Program Particulars
*Times indicated refer to Web version of audio

(01:12) Born-Again Faith
A born-again Christian is someone who has had a sudden conversion to the teachings and ways of Jesus Christ. The born-again believer accepts Jesus as his Lord and Savior in this world and the next. The phrase comes from the first part of chapter 3 of the New Testament gospel of John:

Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God." Jesus answered him, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above."

Nicodemus said to him, "How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, "You must be born from above [often translated as "anew" or "again"].' The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

Stephen Prospero notes in Religious Literacy that most people use the the terms born-again Christian and evangelical interchangeably, despite sharp distinctions between the two. Prospero cites George Barna's polling research, which estimates that born-again Christians make up approximately 40 percent of the U.S. population. Evangelical Christians are a subset of born-again Christians, totaling about 7 percent of the U.S. population. Evangelicals take a much stricter view of the inerrancy of the Bible, the role Satan plays in our world, and salvation only comes through God's grace.

(01:20) Commander in Chief
Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution reads: "The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States." The U.S. President outranks any military officer and has the inherent right to assume command on the battlefield.

(01:53–03:58) Music Element
"The Multiples of One"
from Awakening,
performed by Joseph Curiale

(02:07) Evangelical Christian
The word "evangelical" derives from the Greek word, euangelion, meaning "good news." Defining evangelicalism can be difficult because of the wide variety of beliefs among them. They are typically Protestant Christians with representation across many denominations, but may also be Roman Catholic or non-denominational. Several fundamental concepts are stressed among most followers: a supreme belief in the authority of the Bible — with an emphasis placed on the New Testament, a relationship with Jesus Christ that comes through personal conversion, a belief in salvation by faith in Jesus Christ, and an emphasis placed on spreading God's word.

(02:29) Audio Clip of 1980 Television Campaign Commercial
The audio clip is extracted from a television campaign commercial for Jimmy Carter's reelection bid in 1980:

Though he clearly observes our historic separation of church and state, Jimmy Carter is a deeply and clearly religious man. He takes the time to pray privately and with Rosalynn each day. Under the endless pressure of the presidency, where decisions change and directions change, and even the facts change, this man knows that one thing remains constant — his faith. President Carter.

(03:05) Awarded Nobel Peace Prize
Jimmy Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 "for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development." Read his lecture from the awards ceremony.

(04:05–04:49) Music Element
"Biscardi: In Time's Unfolding"
from Contemporary Eclectic Music for the Piano, Vol. 7,
performed by Jeffrey Jacob

(05:33) Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is the largest denomination of Baptists in the United States today, with approximately 15-20 million members. During the Reagan administration, the Southern Baptist Convention became more conservative, politically and doctrinally. After an annual meeting of Southern Baptists in 1999, Carter publicly disassociated himself with the Convention in 2000 and is working on creating a more progressive Baptist movement, which will convene a conference, A Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant, in 2008.

(06:14–07:51) Music Element
"Tell Your Ma, Tell Your Pa"
from Ghost Town,
performed by Bill Frisell

(06:35) Audio Clip from Bible Study
The audio is excerpted from Jimmy Carter's recently released audiobook, Sunday Mornings in Plains: Leading a Worthy Life.

(08:12) Four Words for "Love"
Ancient Greek had three terms to express different kinds of love: agape, eros, and filia. Krista discusses these terms more in depth with theologian Luke Timothy Johnson in "Marriage, Family, and Divorce":

Agape is a Greek word that connotes a practical, self-sacrificing type of love. Often found in the New Testament of the Bible, early Christians refer to agapic love as a special love for God and God's love for man.

Eros is a Greek word that refers to a physical, sexual, or romantic type of love.

Filia is a Latin word derived from the Greek phileo. Filia refers to friendship, the platonic love between family and friends.

