Andrew Greer’s new collection, More Than a President: Sundays with Jimmy Carter, reminds Americans that faith still matters in public life and that true leadership begins in the sanctuary, not the polling booth. The volume gathers a selection of Jimmy Carter’s Sunday school teachings and presents them as a corrective to our toxic politics, offering a portrait of a politician who believed faith should soften the rough edges of power.
Greer, who edited the book from Carter’s long run as a beloved Sunday school teacher in Plains, Georgia, curates 15 lessons that Carter taught at Maranatha Baptist Church and at First Baptist in Washington, D.C., with reflections that show a life shaped by Scripture rather than ambition. The book features voices who knew Carter well and places his pastoral ministry alongside his public service, forcing readers to reckon with a kind of humility our elites have forgotten.
Mainstream Christian outlets have taken notice, and CBN’s Efrem Graham recently sat down with Greer to discuss how Carter’s simple, steady gospel message can bridge bitter political divides and remind Americans of common moral ground. That interview highlights the uncommon image of a former president who spent decades teaching, listening, and serving from a small-town church pew — a striking contrast to the performative politics dominating Washington.
Jimmy Carter’s witness was not just local folklore; his late-life ministry and recordings drew national recognition, including a posthumous Grammy for his audiobook of Sunday lessons, an honor that underscores how faith-filled storytelling still resonates with millions. Carter’s passing on December 29, 2024 marked the end of a singular public life, but these collected lessons show that his spiritual testimony keeps speaking into our national conversation.
Conservatives should welcome this book not as an exercise in nostalgia for a Democrat we often politically opposed, but as a reminder that the right posture for public life is humility, repentance, and service. Too many on the modern left shout down faith and paint religion as backward; Greer’s collection exposes that faith is not a partisan prop but the grounding that can steady any leader.
There is real power in Americans from different parties listening to the same sermon, sitting in the same pew, and remembering that Scripture teaches mercy and truth together. If conservatives are serious about winning hearts and not just elections, we must reclaim the moral clarity Carter modeled: strong on principle, softer in posture, willing to serve without chasing headlines.
More Than a President arrives from Mercer University Press as a timely invitation to read, reflect, and reclaim a language of faith that transcends partisan fury — a call to build a politics of character, not chaos. For hardworking Americans tired of the daily rancor, these pages offer a course correction back to what made this country strong: faith, family, and the simple courage to do good without applause.
