Former President Jimmy Carter shocked the political world when he won the White House as the front-runner in 1976. who His Christian faith was a central part of his public testimony throughout his adult life, but he died on Sunday. He was 100 years old. Carter, a former peanut farmer, helped popularize the word “born again” in the 1970s, when curious media members flocked to his campaigns. After leaving the White House, he taught Sunday school classes to a packed sanctuary at his small congregation, Maranatha Baptist, in Plains, Georgia.
In 1976, Carter, a largely unknown governor of Georgia, gained national attention by taking advantage of the newly restructured nominating system to win the Iowa caucuses. He won the Democratic nomination and defeated President Gerald Ford in the general election.
his government Contains There were several crises, including the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, but a major victory was achieved in 1979 when Israel and Egypt signed a peace treaty on the White House lawn. Mr. Carter also normalized relations with China, promoted clean energy, and deregulated the airline industry to make air travel more affordable.
After being reelected by Republican candidate Ronald Reagan in 1980, Carter and his wife Rosalynn founded the Carter Center in 1982 to promote freedom and democracy. As an individual, he built a home for Habitat for Humanity. Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
Carter is the longest-lived president and former president in U.S. history, reaching 100 years old in October 2024.
He discussed his faith in detail in his books. 2018 books Faith: A journey for everyone.
“I believe more now than I did then that Christians: is called It is to dive into the life of the world and infuse it with the moral and ethical values of our faith. governance process“At the same time, any government control over our religious freedom must be strictly prohibited,” Carter wrote.
Carter grew up in the church and taught Sunday school lessons when he attended the Naval Academy as a young man. He told theologian Albert Mohler in 2012 that as president of First Baptist Church in Washington, he once taught Sunday school lessons “without prior notice so as not to disrupt regular instruction.” .
“I spend several hours a week studying the meaning of the Bible,” he said.
Although he was on the left of the modern evangelical movement, many evangelical leaders admired Carter's love of the Bible and acceptance of the Christian faith. carter It was On the right side of the Modern Democratic Party, he said in 2012 that he “never believed that Jesus Christ would approve of abortion.” He never had the opportunity to be appointed to the Supreme Court, which includes abortion and many other issues. is being discussed.
Carter shared his faith and discussed religious freedom with other heads of statehe told Mohler during a 2012 interview..
“I've done something like this several times,” Carter said. “…The most important moment was when I normalized diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. the first of January 1979. And then Deng Xiaoping came and when we were having our last dinner, he said, Mr. President, you have done a lot for the Chinese people. you I have never asked for anything from your services. Is there anything I can do? ” And I said, “Yes, actually, when I was a student, child I used to donate 5 cents a week to build hospitals and schools for Chinese children. and Once upon a time, our greatest heroes who came to Georgia were missionaries to China. And now you are not allowing missionaries. you don't allow the bible and you don't allow freedom of religion. And I hope you re-enact these three things. ” He said, “Let me think about it.”
“So the next morning he said to me, 'We won't allow missionaries back into the country, but we promise to pass a law that will authorize the distribution of the Bible for the first time and allow freedom in China' of worship. So they did so.”
Although Carter was raised as a Southern Baptist, he rejected the conservative direction Southern Baptists took in the late 1970s and 1980s. He told Mohler that he was a supporter of the SBC's Bold Mission Thrust mission. I had a goal to reach A world with the gospel.
As president in 1978, he addressed the SBC's Brotherhood Committee and told those assembled that “no conflict prevents us from uniting the religious life of the individual with the political arena.”
“Religious beliefs and public service cannot be separated.” he said “And of course at the same time, you can't impose your views in public office.” own Religious beliefs about others. never detected I've never experienced anything It is a conflict between God's will and my political obligation. ”
During his post-political life, Carter taught Sunday school at home. small plains, georgia, churchthe number of visitors and tourists often exceeded the number of members. A typical Sunday school class drew several hundred people, gathered in a sanctuary while Carter spoke, watched intently by Secret Service agents. from the side. After the church service, visitors lined up outside to take photos with Carter.
His pastor, the Rev. Tony Lowden, said 2019: “The biggest thing I've learned as pastor here is watching JC follow JC.”
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Scott Cunningham/Stringer
michael faust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His articles have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, Christian Post, Leaf Chronicle, Toronto Star, and Knoxville News Sentinel.
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