Living Faith [Paperback]

Jimmy Carter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 14, 1998

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.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

If you've always wanted the opportunity to pull up a chair and join a Bible study with former president Jimmy Carter, Living Faith is just the audiobook for you. For those of other--even non-religious--persuasions, Carter's rather flat but still engagingly homespun reading offers insight into the deeply personal faith that has motivated Carter throughout his adult life, shaping his decisions as a businessman-farmer, father and husband, diplomat and humanitarian, and president. Living Faith gives as much weight to Carter's remembrances about growing up and living in Plains, Georgia, as to the Iran hostage crisis, the infamous Playboy interview, and the other events of Carter's political life. Sprinkled throughout are Bible stories, quoted chapter and verse; Carter's mission seems not so much to evangelize listeners about his specific Christian faith as to urge on others the gentle decency and humble commitment to good works that this memoir chronicles. Random House has also released an audio edition of Always a Reckoning and Other Poems, also read by Carter. (Running time: 90 minutes) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From 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.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press; 1 edition (September 14, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812930347
• ISBN-13: 978-0812930344
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #762,566 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jimmy Carter was born in Plains, Georgia, and served as thirty-ninth President of the United States. He and his wife, Rosalynn, founded The Carter Center, a nonprofit organization that prevents and resolves conflicts, enhances freedom and democracy, and improves health around the world. He is the author of numerous books, including Palestine Peace Not Apartheid, An Hour Before Daylight and Our Endangered Values. He received a "Best Spoken Word" Grammy Award for his recording of Our Endangered Values. All of President Carter's proceeds from this series will go to the Maranatha Baptist Church of Plains, Georgia.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Views on Faith and other things, October 13, 2000

By 

Ratmammy "The Ratmammy" (Ratmammy's Town, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Living Faith (Paperback)

I greatly enjoyed reading LIVING FAITH, not only because I have always admired Jimmy Carter as a person, but also because I found that I enjoy his writing style and wanted to hear what he had to say.

Living Faith is mainly about his views on how he lives his life according to his religious beliefs, with many passages about his childhood and adulthood, and of course thoughts on his years in the White House. He also writes about his relationship with his wife Rosalyn and their children, his relationship with his parents, and what he has been doing since he left the White House in 1980.

Although I am not a religious person, I was still able to enjoy this book because it gave me insight to Carter's character - a good hearted person who lives and has lived with good intentions and a purpose to help others. This book is a must-read for any one that is an admirer of Jimmy Carter.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Gentle Man and a Gentleman, January 19, 2005

By 

BeatleBangs1964 (United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Living Faith (Paperback)

Former President Jimmy Carter is a truly outstanding person. He is very devoutly committed to his faith and he uses illustrations from his own life to affirm the faith that guides him.

Carter is indeed a humble peacemaker and this book is a sterling testament to faith, hope and living a good life. It is a book for everybody regardless of faith. It is a book about core values and internal beliefs. It is a book about the power of sharing.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Moving Memoir, May 3, 2005

By 

Justice - See all my reviews

This review is from: Living Faith (Paperback)

I really appreciated Carter's description of his personal faith and his attempts to live and practice Christianity in today's world. I think progressive Christians will find this book speaks to them in their attempts to reconcile a very real faith with an outward-looking and inclusive world-view. Being engaged in left-wing causes does NOT require abandoning religious faith, and we need more men and women to assert that there IS a religious left, too. In fact, for many, religious faith is the inspiration that leads us into politics. I can't beileve a man this kind and sincere and gentle was ever president, it seems so bizarre considering today's realities.