The Character of Jimmy Carter

Rick Warren, North Korea, and a request for the President's help.

A good name is more desirable than great riches - Proverbs 22:1.

On Thursday night, August 6, 2009, my wife and I were seated at a round banquet table in the dining hall of the Embassy Suites Conference and Hotel Center in Norman, Oklahoma.

It was our 36th wedding anniversary, and Rachelle was gracious enough to let me speak at the New Baptist Covenant Conference being held in Norman.

As we were eating, I felt a hand on my shoulder, and before I could turn around, I heard someone whisper in my ear: ‘Wade, I read everything you write. Thank you for your courageous stances on behalf of Baptists.’

I turned around and saw it was former President Jimmy Carter.

President Carter and I had a brief conversation, and he invited me to come to Atlanta to Jimmy Carter Presidential Library. where he officed. He was speaking that evening at the conference where I was to speak the following day, Friday, August 7, 2009.

President Carter said someone would be contacting me to arrange the trip to Atlanta.

You can read my presentation at the conference here.

The Meeting at Carter’s Presidential Library

A few weeks later, I was contacted by Dan Malone, a layman from El Paso, Texas, who had been influential in putting the New Baptist Conferences together. Dan asked when I would be available to meet with President Carter at the Carter Center, told me Bill Underwood, President of Mercer University and co-founder would be joining the meeting. Dan asked if there were some friends I would like to invite. I invited five friends, three of whom - Ben Cole, Marty Duren, and C.B. Scott - were able to make the trip. None of them knew Dan Malone or Bill Underwood, and none of them had ever met Jimmy Carter.

I’ve been to many Presidential Libraries and Museums. Abraham Lincoln’s in Springfield, Missouri, is my favorite, Harry Truman’s is a close second due to the nature of the historical displays and the setting in which they are stored. The Carter Center ranks high for its majestic nature of granite buildings, immaculate landscaping, and facilities used for worldwide conferences.

We met President Carter in a private conference room right outside his private office. A personal aide accompanied President Carter to the conference room and warm introductions were made.

The President spoke about his desire that Baptists model Christian unity for a world tired of hearing about their fights. The primary purpose of the New Baptist Covenant Conferences was to bring unity around the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Rick Warren Held by Kim Ong Il In North Korea

North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Il (1997-2011)

About an hour into our meeting, the President’s aide slipped in, leaned down next to the President, and whispered something in his ear.

One of the striking physical attributes of President Carter is his piercing, clear eyes. I was watching his eyes as the aide whispered something I couldn’t hear. His eyes seemed to turn cloudy, and a frown spread over the President’s face. The aide left and went back to the office.

I was sitting next to President Carter, and as conversations continued among our group all around the table, I quietly asked:

Is everything okay, Mr. President?

In his very genteel manner, President Carter answered just as quietly:

‘Rick Warren’s office is calling. It seems Pastor Rick is being detained in North Korea, and they need my help to get him out. They want me to call Kim Jon Il.’

Since 2006, Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church and author of the Purpose Driven Life, had been attempting to hold an evangelical crusade in North Korea. His evangelistic campaign in North Korea was first announced in 2006, but trips scheduled for 2007, and later in 2008, were later canceled. In the fall of 2009, when we were at the Carter Center, Rick Warren was in North Korea making preparations for yet another attempt at an evangelistic campaign (which never happened).

North Korean dictators with the surname name Jong seem to have very thin skin.

In the fall of 2009, Kim Jong Il, for reasons probably only known to him, had Rick Warren detained in North Korea. Rick was stubbornly persistent in his attempts to open up North Korea to the gospel and Christianity as he had with Rwanda.

Rick’s visions are big. He has publicly said he wants on his tombstone: “At least I tried.” But it seems Rick’s efforts had landed him in hot water in North Korea.

‘Mr. President,’ I asked, ‘Are you going to make that call?’

‘No, I’m not,’ the President said.