A fourth term appears in modern Greek: storge, connoting familial love. The Christian writer and philosopher C.S. Lewis wrote about the nature of love in his well-known work, The Four Loves:

"Natural Gift-love is always directed to objects which the lover finds in some way intrinsically lovable — objects to which Affection or Eros or a shared point of view attracts him, or, failing that, to the grateful and the deserving, or perhaps to those whose helplessness is of a winning and appealing kind. But Divine Gift-love in the man enables him to love what is not naturally lovable; lepers, criminals, enemies, morons, the sulky, the superior, and the sneering."

(10:42) "Having a Revival"
Revivals are Christians worship services that use ecstatic sermons and rich music meant to inspire and lead to the conversion or reaffirmation of individuals' commitments to the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Evangelical and fundamentalist groups — including Baptists, Methodists, and Pentecostals — are most commonly associated with holding revivals because it emphasizes a Christian's personal relationship with God that appeals to the heart of the believer.

Revivals have come in waves during the last two centuries, beginning with the Great Awakening of the early 18th century. Preachers like Dwight Moody and Billy Sunday held "urban revivals" in the early 20th century and Billy Graham continues the tradition with mass revivals held in large stadiums today.

(12:00–13:27) Music Element
"Midnight on the Water/Bonaparte's Retreat"
from Midnight on the Water,
performed by Mark O'Connor

(12:38) Roe v. Wade
In 1973, the Supreme Court guaranteed American women the right to choose abortion in its decision Roe v. Wade. The Roe Court deemed abortion a fundamental right under the United States Constitution, striking down the 1859 Texas law that had prohibited abortions except to save a woman's life. In the second year of President Carter's administration, Congress broadened the mandate of Title X to provide preventive services to unmarried teenagers at risk of pregnancy as well as community-based sex education programs.

(15:25) Initiated Special Programs for Women and Infant Children (WIC)
In 1972, Congress created the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) as a two-year pilot connecting at-risk mothers and children to food and nutritional information. The WIC program is designed to promote the health of low-income women, infants, and young children by providing healthful foods and referrals to health care. Nutrition education is a key component of the program; the focus of the education is to positively influence nutrition and health habits. Promotion of breastfeeding became a mandatory element of WIC in 1989. Approximately one in every five pregnant women in the United States is enrolled in the program.

The Carter administration expanded the WIC program; in 1978, President Carter signed the Child Nutrition amendment into law, citing that the program improved "the health of low-income pregnant and nursing women and young children" and reduced the number of underweight infants at birth, which "dramatically reduced infant mortality rates."

(17:51) Book by Reinhold Niebuhr
Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971) was an American theologian who argued that Christianity is obligated to confront ethical, social, and moral problems. A political activist, he wrote prolifically and penned well-known works such as Moral Man and Immoral Society (1932), Christianity and Power Politics (1940), Faith and History (1949), and many others. In Living Faith, Carter cites a passage from Niebuhr when talking about justice:

At its highest, government aspires to embody and defend values that are shared with religion. The great twentieth-century theologian Reinhold Niebuhr said, "To establish justice in a sinful world is the whole sad duty of the political order. Ther has never been justice without law; and all laws are the stabilization of certain social equilibria, brought about by pressures and counter-pressures in society, and expressed in the structures of government." Niebuhr's point is that the highest possible goal of a government or a society is justice: to treat people fairly, to guarantee their individual rights, to guard against discrimination, to try to resolve arguments peacefully. That's beautiful, isn't it? That's what a government should do.

For an in-depth exploration of Niebuhr, we recommend you explore the Speaking of Faith companion site for "Moral Man and Immoral Society: The Public Theology of Reinhold Niebuhr." Listen to the radio broadcast and Krista's complete interviews with all our guests, and view copies of his correspondence with friends and politicians.

(20:17–21:34) Music Element
"Cinquante Six"
from The Source,
performed by Ali Farka Toure

(20:46) Guinea Worm Disease
Guinea worm disease is a parasitic disease that has no cure. The disease is contracted when people come into contact with "water fleas" living in stagnant, contaminated water. Although the disease is not fatal, it is extremely painful and debilitating. The Carter Center is currently carrying out an extended campaign to eradicate the disease, which is predominantly located in Africa with the largest number of cases in Sudan.

