The Bible Meets the Modern Age: A Conversation with Former President Jimmy Carter

Today’s Thinking in Public program features my interview with former President Jimmy Carter. The conversation was remarkable, and I was honored to have this interview with the 39th President of the United States. The focus of the interview was on the Bible, a book that has framed President Carter’s life from his earliest memories. Even now, he remains the world’s most famous Sunday School teacher.

What makes this conversation so important, however, is the candor of our discussion. President Carter speaks warmly of his love for the Bible, but he also reveals a view of the Bible’s inspiration and authority that rejects inerrancy and opens the door for what he describes as a “selective” application of the Scriptures when it comes to many issues.

President Carter speaks of his boyhood in Georgia, his experience as President of the United States, and his energetic post-presidency.

In my comments, I try to put the conversation into the context of Protestant theology in the twentieth century and the social transformations that marked America during those years. I appreciate President Carter’s gracious candor and the spirit of intellectual engagement that he demonstrated. I believe it was an important interview, and one worth your careful listening.

You can listen to The Bible Meets the Modern World: A Conversation with Former President Jimmy Carter, here. Remember to subscribe to Thinking in Public through this website, or through iTunes.