Former president speaks of faith, Bible lessons The Layman Online from news sources Thursday, November 4, 1999 Former President Jimmy Carter estimates he has taught 1,700 Bible lessons since he was 18 years old. Fifty-two are included in his new book: Sources of Strength: Meditations on Scripture for a Living Faith. Carter talked about the book and his faith during an interview for the Public Broadcasting System. He said Scripture is "ultimate and all-pervasively true" and that "Jesus is the son of God, that he was the promised Messiah. I believe that he was born of the Virgin Mary. Those tenets of my faith are very secure for me." Carter was interviewed by Bob Abernethy of PBS's Religion & Ethics News Weekly. The transcript of the interview is published on the Religion & Ethics web page. Carter was asked to choose "an important lesson for the whole country." "One that comes to mind," he said, "is 'Be ye kind, one to another, forgiving each other as God through His mercy has forgiven us.' I think that's one that can ease tension and create a better society. Another one is Jesus' admonition, 'Judge not if you be not judged.'" Carter addressed a number of issues during the interview, including the religious right. "I think the strength of the religious right is now waning," he said. "It was practically nonexistent when I ran for president in 1976. It had grown substantially by 1980, when President Reagan ran against me, and there was a marriage, in effect, of the religious right and the Republican party, which still prevails. But I think the last few elections have shown that there's a strict limit to the influence of the religious right to shape the outcome of the election."

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