I know from sad experience the dangers of mixing my religious faith with my political career. An attempt to explain my religious beliefs to a large audience almost prevented my becoming president. This is one of the best-known events in U.S. political history, but until now I have tried to explain it only in my Sunday school classes.

During the late summer of 1976, I was far ahead of President Gerald Ford in public opinion polls and holding a steady lead. Wanting as much publicity as possible, and particularly interested in attracting support from young voters, my overconfident staff and I agreed to the entreaties of Playboy magazine to do a series of short interviews, mostly while flying from one campaign stop to another, that would become a definitive cover story. We insisted that the final text of the article be submitted to my press secretary for editing, at least for accuracy, before it could be published. The Playboy editors agreed, but I still answered their questions carefully with everything recorded on tape.

The final interview was in the living room of my home, and it went well. The reporter thanked me and turned off his tape recorder, and we moved to the front door to say good-bye. He said, apparently off the record, "Governor, there is still one thing that really concerns me. You are a farmer, living in a small town, who has pledged never to lie to the American people. You also claim to be a born-again Christian. The citizens of our country and other public officials are not perfect. How will you be able to relate to them, when you consider yourself to be so much better than they are?"

This took me aback, and I tried to describe my real feelings. I explained that Jesus was particularly concerned with human pride and a sense of superiority over others, and condemned those who judged others. I then moved to the Sermon on the Mount, in an attempt to explain further. If you hate your brother, the sin is like murder. It is necessary to love your enemies, not just your friends. Public prayer is its own reward. You should fast and give alms in secret. And then I quoted the crucial words of Jesus: "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery'; but I say to you, that everyone who looks on a woman to lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his heart" (Matthew 5:27-28).

The reporter asked me if I had ever been guilty of adultery, and his next question was predictable. I replied truthfully, "Yes, I have lusted. …"

The reporter left, and I felt quite pleased with the entire interview, not realizing that he had surreptitiously restarted the tape recorder as we stood at the door. What he had recorded was too good to be submitted for our review.

Several weeks later, while I was emulating Harry Truman on a whistle-stop railway campaign across Pennsylvania, I found that dozens of reporters on the train were absorbed with the new issue of Playboy. To my amazement, I was besieged with questions about my sex life. At first I thought this was just a passing joke, but I was wrong. It became the dominant news story of my candidacy, and my popularity dropped precipitously. Any attempts to explain the Christian theology behind my answers only served to keep the issue alive. Reporters became instant students of religion and rushed to interview famous pastors and television evangelists. Almost all of them denied fervently that they had ever had sexual thoughts in their minds or hearts—except, of course, for their wives.

Rosalynn has always told me that she saw this as merely another unpredictable political crisis that would have to be faced and overcome. When asked by reporters for her reaction, she responded that she was certain of my love, that she was familiar with the Bible verses and understood my explanation of them. My three sons, all in their twenties, were particularly angry at the preachers who professed their total innocence. Most of my campaign workers were distressed that we had made such a foolish mistake. I guess all of us felt that way. I was finally elected, but only by a narrow margin.