(21:27) The Carter Center's Principles for Peacemakers
In dealing with isolated governments and leaders in the peacemaking process, The Carter Center has developed a list of twelve governing principles for peacemakers:

1. Strive to have the international community and all sides in any conflict agree to the basic premise that military force should be used only as a last resort.
2. Do not interfere with other ongoing negotiation efforts, but offer intercession as an independent mediator when an unofficial presence is the only viable option.
3. Study the history and causes of the dispute thoroughly. Take advantage of any earlier personal involvement with key leaders and citizens of a troubled nation as a basis for building confidence and trust.
4. Seek help from other mediators, especially those who know the region and are known and respected there. (In Africa, for instance, we join forces with distinguished leaders from that continent.)
5. Be prepared to go back and forth between adversaries who cannot or will not confront each other.
6. Explore all possible beneficial influences on those who have created the problem. Use the news media to bring pressure on recalcitrant parties.
7. Be willing to deal with the key people in any dispute, even if they have been isolated or condemned by other parties or organizations.
8. With sensitive international issues, obtain approval from the White House before sending any Americans to take part in negotiations.
9. Insist that human rights be protected, that international law be honored, and that the parties be prepared to uphold mutual commitments.
10. Be willing to listen to detailed explanations and demands from both sides, even when they seem unreasonable or unrealistic.
11. Ensure that each concession is equaled or exceeded by benefits. Both sides must be able to feel that they have gained a victory.
12. Tell the truth, even when it may not contribute to a quick agreement. Only by total honesty can a mediator earn the trust and confidence of both sides.
13. Be prepared for criticism, no matter what the final result may be.
14. Be willing to risk the embarrassment of failure.
15. Never despair, even when the situation seems hopeless.

(22:34) Speech at West Point
Carter cites a speech that President George W. Bush gave at the commencement ceremonies for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on June 1, 2002:

For much of the last century, America's defense relied on the Cold War doctrines of deterrence and containment. In some cases, those strategies still apply. But new threats also require new thinking. Deterrence — the promise of massive retaliation against nations — means nothing against shadowy terrorist networks with no nation or citizens to defend. Containment is not possible when unbalanced dictators with weapons of mass destruction can deliver those weapons on missiles or secretly provide them to terrorist allies.

We cannot defend America and our friends by hoping for the best. We cannot put our faith in the word of tyrants, who solemnly sign non-proliferation treaties, and then systemically break them. If we wait for threats to fully materialize, we will have waited too long.

Homeland defense and missile defense are part of stronger security, and they're essential priorities for America. Yet the war on terror will not be won on the defensive. We must take the battle to the enemy, disrupt his plans, and confront the worst threats before they emerge. In the world we have entered, the only path to safety is the path of action. And this nation will act.

Our security will require the best intelligence, to reveal threats hidden in caves and growing in laboratories. Our security will require modernizing domestic agencies such as the FBI, so they're prepared to act, and act quickly, against danger. Our security will require transforming the military you will lead — a military that must be ready to strike at a moment's notice in any dark corner of the world. And our security will require all Americans to be forward-looking and resolute, to be ready for preemptive action when necessary to defend our liberty and to defend our lives.

(23:53) Editorial in The New York Times
Carter's article, titled "Just War — or a Just War?", was published in the March 9, 2003 op-ed section of The New York Times.

(25:50) Studied the Qur'an
Rather than beginning at the chronological start of the story (i.e., "in the beginning"), the chapters (surahs) of the Qur'an explore various themes — from the most allusive descriptions of the divine to the most mundane legalistic proscriptions for community life.

The Qur'an is perhaps best understood as a conversation between Allah and a community of believers rather than as a story with distinct plot points. In this conversation, God often refers to the prophetic traditions that the people of the northwest part of the Arabian peninsula (the former kingdom of Hejaz that is home to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina) were familiar with: stories of Adam, Moses, Abraham, Jesus, and many others.

