The most valuable part of this book is that Carter makes his critique of the conservative Christian push to erase the line between church and state from his highly religious Baptist perspective. It provides a needed counterpoint to the strangely prevalent notion that to be religious = to be conservative. He reminds the reader that the virtues of tolerance and concern for the poor can be deeply rooted in Christian history and theology. However, on no topic does he goes into great depth, so the reader is ultimately left unsatisfied.

I imagine this would have been a better read at the time it was published. This book is essentially a list of criticisms of Republican actions taken during the Presidency of George W. Bush. If you are a liberal you would agree with all of it, and if you are a conservative you would not. It was not an exciting read other than the fact it was interesting hearing from former President Carter.

An intelligent, clear, compassionate, and convicting vision of what evangelical political engagement could look like. Carter leaves a fascinating legacy for us to grapple with. For me, it’s not most significant that we end up agreeing with his policies, but rather than we are inspired by his informed and fierce defense of American and Christian moral values in the political sphere.

An interesting analysis by the 39th American president about the USA at the beginning of the third millennium, in the context of the war on terror declared by President George W. Bush. As it is easy to anticipate, the former Democratic president criticizes many decisions made by the Bush administration, drawing attention to key contemporary issues that jeopardize America's strength and its dominant role in the world.

Common sense analysis and interpretation, nothing spectacular in itself, but quite well and convincingly formulated ideas.

I am a big fan of Jimmy carter and the work of The Carter Center; however, this book was not my favorite. Probably because I am not politically savvy. I was impressed with his chapter : "The World's Greatest Callenge in the New Millenium," that speaks to the growing gap between the poor and wealthy of the world.

Pg. 28: "I believe that anyone can be successful in life, regardless of natural talent or the enviornment within which we live. This is not based on measuring success by human competitiveness for wealth, possessions, influence, and fame, but adhering to God's standards of truth, justice, humility, service, compassion, forgiveness and love."

Comparison: Traditional fundamentalism: "Cling to unchanging principles". COntemporary radical fundamentalism: Rigidity, domination and exclusion.

P. 48: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen". (Hebrews 11:1)

I listened to this book on CD, which may have done the book an injustice. I had a seriously difficult time staying awake. However, after getting through it, Carter really put together a great book. He talks about the values the majority of the US purports to have or support, and how that frequently isn't true. He has a very good grasp on the longitudinal effects of things. He comments on the state of affairs when he was growing up, when he took office as the president, and current events. I like how he specifies how he can maintain his faith and live in a way congruent with his values without forcing his beliefs on others. He really believes in talking to people and trying to work things out, generally speaking. He presents information and arguments clearly and calmly. One of the things I found particularly interesting was that while he obviously supports the Democratic party more, he did make indictments against both parties and was specific in his points.

As the time to it took me to finish reading this book shows, it was difficult to read through. Just because it was sooooo depressing to read all the things that are going down the tubes in this country and the fact that things were going down the tube at the time Carter wrote this book.

But I am glad that I finished the book. In terms of simple readability, it is really easy to read. Important data and examples were concisely put together to make his points. I would recommend this book to anyone. (Off course, I would especially like to recommended it to those who 'preach' God's words with their own interpretation without actually living by God's words)

As hard as it was to face the facts, I think I'm going to keep this book so that I can go back to it when I need to find my own moral compass.

President Carter and I may have our differences in politics, but this book just gave me more to admire about him personally. He has written and published more books than any other U.S. president, and it shows in his skill. He writes with personality and wit, giving illustrations and anecdotes to support each of his points on issues such as faith, divorce, homosexuality, foreign policy, and the environment. Even when his opinions differ from mine, it is impossible to come away from this book offended or troubled. Instead, I felt like I had a respectful debate with him as I read.

I'm not usually into nonfiction books...but, I thought I'd try to open my mind a bit and picked this up on a business trip. It's easy to read, and has given me great respect for Jimmy Carter. I was drawn to this book because I was always so disheartened about the way that religion is played out in politics and how "my religion" or probably better described as my values, never seemed to be a part of that mess. This book is a refreshing reminder of what it really means to be Christ-like in today's world. Even if you don't call yourself a Christian, I would challenge you to read this book. It's phenomenal.

I like Jimmy Carter. Even more now.

I especially was interested in President Carter's discussions about fundamentalism, in religion and in politics. He defines fundamentalism in a way I'd not through of it before, but seemed dead on to me. He says that fundamentalism is the idea that we're right, and chosen and everyone else is wrong and therefor un-chosen and therefore disposable. Also that it gives power to leaders instead of to people, which leads to abuses of power. These are exactly the qualities of so many vocal religious groups that make me hostile to religion in general. Sometimes I forget that there are other kinds of religiosity. It's really rare to hear a public figure, especially a Christian public figure, standing up to the idea that some churches and church leaders have taken a selfish and corrupt path. I was preparing myself to really disagree with President Carter for the religious chapters, and I did disagree with him, especially when he talked about missionary work. But I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed what he had to say. He really shows that it is possible to separate religion and politics without being disloyal to your strongly held beliefs.

I was also so refreshed to hear him talk about religion in politics in a way that promotes peace, environmentalism and kindness, things that the most vocal religious political groups condemn. I want to give this book to all my Christian relatives who seem believe that Jesus wants them to starve the poor and bomb the middle east and all that other evilness.

I "read" this as an audio book, and I have to admit that I probably wouldn't have got through the book format. The second half or so got a big dull, but listening I could just tune out a bit without giving up entirely.

Jimmy Carter shows a good deal of prescience in this 2005 work in which he examines the deterioration of American conservatism into a fundamentalist melding of religion and politics. Coming from a religious background himself, Carter found that a good many Christian principles that he, on the Democratic side, shared with other co-religionists across the political spectrum were being abandoned by those in Republican circles. That trend certainly had not reversed in the decades since.

The book doesn’t stop at religion, though, as it is more of a topic of the introductory chapters. For much of its length, this work serves as a criticism of the George W. Bush administration. It touches on many topics pertinent to the time of its writing, many of which remain important issues to this day. Issues of poverty and income inequality, for example, only seem to have gotten worse, despite the problems already present in 2005. Carter also references his time in office quite frequently, though there is not too much reflection on what transpired in American politics between the time he left office and Bush’s then-current tenure. He doesn't focus so much on how things took a wrong turn as much as he warns readers about the alarming trends he observes.

If Carter isn't pleased with Republican leadership, he doesn't exactly have much praise to bestow on Democrats, who do not appear very often in his narrative and, when they do, are also liable to be criticized for some of the same failings as their rival party. In this short volume, Carter isn't able to get into intricate details on policy, but he does make a reasonable plea to strive for higher ideals.