When former President Jimmy Carter describes his life he almost always mentions each of these subjects — his wife, Rosalynn, their shared Christian faith, community service and the Bible.
In his mind, these subjects are linked. Could someone please pass that information on to the political-desk editors of the Associated Press?
The bottom line: It is impossible to write about the Carters without paying some attention to the topics that mattered the most to them, as opposed to the subjects that matter the most to political-desk journalists. If you know lots of people who have followed the Carters for decades (I even have a nephew named “Carter”), you know the role that their evolving, progressive Baptist convictions played in their story.
The death of Rosalynn Carter this weekend gives news consumers a first draft of the coverage that will follow the looming death of the 99-year-old former president, who remains in hospice care.
Much of the Carter coverage today is starkly secular and faith-free. How is that possible?
But let’s start with a positive note, care of a nuanced passage in the New York Times obit that offers an outline of what journalists will find if they explore Carter territory with open eyes and even the slightest interest in the faith elements therein. Read the following carefully
Reared in the same tiny patch of Georgia farmland, 150 miles south of Atlanta, they were similar in temperament and outlook. They shared a fierce work ethic, a drive for self-improvement and an earnest, even pious, demeanor. Their Christian faith was central to their lives. Both were frugal. Both could be stubborn.
After Mr. Carter lost his re-election bid in 1980 to Ronald Reagan, he and Mrs. Carter embarked on what became the longest, most active post-presidency in American history. They traveled the world in support of human rights, democracy and health programs; domestically, they labored in service to others, most prominently pounding nails to help build houses for Habitat for Humanity.
In October 2019, after more than 73 years of marriage, they became the nation’s longest-married presidential couple, surpassing the record set by George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush. The Carters marked their 77th wedding anniversary in July.
What is missing there? For starters, it would have very, very, very easy to note the faith-content in the Carters’ post-president life — such as Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit with clear Christian priorities.
The Times story at least MENTIONED the faith component in this story, even if that crucial subject vanished in the rest of the feature.
Compare that with this passage from the stone-cold-secular story at USA Today. This passage was built on material from Kate Anderson Brower, author of "First Women: The Grace and Power of America's Modern First Ladies.”
Former colleagues, friends and observers described her as genuine, warm and selfless. Throughout much of her life, she epitomized the modern working mom and wife. Brower said Carter cared more about helping people than materialistic things.
“I think she will be remembered as a strong, tough, disciplined woman who also is very kind and had a lot of empathy for other people,” Brower said.
Rosalynn Carter remained active into her elder years, traveling with her husband, going to church, managing The Carter Center in Atlanta and volunteering with Habitat for Humanity.
Well, “going to church” does hint at a larger world, but that thread is dropped — even though the Carters would say that this “church” component is crucial to the other subjects mentioned in that passage.
But compare that with the Associated Press obit that will appear in most American newspapers today: “Rosalynn Carter, outspoken former first lady, dies at 96.”
I would quote a passage from this story that mentions, but underplays, the faith element. I would mention such a passage — if there was one. You know that this story would be radically different if AP editors had allowed a religion-desk scribe to have played any kind of role in the coverage.
Why make that management decision? Well, are there any AP political-desk editors who know anything — literally anything — about the Carters?
As a columnist, I love “symbolic details” — those specific facts about people, events and issues that stand for larger truths in a story. Let me end with a symbolic detail from one of Jimmy Carter’s own descriptions of his marriage. This is from People magazine, by way of a Southern Living feature with this headline: “Former President Jimmy Carter and His Wife Rosalynn Carter Have an Epic Love Story.”
“One nice thing about him is he thinks I can do anything,” Rosalynn told People in 2014. “So I’ve done many things that I never would have, like downhill skiing at age 59.”
That appetite for adventure was balanced by a loving routine: In that same 2014 interview, Jimmy said that he and his wife read the Bible to each other — in Spanish — every night before bed, a tradition they had started 40 years earlier and "never missed a night.”
Also, see this passage in the obit at Baptist Press, in which a conservative Southern Baptist leader was still willing to connect the factual dots in the life priorities of this progressive Baptist couple.
Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission President Brent Leatherwood reflected on her wide-ranging contributions to her family and humanitarian causes.
“Rosalynn Carter used her years to make a difference. Whether as a humanitarian leader, advisor to the President, advocate for mental health support, or faithful wife of 77 years, she was a model of service,” Leatherwood said.
The Carters were known to be outspoken about their faith and dedicated to humanitarian work such as Habitat for Humanity.
“It is because of all the ways she compassionately helped her neighbors, she, along with President Carter, was honored with the Christian Life Commission’s Distinguished Service Award in 1982,” Leatherwood said. …
“Her loss will be felt not only by the Carter family and the local Baptist church they served in, but millions around the globe who were touched by the example she set,” Leatherwood said.
This is not rocket science, folks. Just listen to Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, when writing about the lives of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter.
FIRST IMAGE: From the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, care of Baptist Press report: “First Lady Rosalynn Carter dies at 96.”