The original surahs of the Qur'an were memorized by companions of the Prophet Muhammad as they were revealed, and later written on whatever materials were on hand, including parchment, leather, and bone. Surahs were not revealed whole. Rather, successive revelations could deal with entirely different themes in different surahs. The correct ordering of each surah's verses was overseen by Muhammad. Following the death of Muhammad, the surahs were compiled in order of length — from longest surah to shortest surah — as per Arab custom at the time of its compilation.

While it can be appreciated solely as a text, many Muslims say the power of Qura'nic verse unfolds when it is recited aloud in its original Arabic. For those listening intently, they believe, the aural and poetic qualities of the verses supersede the necessity for a single linear narrative. Qur'anic verse can be quite complex and allusive, and, therefore, a tradition of exegesis known as tafsir has arisen over the centuries in which different commentators have sought to illumine the possible interpretations of these difficult verses.

For an in-depth exploration of the heart of Islam and Sufism, visit the Web site for "The Spirit of Islam." It features the observations of Islamic and Sufi scholar Omid Safi, the poetry of Rumi, and Qur'anic recitations by Seemi Bushra Ghazi.

(26:50–29:52) Music Element
"String Quartet No. 3 Op. 22: III Ruhige Viertel. Stets Fliebend"
from Weill, Schulhoff, Hindemith: String Quartets,
performed by the Brandis Quartet

(30:15–31:05) Music Element
"Nothing Really Blue"
from Concert Program (live),
performed by The Penguin Cafe Orchestra

(30:45) Carter's Definition of Fundamentalism
For a definition of fundamentalism from a former Islamic extremist's perspective, listen to law professor Khaled Abou El Fadl in "The Power of Fundamentalism."

(38:24) Audio Clip about Eloy Cruz
The audio is excerpted from Jimmy Carter's recently released audiobook, Sunday Mornings in Plains: Leading a Worthy Life.

(40:01–40:42) Music Element
"Seleccion de Kaluyos Recuerdos Muertos"
from Alfredo Coca y su Charango,
performed by Alfredo Coca

(40:58) Samaritans Were Outcasts
The three stories about Samaritans and Jesus appear in the books of Luke and John. One of the most-recognized stories among Christians is Jesus' parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10: 25-37):

Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?" He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." And he said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live." But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, "Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.' Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

The first biblical story Carter cites appears in the New Testament gospel of Luke (chapter 17, verses 11-19 from the New Revised Standard Version):

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well."

The story of the Samaritan woman at the well comes from the fourth chapter of the New Testament gospel of John:

Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard, "Jesus is making and baptizing more disciples than John" although it was not Jesus himself but his disciples who baptized he left Judea and started back to Galilee.

But he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon. A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, "Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." The woman said to him, "Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?" Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life." The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water." Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come back." The woman answered him, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, "I have no husband'; for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!" The woman said to him, "Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem." Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us." Jesus said to her, "I am he, the one who is speaking to you."

Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, "What do you want?" or, "Why are you speaking with her?" Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, "Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?" They left the city and were on their way to him. Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, "Rabbi, eat something." But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." So the disciples said to one another, "Surely no one has brought him something to eat?" Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. Do you not say, "Four months more, then comes the harvest'? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, "One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor." Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I have ever done." So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world."

(43:08) Marriage and "Repetitive Forgiveness"
In Living Faith, Carter illustrates the concept of "repetitive forgiveness" that, he says, is necessary for a healthy relationship:

Even among people who are closest, there is a need for repetitive forgiveness. Rosalynn and I are both strong willed and frequently have disagreements, some of them lasting for several days. It is difficult for either of us to admit being at fault. Recently, after a particularly disturbing argument, I decided that we should never let another day end with us angry with each other. I went to my wood shop and cut out a thin sheet of walnut, a little smaller than a bank check. I then carved on it:

Each evening, forever, this is good for an apology—or forgiveness—as you desire. Jimmy.

So far, I have been able to honor it each time Rosalynn has presented it to me. And she has!

(46:20–47:21) Music Element
"Midnight on the Water/Bonaparte's Retreat"
from Midnight on the Water,
performed by Mark O'Connor

(50:05–52:39) Music Element
"Butterfly's Day Out"
from Appalachia Waltz,
performed by Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, and Mark O'Connor