Living Faith by Jimmy Carter, Jimmy Carter (Preface by)

From the Publisher

For almost three decades, President Carter has regularly spent part of each Sunday reading from scripture and sharing his personal faith with neighbors, friends, and visitors at his Baptist church in Plains, Georgia. In Living Faith, he draws on this experience, exploring the values closest to his heart and the personal beliefs that have nurtured and sustained him.

For President Carter, faith finds its deepest expression in a life of compassion, reconciliation, and service to others. Living Faith is filled with stories of people whose lives have touched his--some from the world stage, more from modest walks of life. We see how President Carter learned about other faiths from Prime Minister Menachim Begin and President Anwar Sadat; learned a lesson in forgiveness from a clash with commentator George Will; how he was inspired by the simple theology of preacher Ely Cruz, "Love God and the person in front of you"; and how the cheerful strength of family friend Annie Mae Rhodes taught him the meaning of "patient faith."

Rooted in scripture and infused with a vision of how a dynamic faith can enrich our public and private lives, this is the most personal book yet by one of our most admired Americans--a warmly inspirational volume to give and to share.


From the Hardcover edition.

Publishers Weekly

In this rich and very intimate spiritual autobiography, the former president shares his living Christian faith. Carter's deep faith is rooted in his family and community, and he traces the growth and development of his faith through his career in the Navy and various political offices, and through his work with Habitat for Humanity (which builds housing for poor Americans) and the Carter Center (an international peacemaking organization). Carter also discusses the impact that Soren Kierkegaard and Reinhold Niebuhr have had on his life. With engaging humor and self-effacement, Carter shares his personal stories of the lessons of faith he has learned as a son, husband and father. In addition, he shares his sense of justice and the ways his faith has affected his actions and personal lifestyle. Carter's book is an enjoyable look into the life of a man engaged in living out his faith in the public eye.

Library Journal

Our 39th president not only keeps the faith but tells us how.

School Library Journal

This first-person account provides an intimate look at the beliefs and practices of the man who helped to forge peace in the Middle East, yet who hammers nails to build homes for Habitat for Humanity since leaving the Oval Office. The focus is on the viability of Christianity in various arenas of life. Carter writes of the strength he drew from his faith at times of failure, in his family life, as the leader of one of the most powerful nations in the world, and in forgiveness for those who misunderstood or misjudged him. YAs will gain insight into this man's character as he chose to stand behind his convictions when peers disagreed. Carter's principles for peace makers may help to alleviate strife for young people who are living in turmoil, while others may find fulfillment in following his belief in the benefit of simply doing good for others. Carter also offers comfort as he reflects on the sustaining strength and peace he has drawn from his beliefs. After reading this account, most readers will feel as though they have spent time with the Maranatha Baptist Church's world-famous Sunday School teacher and have received a warm welcome. Janice DeLong, Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA

Kirkus Reviews

An unforgettable spiritual autobiography filled with wisdom and pleas for justice.

Former president Carter's faith has been forged in some hard times, and these are unstintingly detailed here. He eloquently describes the loss of both his parents and all three of his siblings to cancer, as well as his own bitter political defeats, bankruptcy, and ostracism in the 1960s for refusing to join the racist White Citizens' Council. Carter outlines his own faults, his remoteness as a husband in the early years of his marriage, and his authoritarian treatment of his three sons. What emerges from these trials is a patient maturity, unburdened by trite answers to the basic problem of theodicy. Life is hard, and Jimmy Carter knows it. But he has also sustained a growing faith in the One who has guided him since he accepted Christ as a child. Carter's faith is a fin-de-siècle cross between ecumenical pluralism and old-time southern gospel religion. His beliefs are theologically sophisticated (he has read widely among 20th-century theologians such as Barth, Tillich, and Neibuhr) but still simple enough that the whole book reads like one of his famous Sunday school classes, a homiletical treat that relies on personal experiences and storytelling to relay a complex message. In the end, Carter's faith weighs in heavily on the side of social justice (though, in true Baptist form, he also relates some experiences from his missionary evangelism trips). He places the international mediation work of his Carter Center in a spiritual context, describing behind-the-scenes peace talks with Haiti's General Cedras and the late Kim Il Sung of North Korea, and issues a clarion call for peace through negotiation. He also writes spiritedly of his work for Habitat for Humanity, building affordable housing for the world's poor.

Carter's life is best summarized by the title of one of his chapters: faith in action.

Product Details

• Table of Contents

Table of Contents