Jimmy Carter, former president and Baptist Sunday school teacher, dies at 100
Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States and devout Baptist known for his charitable work and longtime service as a Sunday school teacher, has died at the age of 100.
Chip Carter, one of the former president's children, confirmed that his father had died at his home in Plains, Georgia, on Sunday afternoon, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Born in 1924, Carter was a native of a small farming town in Georgia. He later obtained a Bachelor of Science degree at the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946.
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Carter married Rosalynn Smith in 1946. In July, the couple celebrated their 77th wedding anniversary, with their union standing as the longest marriage of any U.S. president.
Read 5 interesting facts about Jimmy Carter here.
Beginning in the 1960s, Carter became involved in politics. He was elected to the Georgia Senate in 1962 and became governor of Georgia in 1971. He later served as campaign chairman for the Democratic National Committee in 1974.
In 1976, Carter became the first Southern Baptist elected president of the United States, defeating Republican incumbent President Gerald Ford with 297 to 240 electoral college points, and garnered just over 2% more of the popular vote than his opponent (Carter won over 40 million votes and Ford received over 39 million votes).
"Significant foreign policy accomplishments of his administration included the Panama Canal treaties, the Camp David Accords, the treaty of peace between Egypt and Israel, the SALT II treaty with the Soviet Union, and the establishment of U.S. diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China," states the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library. Carter was also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
"On the domestic side, the administration's achievements included a comprehensive energy program conducted by a new Department of Energy; deregulation in energy, transportation, communications, and finance; major educational programs under a new Department of Education; and major environmental protection legislation, including the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act."
Carter only served one term in office, as a severe economic recession and international issues such as the Iranian Revolution caused his approval ratings to drop.
After leaving office, Carter became known for many charitable efforts, including decades of volunteering with Habitat for Humanity alongside his wife.
Beginning in the 1980s, Carter was a regular Sunday school teacher at Maranatha Baptist Church of Plains, Georgia, overseeing classes even in 2015 while he was battling cancer.
Carter was a longtime Southern Baptist but ultimately left the denomination in 2000 because of its refusal to ordain women, among other reasons.
"I'm familiar with the verses they have quoted about wives being subjugated to their husbands," Carter told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in an interview at the time.
"In my opinion, this is a distortion of the meaning of Scripture. … I personally feel the Bible says all people are equal in the eyes of God. I personally feel that women should play an absolutely equal role in service of Christ in the church."
Carter also authored more than 30 books, including ones on spiritual and moral matters, such as The Blood of Abraham: Insights into the Middle East, Living Faith, Sources of Strength: Meditations on Scripture for a Living Faith, Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis, NIV Lessons from the Life Bible: Personal Reflections with Jimmy Carter, A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power and Faith: A Journey for All.
Carter occasionally garnered controversy for his views on the Middle East, opinions on conservative Christianity and other political and religious issues.
In 2007, Carter published a book titled Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, in which he advocated for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but also argued that Israel was the main impediment to peace.
Various groups heavily criticized Carter for his stance, with the pro-Israel group CAMERA publishing a rebuttal with essays by multiple authors arguing that Carter was promoting "lamentable distortions."
In 2015, Carter told The New York Times that he believed if Jesus Christ's earthly ministry had been in modern America, he would oppose abortion in most circumstances but also support same-sex marriage.
"I have never believed that Jesus would be in favor of abortion unless it was the result of rape or incest, or the mother's life was in danger," the former president claimed.
"Of course, Jesus never said anything about gay marriage in the Bible, but I believe he would be amenable to the union of two people who loved each other and didn't hurt anyone else."
In February of last year, the Carter Center, an Atlanta-based philanthropic organization, announced that following "a series of short hospital stays," Carter would "spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention."
"He has the full support of his family and his medical team. The Carter family asks for privacy during this time and is grateful for the concern shown by his many admirers," stated the center.
Josh Carter, one of Carter's grandchildren, told People magazine in comments in August 2023 that it's "clear we're in the final chapter" of his grandfather's life.
"He's still fully Jimmy Carter," Josh Carter explained. "He's just tired. I mean, he's almost 99 years old, but he fully understands [how many well wishes he's received] and has felt the love."
Nevertheless, Jimmy Carter persisted, becoming the first U.S. president to reach the age of 100 in October.
