Jimmy Carter’s faith: What religion did he practice?

Jimmy Carter was raised as an evangelical Christian within the Southern Baptist Convention. He was a person of deep faith and was genuine about it. He didn’t shy away from it when running for the presidency in 1976.

Despite being told to tone down his personal faith, he instead embraced it, telling The New York Times, “I decided to tell the truth. Not to conceal it but reveal it.” Adding, “If there are those who don’t want to vote for me because I’m a deeply committed Christian, I believe they should vote for someone else.”

Jimmy Carter, the first ‘born again’ US president

On the campaign trail in 1976, he introduced Americans to a term that they had never heard before, “born-again Christian.” Political observers at the time believe that his embrace of his religious convictions helped him win the Democratic primaries to become the party’s standard bearer that year.

While he was raised in the Southern Baptist Convention, he didn’t have his “conversion experience” until he lost his bid in 1966 to become the governor of Georgia. After that defeat “he began reading the Bible avidly” a practice that he continued. He told The New York Times that when he finally had his conversion experience it gave him “an inner peace and inner conviction and assurance that transformed my life for the better.”

However, one of the tenants of Carter’s Baptist faith that would eventually drive a wedge between him and other Southern Baptists was the belief in the separation of church and state. He came out against a proposed constitutional amendment banning abortion and a legislative attempt to restore prayer in public schools because it infringed on that belief.

He lost the support of prominent evangelical leaders like Jerry Falwell and Rev. Billy Graham by the time he was up for reelection in 1980. They and a majority of evangelicals threw their support behind Ronald Reagan who would go on to win that race.

Over the years, the ideology of the Southern Baptist Conference became more conservative, and their views conflicted with Carter’s own “progressive” views. It came to the point where he severed his affiliation with the conference in 2000.

“I have been disappointed and feel excluded by the adoption of policies and an increasingly rigid SBC creed, including some provisions that violate the basic premises of my Christian faith,” Carter said in a letter to his fellow Baptists at the time. He continued as a deacon and Sunday School teacher at the Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia until his health no longer allowed him to.

Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all.

Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.