Ex-Louisiana insurance chief Jim Brown reflects on Jerusalem | Entertainment/Life

Jim Brown grew up in St. Louis and first came to Louisiana to attend law school at Tulane in 1964. After graduating, he moved to Ferriday, 100 miles north of Baton Rouge.

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Within five years, he was elected to the state Senate as a Democrat. From there, he was elected to two terms as secretary of state but lost the 1987 governor’s race won by Buddy Roemer. Brown made a comeback in 1991 by being elected as insurance commissioner.

He won reelection to that job two times, but stepped down in 2000 after being convicted of lying to an FBI agent related to the failure of an insurance company.

Brown spent six months in prison and wrote a book afterward proclaiming his innocence called “Justice Denied.” It was published by Lisburn Press, which he started in 2004.

“Jesus, Jews, Jihad & Me: My Jerusalem Journey” is Brown’s seventh book.

Why did you decide to write the book?

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I’m 84 years old and thought I should evaluate my spirituality as I’m getting on in age. I happened to meet Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel at a grandparents’ gathering in New York for my grandkids. I asked him for advice, and he told me if I was serious about searching for a personal religious direction, I should go to where it all began, not only for Christians, for the Jewish faith but also for Muslims. He told me to go to Jerusalem. The book centers on my spiritual search but also looks at Jewish influences from the Old Testament to the confrontations in the Middle East today.

Where did you go in Israel?

My trip centered on my pilgrimage of rediscovering Christianity in my life, and I followed the path of Jesus Christ. I went to the river Jordan and baptized myself, just like Jesus did.

Why did you travel alone instead of traveling with a tour group?

I didn’t want to go as a tourist. I was there with a personal search. I didn’t want to get bogged down with other people. I didn’t want to get rushed. When I went to where Jesus gave his sermon on the mount, I spent most of the day there, meditating and thinking about my own life.

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I walked the path that Jesus walked on his way to his crucifixion. Most tourists take about two hours to walk that path. I took 2½ days. I stopped at every religious commemoration. I went into each and every church to soak in the path that Jesus took.

There are commemorative sights and stories every 50 yards. I spent half a day with Maronite sisters in a monastery and talked about their religious commitment. I went to the St. James Cathedral (James was Jesus’ brother), which is along the path Jesus took toward his crucifixion. I’m named after St. James. My son is James, and my grandson is James. So I wanted to go where St. James is buried.

His body is split up. Some of it is buried in the St. James Cathedral. It was closed. My legs were exhausted from walking for three days. I had a driver with a golf cart.

He whispered to the guard, and he told me to give him 40 shekels. He bribed the guard to let me into the church. I hope the good Lord won’t hold that against me.

You left Israel just before Hamas launched missiles against Jerusalem as part of the Oct. 7 attack, right?

The missiles landed just a few hundred yards from where I had been staying at St. George’s College, a retreat center in Jerusalem. I learned of this just as I landed in New York City. I’m told I got the last commercial flight (that day) from Israel.

Has the trip changed your life in any way?

I was hoping the heavens would open and the Good Lord would reach down and say join me as a better Christian. That’s not realistic. I think what I’ve learned from discussing the trip with ministers is that maybe the signs are in how you lived your life. I’ve had highs and lows in my life. The highs dramatically outweigh the lows. Maybe I accomplished things thanks to a religious push. I had a successful life in politics. I’ve written seven books and 1,500 columns. I have a loving family. Maybe the good things in life are telling me that you’ve done a good job and keep doing it. The good news is that I’m not a once-a-week churchgoer anymore. I’m going to different churches to learn more about the Christian faith. I’m reading a number of books with religious ties. I’m making a better effort to be a committed Christian in my community.