Jimmy Carter didn’t hide his faith.
As a presidential candidate, he taught the American public what it meant to be “born again.” He talked to Playboy magazine about sin. He frequently quoted Scripture, dropping verses from nearly every book of the Bible. His favorite was Romans 3:23, about everyone falling short. As president, Carter put forth a moral vision for America, at home and abroad. And he took time in private meetings with foreign leaders to tell them they needed Jesus.
Carter “maintained a persistent witness,” according to Wesley G. Pippert, a United Press International reporter and occasional Christianity Today correspondent. It was persistent even when it was politically inconvenient. Carter won some support for his moral commitments and character but was also roundly criticized, both by those who shared his politics and those who shared his faith. He was seen as smug, dour, and self-righteous, but also weak, naive, and unmanly. Add some inflation, unemployment, and a foreign policy crisis, and Carter lost his 1980 reelection bid in a humiliating landslide.
But he persisted. Carter was, as the title of his memoir had it, Keeping Faith. He spent his post-presidency years teaching Sunday school, working on human rights issues, and volunteering for Habitat for Humanity. He died at the end of 2024 at age 100 and lived long enough to convince many of his former critics of his integrity and see more than a few Christians reconsider his example of what it means to live out your faith.
Does Carter’s Christianity Count?: Moral Leadership Is Essential
One of Jimmy Carter’s biggest contributions has been the model of his private life.
Jimmy Carter: My Personal Faith in God
The former President tells how his Christian faith shaped his presidency—and how the presidency tested his Christian faith.
Jimmy Carter: Pursuing an Arc of Reconciliation
The former president has a new hope for racial justice—starting with the church.
The Church’s Preventive Medicine
A former President calls for Christians to add their moral voice in the health-care debate.
Q & A: Jimmy Carter on his Faith-Filled Presidency
How Christianity played a role in the former President’s office.
Servant in Chief
Jimmy Carter’s journey from the White House to building houses
The Evangelicalism of Jimmy Carter
The former president, who turns 100 on Tuesday, was elected while serving as a Southern Baptist deacon. But he was never fully welcomed by white evangelicals as one of our own.
