We don't know what Jimmy Carter currently believes about
Existentialist philosopher Paul Tillich, but he was quite
enamored with him back in 1976. There may be others today
who wear a conservative tag like "Born Again Christian"
but who cite someone like Paul Tillich, who was extremely
liberal in his thinking, as who they look up to in helping
to define and inform that faith statement.
You can say "born again" to the masses of conservative
Christians while selecting liberal venues (such as Playboy
magazine which most Evangelicals wouldn't read) to espouse
someone the conservatives would abhor or be ignorant about.
Perhaps this was done in order to let liberal constituents
know they had nothing to worry about. We don't know.
The following is the article Joseph Ravitts and Kevin S.
Johnson wrote concerning Jimmy Carter and Paul Tillich. It
was published in the The Daily Dispatch Newspaper in Moline,
Il. on the day before the Presidential election Monday November
1, 1976. It was entitled:
"Born Again"
by Kevin S. Johnson and Joseph Ravitts
Dear Editor,
In any politically active year there are many issues and
ideas addressed to, and by, various factions of the American
people. My partner Joseph Ravitts, and myself, have been asked
by the Cornerstone Ministerial Association to speak to that
segment of our society who believe themselves to be fundamental
or Evangelical Christians. We wish to confront them with some
thoughts that are relevant to how they will vote on November
2nd.
Much has been made of candidates being Christian in this
election.Thus there is a need to be concerned with the content
and meanings of words. A man may claim to be "born again"
and in using the same words as you or I do, he may go to a
different dictionary for his definitions.
One may be seen as an example of a hypocrite grasping for
the "Bible vote". We are all aquainted with those
who say they are going to vote for so-and-so "because
he is a Christian." This letter is for a deeper, non-superficial,
look at the testimony of one man in particular, Gov. Jimmy
Carter of Georgia.
There is some truth to the saying that a man can be known
by the company that he keeps. This is especially true if one
man is found quoting the other in public forums and interviews.
One man the Governor is fond of quoting is Paul Tillich, a
20th century philosopher, and would be theologian. Governor
Carter may be found quoting him in his now famous Playboy
interview.
We will quote Mr. Tillich and then give our response to his
comments:
Tillich: "That which is the true ultimate
transcends the realm of finite reality infinitely. Therefore,
no finite reality can express it directly or properly."
Response: If Mr. Tillich cannot say what
the "ultimate" really is how can he say what it
is not? Some recognizable things, such as love and intelligence,
could be more transcendent than he realized. Why could they
not like a Euclidian line, simply extend on and on -- and
prove to be characteristics of the "ultimate"? A
line and a line segment are respectively infinite and finite;
but they do have something in common!
Tillich: "Ultimate concern cannot deny
its own character as ultimate. Therefore, it affirms what
is meant by the word "God"."
Reply: Funny we don't remember God at the
burning bush telling Moses: "I AM WHATEVER YOU
DECIDE TO BE ULTIMATELY CONCERNED WITH!" If
our minds determine what God is -- or if your thoughts on
the subject are "what is meant by the word God,"
then God must be terribly weak and passive; all the "ultimate
concern" at our command won't add an inch to our stature
or change a hair on our heads, but our thoughts are supposed
to decide what God is!! We wonder how God got along until
He had us to tell Him what to be! Why couldn't Tillich have
allowed God to simply exist as a person self sufficiently?
Tillich: "The primitive mythological
consciousness resists the attempt to interpret the myth of
myth. It is afraid of every act of demythologization. It believes
that the broken myth is deprived of its truth and convincing
power."
Reply: "Convincing power"? If
the story of Easter Sunday were not literal truth, honest
men would not want it to "convince" anyone! If the
Battle of Yorktown had been a myth rather than an event we
would be a British colony today. A starving man is not helped
with myths about food -- even if they are bursting with "convincing
power."
Tillich: "Literalism deprives God of
his ultimacy and, religiously speaking, of his majesty. It
draws him down to the level of that which is not ultimate,
the finite and the conditional."
Reply: This is not true"Literal"
faith does not "draw" God down into the finite;
rather it perceives that He has come down of His own accord
-- without ceasing to occupy infinity (Isaiah 57:15)!
Tillich: "It is a broken myth, but
it is a myth; otherwise christianity would not be an expression
of ultimate concern."
Reply: In other words, the Gospel is whatever
Tillich says it is! The Gospel is no more a myth than this
years New Hampshire primary. It is an expression of ultimate
concern -- God's concern!
Governor Carter has made much of his conversion, and we would,
of course, be glad if his conversion is a real one. We make
no pretense of omniscience in this matter. The Bible says;
"man looks upon the outward appearance but God looks
upon the heart." Jesus said, "By their fruits shall
ye know them." Because Mr. Carter has chosen to ally
himself with Mr. Tillich, we would challenge all who would
vote for him on the grounds that they "know" he
is a Christian and, therefore, would throw all other consideration
to the wind.
Mount Carmel Outreach
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