Conversations from Church: Carter's "Theology"

Jimmy Carter’s Anti-Semitism & Liberation Theology

I want to credit News Busters with the info immediately below which I found linked at LGF. After that is an e-mail exchange with a friend who went to a seminar with various speakers that were either interviewed or spoke at a Willow Creek

Event. Jimmy Carter was interviewed for this event and the when I was told about it and how well he spoke I was miffed as to why an informed conservative Evangelical could make such a statement.

I think a church that is solely based on understanding relational issues – while very important – but not on the current culture’s impact on doctrine (with its staff) will have people in its ranks that can make statements like what you will see and not bat an eye. Enjoy.

(Carter’s book on display in an Islamic book store in Palestine, take note of the book to the right... Mein Kampf)

…Well, if your name is Jimmy Carter, and you had already sold your soul by giving an interview to the terrorist television network Al-Jazeera back in January, how much lower could you go? (Update: Please see Charles Johnson's answer!)

Such must have been the presidential thinking on September 10th when Carter sat down with Democracy Now's Amy Goodman to continue his anti-Israel rants unfettered by an impartial journalist who might challenge his disgraceful views. Here are some of the lowlights (h/t Tim Graham):

• Americans don't want to know and many Israelis don't want to know what is going on inside Palestine. It's a terrible human rights persecution that far transcends what any outsider would imagine. And there are powerful political forces in America that prevent any objective analysis of the problem in the Holy Land. I think it's accurate to say that not a single member of Congress with whom I'm familiar would possibly speak out and call for Israel to withdraw to their legal boundaries or to publicize the plight of the Palestinians or even to call publicly and repeatedly for good faith peace talks. There hasn't been a day of peace talks now in more than seven years. So this is a taboo subject. And I would say that if any member of Congress did speak out, as I've just described, they would probably not be back in the Congress the next term.

What a farce. Of course, Goodman didn't challenge Carter about any of these views. But that was likely the point as the former president continued debasing Israel and any Americans that support her:

• Well, there's an inherent commitment in America, which I share as a Christian, of a deep commitment to make sure that Israel is safe and that Israel is free and that they can seek for peace. So there's a strong inclination for all of us to support Israel's continued existence in peace. And that is added onto by the very effective work of the American Israeli group called AIPAC, which is performing its completely legitimate task of convincing Americans to support the policies of the Israeli government. And AIPAC is not dedicated to peace. They're dedicated to inducing the maximum support in America, in the White House, in the Congress and in the public media, for whatever policies the Israeli government has at a particular time. And they're extremely effective.

The second-half of the NewsBusters article talked about Carter’s disdain for this current Presidency. Carter has no room to talk!!

Yet, the best was still to come when Goodman asked the former president for his views on George W. Bush:

• I admire him in many ways. And I've never criticized an incumbent president. I've criticized sometimes the policies of presidents, first President Bush and President Reagan and President Clinton and President Bush. But I have never criticized a president.

What? He's never criticized an incumbent president? Really?

Wouldn't a real journalist at this moment have pointed out to the former president statements he made back in May about Bush being "the worst in history" when it comes to foreign policy as reported by the Associated Press?

Hey, Amy, did you forget this quote of Carter's from an interview given to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: "I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this administration has been the worst in history."

Did you also forget what historian Douglas Brinkley said about Carter's words at the time:

• "This is the most forceful denunciation President Carter has ever made about an American president...When you call somebody the worst president, that's volatile. Those are fighting words."

Wouldn't a real journalist have brought this up, or did Carter know given Goodman's far-left political leaning [she is a self-stated socialist] she wouldn't, and that's why he gave her this interview?

Or, am I just being too darned cynical for my own good?

You decide.

Here is my exchange with a friend from church.

My first e-mail

Tommy-Boy (name changed for privacy),

I am curious about something you said in regards to the guest speakers the other day in church. You mentioned Jimmy Carter was a speaker at this conference you went to. What did he speak on?

I realize the Christian faith is larger than politics, but I have looked into President Carter philosophy and worldview quite a bit and am curious as to what he offered the seminar via his speech.

It sounded like you had fun; I am a fan of Willow Creek. Did you actually go to Illinois? If you do in the future, make sure you stop by Giordano’s Famous Stuffed Pizza. It’s the best in town.

Tommy-Boy’s First Response

Jimmy Carter was a great speaker. Bill Hybels interviewed him and had a chance to ask him many questions regarding his presidency, what were high and low points of it, what he learned about leadership, and some of his philanthropic stuff. I’ll tell you what, put aside his political philosophies, he is a great man of God. He loves the Lord intensely and is committed to the simple life of serving him until he dies. He talked more on leadership and social justice (helping the needy) and the church not doing a great job of stepping to the plate. It was a great interview, I was inspired by this man, he still teaches Sunday School every week (he’s in town) in his church of 200 people in his town of 735.

