By Gary Scott Smith

As Americans mourn the death of the nation’s oldest ex-president and celebrate his life, they will disagree about the effectiveness of his presidency and the impact of many of his policies. One fact, however, is undisputable: Jimmy Carter’s robust Christian faith guided his life and helped direct his approach to politics. He was one of the nation’s most religiously devout chief executives. Carter’s faith was deeply meaningful and profoundly motivating and powerfully impacted his presidency.

As a child and youth, Carter regularly attended a Southern Baptist church in Plains, Georgia. At age eleven, he publicly professed his faith in Jesus Christ as his savior and Lord, was baptized, and joined the church. His mother Lillian also significantly influenced his faith during his formative years.

Carter was ordained as a deacon at age thirty-three and served as an usher, led prayers, and preached sermons at his home church. Nevertheless, his failure to win the Democratic nomination for governor of Georgia in 1966 prompted Carter to reassess his faith. Deeply moved by a sermon titled “If You Were Arrested for Being a Christian, Would There Be Enough Evidence to Convict You?” and conversations with his sister, evangelist Ruth Carter Stapleton, he vowed to make serving Christ his principal aim in life. He was struck by the realization that during his gubernatorial campaign he had spoken with 300,000 Georgians while in the previous fourteen years he had shared the gospel with only 140 individuals.

Carter soon experienced a more intimate relationship with Christ that continued until his death. It prompted him to study the Bible with great interest, go on witnessing missions, and teach a Sunday school class for many years. His rejuvenated faith also inspired him to run for the presidency in 1976 and helped shape his political philosophy and numerous policies.

During his 1976 campaign, Carter declared that “The most important thing in my life is Jesus Christ.” He argued that Christ’s admonition to “love God with all your heart and soul and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself” provided the foundation for his life. The Georgian’s frequent assertion that he was a “born-again” Christian sent many reporters scurrying to find out what the term meant.

Throughout his life, Carter worshipped faithfully at various churches, read the Bible daily, prayed fervently, and relied on God to guide him. Carter’s worldview was shaped by a variety of factors: his family, education, and church as well as his experiences in the military, business, and politics. He was a Southerner, a populist, a Democratic, an engineer, a Washington outsider, and a Baptist evangelical. His Christian faith, however, played a large role in how he understood the world and strove to govern as president.

Although Carter never formulated a coherent political philosophy, his Christian convictions helped determine his political priorities and stances on many issues. In his inaugural address, Carter explicated Micah 6:8 which exhorts people “to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God,” As president, he emphasized morality, justice, virtue, forgiveness, humility, servanthood, peace, stewardship of natural resources, and concern for the poor. Carter argued that the Bible was the ultimate authority for all life and that, therefore, “we should try to assure that secular law is compatible with God’s law.” This meant that Americans must strive to alleviate hunger and discrimination, foster peace, and promote human rights around the globe.

Carter’s faith is readily apparent in his character, convictions, and contributions through numerous enterprises. His critics and supporters agree that he was honest, trustworthy, compassionate, extremely intelligent and hard working, and exceptionally well-prepared in his daily work as president.

Senator Mark Hatfield (R-OR) and numerous other Christian politicians praised Carter for distinguishing between civil religion and biblical faith, confronting Americans with their shortcomings, and calling for national repentance. Carter’s faith prompted him to challenge citizens, especially in his so-called “malaise” speech in 1979, to tighten their belts, reduce their wastefulness, live simpler lifestyles, and make sacrifices to benefit future generations. This approach caused him political difficulties and contributed to his losing the 1980 presidential election to Ronald Reagan.

Carter agreed with theologian Reinhold Niebuhr that “nations must use their power” as “an instrument of justice and a servant of interests broader than their own.” This led the Democrat to argue that the United States should actively promote peace and human rights, work to reduce arms, and use its foreign aid to lessen hunger, curb population growth, and stop despoiling the environmental.

During the Cold War, Carter strove to make foreign policy decisions based on “a lasting world order beneficial to all people” rather than on a “short-term calculation of American advantage over the Soviet Union.” Driven by his sense of justice and desire to improve relations with Latin American nations, he engineered a treaty to give Panama control of the canal running through its land. Guided by his commitment to peace, he helped negotiate the Camp David Accord that improved relations between Israel and Egypt. Throughout his presidency, Carter strove diligently to advance human rights throughout the world and helped inspire dissidents in the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, and other locales to denounce political repression.

During the last forty-three years of his life, the former president strongly promoted Habitat for Humanity and Boys & Girls Clubs of America. He created the Carter Center in Atlanta in 1982 to wage peace, fight disease, and build hope. Its staff have monitored elections in dozens of nations and striven to strengthen democracy throughout the world. Carter personally worked to help negotiate peace settlements and try to improve American relations with Haiti, North Korea, and other nations. His legacy is truly worthy of celebrating.

Gary Scott Smith is Professor of History Emeritus at Grove City College and is a fellow for faith and politics with the Institute for Faith and Freedom.