Jimmy Carter was the first American president to describe himself as “born again”, now a somewhat quaint term for experiencing a rebirth through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
It was a process rather than a singular experience, according to the former president, who spoke frequently and fluently about his Christian faith throughout his life.
“Being born again didn’t happen when I was 11,” he wrote in his 1996 book “Living Faith.” “For me, it has been an evolutionary thing. Rather than a flash of light or a sudden vision of God speaking, it involved a series of steps that have brought me steadily closer to Christ.”
As president, he was treated as something of an oddity by the East Coast press when he arrived on the national scene and his remarks about his faith often provoked confusion or concern.
his faith was not enough to endear him to the nascent Christian Right.
Conservatives shared his theology, but he didn’t fit what they considered important.
Mr Carter also wrestled with the Baptist tradition in which he was raised.
In contrast, his work with Habitat For Humanity, where he taught Sundays school class showed his commitment of his Christian beliefs.
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