We didn’t go to Illinois. We watched the Summit on Fuller’s Campus in Pasadena via satellite. We were there Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Go the website and check out some of the video stuff.

(Liberation Theology art/understanding... Jesus with a gun)

My first response

You Mentioned:

“He talked more on leadership and social justice (helping the needy) and the church not doing a great job of stepping to the plate.”

Man, that’s what I thought. I haven’t heard it yet, but Carter’s “vision of social justice” is much different than what you think – I hope – it is. You see. Much like having a dictionary/glossary of words used when speaking to the cults, so to do you have to have a glossary of words when you hear people like Carter speak.

When a Jehovah's Witness says he “believes in Jesus,” he is really saying that he (or she) believes that Jesus was Michael the Archangel, the first created being, before coming to earth and “becoming” Jesus. “Jesus” once again became Michael the Archangel after going back to heaven. A Mormon who says he believes in Jesus is really saying that Jesus is the firstborn son between Heavenly Father and one of his many wives sexual union in Heaven. Lucifer is also a brother to Jesus born out of a sexual union between Heavenly Father and one of his wives. Mitt Romney mentioned – the other day in an interview – a Mormon author, W. Cleon Skousen, who himself believes that Michael the Archangel visiting Mary is really Noah… from Noah’s Ark fame. So when Skousen says “Michael the Archangel,” he really means Noah. Jehovah's Witness really mean Michael when speaking of Jesus, and Mormons really mean “hot n’ heavy breathing” in the sack when thinking about Jesus.

Similarly, when Carter speaks on “social justice,” you have to either believe that “economic justice” is a value, or by subscribing to Marxist liberation theology (Carter considers the Catholic priests who practiced this theology to be “heroes”). Remember, these Catholic priests were handing out machine guns and fomenting a “revolution.” What is Liberation theology? I defined it for a seminary paper:

• Liberation theology has been thrust into the limelight again – at least for the armchair theologian – by Barak Obama, a possible Democratic nominee for President. Mr. Obama’s pastor is an ardent follower of Liberation Theology. Originally it was more Catholic based and in Latin AmTommy-Boya but has since infected many seminaries in the U.S. and Europe. It teaches that “Christ’s message pertained not only to salvation of the soul, but also to political salvation here on earth through the establishment of Christian socialism” (Frohnen 2006, p. 502). An excerpt from Obama’s church’s website will elucidate somewhat the theological prose involved in “political salvation:”……

(American Conservatism: An Encyclopedia, by Fronen)

Carter's fuzzy thinking is evident in his inability to say that Christianity holds the value of an unborn person's right to life; he believes apparently that Christianity can leave ambiguity in this matter. He also has said that he would have been comfortable in the Muslim faith, and that he can not say affirmatively that Christianity would rule out the teachings of Muhammad and Allah. He may teach Sunday school Tommy-Boy, but I would take issue with any of you in making Jesus equal to Buddha, Zoroaster, or Muhammad… which is what Carter believes.

So when Carter says “he teaches Sunday school,” or, “he believes in Jesus,” and “he is a ‘Christian’,” you have to have a hopper to put these words into and get out the meaning at the other end.

I can give you one example:

• Social justice = “Marxist ideology married to the vehicle of Christianity,” Christian socialism in other words.

Much Thought,

SeanG

My “clarification” e-mail

I just wanted to clarify something. If I sounded like I was being negative to you personally... I apologize. I didn't mean to come off that way.

While you, as a strong Bible believing Christian, can take something away from President Carter's talk by separating the "wheat from the chafe," another believer may have trouble with this. I will explain. You could grab the average "joe" or "jane" from our congregation and plunk him down in a Mormon stake (church) and they could probably sit through the whole thing and think it was a Christian service. Whereas if you grabbed an ex-Mormon or someone like "Mr. Anderson" from our church and they would discount almost the entire service as cultic.

The same thing applies here. I cringe at hearing guests like Carter spoke at an event like that... whereas others applaud. I see it as the "liberalization" of the church, others view it as "reaching out," while others view Carter as a "fellow sojourner" (not realizing his equating of Jesus with other teachers of world religions).

Again, I didn't want to come across as coming down on you or your views... I just wanted to impart a view on Carter you may not be aware of.

Thanks Tommy-Boy,

SeanG

…Ha, ha! “Hot’n-Heavy Breathing”… funny stuff.