothe trap of forgetting that
there are incredibly gifted,wonderfully faithful human
beings who are living andpreviously lived that we forget
that there are incredible modelsof people that we can model
(19:52):
ourselves after, not just Jesus,of course.
Jesus is the dude right, andI'm giving thanks for Jimmy
Carter's life and witness forsure today, Amen, yeah, we'll
think about it as we think abouthis state funeral on the 9th.
Bishop Wright (20:10):
Some people, as I've said to you before, some
people you really have to workhard to to preach their eulogy,
uh, and some people, if you hadfour hours you couldn't say it
all, and thank God that we'vehad as our 39th president, uh,
uh, and for so long, a wonderfulpost, uh, post-presidency, uh,
someone who, uh, words cannotadequately capture, adequately
(20:33):
capture what he has witnessed,bore witness to in the life of
this nation.
Melissa (20:37):
Indeed Bishop.
Thank you and thanks forlistening to For People.
You can follow us on Instagramand Facebook at Bishop Rob
Wright.
Please subscribe, leave areview and we'll be back with
you next week.
You.
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