Jimmy Carter was the first US president to become a born-again Christian
His funeral was just held at Washington National Cathedral
© Getty Images
LIFESTYLE Religion
Former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral was held this January 9 at Washington National Cathedral, a fitting place for the first US president to ever become a born-again Christian.
Carter was raised as a Southern Baptist and became a Sunday school teacher and a deacon. However, when he lost the primary in the race for his state’s governorship in 1966, he also lost his faith. He later described this as his first failure and said of the experience, “I thought I was doing what God wanted me to do, and it seemed like I had been betrayed.”
Seeing that he was struggling, his sister Ruth Carter Stapleton, who organized retreats for Catholic priests, asked him to join her in rural North Carolina—and it is here that he was “born again.” A few months later, Carter attended a Baptist camp in Georgia, where he agreed to become a missionary. He then went on to play a pivotal role in instituting racially integrated services in Sumter County, Georgia, and maintained his faith until he died on December 29, 2024.
Jimmy Carter may have been the first president to become a born-again Christian, but he most certainly isn't the first celebrity. Check out this list of stars who found their faith later in life.
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
