Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis

Jimmy Carter is, in my book, one of the finest human beings on the face of this planet. He's devoutly Christian and he walks the walk, unlike many of the televangelists who've grown to hold political power today. He builds houses for the homeless, visits war-torn countries on his own dime and at terrible risk to his own life, and he'll continue to do these things until he dies, because being Christlike is his goal in life. He's just that kind of man. And for this, you must respect him, and take it very seriously that he thinks far-right Christian fundamentalism is problematic. For a Christian who is as faithful and devout as Carter to denounce people like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson (two men who do not, by the way, build houses for the homeless or visit devastated regions of the world) for controlling and brainwashing millions of Americans is a very big deal. We need to be paying attention. For Carter, whose faith is basically the reason he gets out of bed every morning, to say that we are skirting a dangerously slippery slope when it comes to the separation of church and state is a BIG DEAL. We NEED to be paying attention. Don't be afraid of this book if you're not a Christian, and don't be afraid of it if you are. Carter carefully separates his faith from yours, and maintains that faith and religion is a private and personal choice, and he NEVER proselytizes or gets preachy. What he does do, though, is make very clear that the Christian right is not right, nor do they speak for all devout Christians in this country. He simply wants to see us get on the right track again. A wonderful book.

While this book joins the list of "progresive Christian" dissent from the religous right (think Jim Wallis, Cornel West, etc.), the fact that the author has served as our President makes it a unique read. Carter contrasts his view of both American and Christian values with that of the prevailing wisdom of the Bush administration, and its friends in the church. Carter shows how his faith gave him moral guidance and strength throghout his Presidency, without comprimising his ability to serve the American people and constitution. THose on the right who dismiss Carter-a devout evangelical Christian and former career naval officer, as an "American hating flag burner", only prove his point about the intolerance of contemporary right wing hardliners. Those who dismiss Carter because of the perils America faced under his Presidency, are (for the most part) the same who dismiss Bush's fiscal recklessnes, disregard for civil liberties, and divisive political stature, as products of the difficult times in which he governs, not his failure as President. Certainly it would be hard to argue the legacy our current President will leave to his eventual succesor carries less burdens then that Carter left to Reagan.

I have found this to be a most honest and direct evaluation of the current national situation. It is an easy book to read and demonstrates the unusual honesty of Jimmy Carter as a past president and current world humanitarian. His evaluation of the current administration's shortcomings and intrigue in its selling of the Iraq war to the American public and Congress is most interesting and enlightening. He substantiates his concern for the other detrimental actions of the present administartion throudh his own religeous beliefs and gives an explanation of his separation from the Southern Baptist Convention.

From one who has been there and who sees things with eyes of a follower of Christ, here is the best account I have seen of the slide America is in away from our position of once proud nation, moral leader of the world, and protector of the disadvantaged. He places this slide not so much on inept leadership (and no president is perfect) but on a conscious, calculated move toward more advantages for the very rich. The numbers tell the story and he supplies enough of them to make this a very scary work of non-fiction. Of course, being a Christian, he gives a ray of hope at the end. But no quick fixes. In general, I think it is well-written and much more readable than some of his earlier books. The problem is stated, the gauntlet thrown down. Maybe it is for the next generation to take up the challenge.

This is a brilliant, perceptive book by an ineffectual president who became a Nobel Peace Prize winner after he left the white house. Carter calls it like it is. Yes this is a Christian Country, but it is NOT a Christian Fundamentalist Country. Less than a third of the country espouses the socalled Bush Ethics. Thank god for that. I highly recommend this book for all THINKING Christians.