Jimmy Carter on Faith, Fundamentalism, and Freedom 0

President Jimmy Carter has a new book, Our Endangered Values, in which (according to the review from Publisher’s Weekly quoted at the preceding link), he criticizes

Christian fundamentalists for their “rigidity, domination and exclusion,” (and) he suggests that their open hostility toward a range of sinners (including homosexuals and the federal judiciary) runs counter to America’s legacy of democratic freedom. Carter speaks eloquently of how his own faith has shaped his moral vision and of how he has struggled to reconcile his own values with the Southern Baptist church’s transformation under increasingly conservative leadership.

He was interviewed today on Morning Edition, and I think he will be on Fresh Air for a more in-depth interview soon:

Steve Inskeep talks with former President Jimmy Carter about his new book, Our Endangered Values. He explores the relationship between conservative religious leaders and politics.

I commend this interview to your attention, especially if you are one who thinks that “Christian Fundamentalist,” “Born Again,” and “Right-Wing Theocratic Republican” are synonyms.

Heck, I might even buy the book. Then it can join the 30 or so other unread books I have in my library and the half-dozen or so Project Gutenberg E-Texts I have on my HDD.