Monday, August 31, 2009

Imperfect Leaders of True Faith

My commentary on the lectionary texts will return later this week. Over the weekend, I watched both the funeral of Senator Ted Kennedy and a documentary about former President Jimmy Carter. It is interesting that I should have focused in on these two men, since they were bitter rivals during the presidential primary in 1980. But they have a commonality that binds their lives together: their Christian faith. Kennedy was a deeply flawed individual, and the mere mention of his name will induce his critics to invoke the name of Mary Jo Kopechne, the young woman who died in the famous traffic accident off Chappaquiddick Island. He was also a drinker and partier, most famous for his bad influence on William Kennedy Smith, his nephew, who was charged, and then acquitted, with rape. With all of this on his resume, it is a wonder that Kennedy can be remembered for anything positive. But he did much good for the country, and his was a voice that spoke out for the poor, the elderly, those with physical disabilities and those needing healthcare. Many are wondering if anyone will aside in congree to take up his agenda for social reform.
Jimmy Carter is not considered to have been a great president, and his greatest legacy may consist of the things he has done since he left public office in 1980. While other former presidents travel the lecture circuit to pad their bank accounts, Carter has worked tirelessly with Habitat for Humanity, helped to create the Carter Center at Emory University, which seeks to advance the cause of world peace, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. A couple of years ago, Carter came under attack from members of the American Jewish community, and world supporters of Israel for using the term "Apartheid" in the title of a book that discusses the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. The documentary, Jimmy Carter: Man From Plains, shows in great detail the abuse that Carter took from people who had, up to that point, agreed with his efforts for peace in the region.
In the lives of Kennedy and Carter, their Christian faith formed the foundation for their prophetic activity. Such a faith does not proclaim that either man is, or was, without flaw, but that each man spoke from the heart of his religious beliefs in order to call attention to what he saw as social injustice.
We live in a time when congress is hopelessly partisan and unlikely to bring about any major legislative reform that will benefit the people of the United States. Even our president, whose election brought such hope to so many, has shown signs of bowing to the forces of political expediency, especially in the matter of healthcare reform. President Obama also claims a faith rooted in the Christian tradition. May the lives of Kennedy and Carter remind him of what is possible when one puts the needs of others ahead of immediate political security and expediency.