Jimmy Carter RIP with Randall Balmer, Dave Peters and Betsey Newenhuyse

Ken's Blog

Musings, reflections, and observations from the Beached White Male

Ken's Blog

Musings, reflections and observations from the Beached White Male

Remembering President Jimmy Carter

With Randall Balmer, Ph.D., and Betsey Newenhuyse

Randall Balmer, Ph.D., is a prominent historian of American religion, culture, and politics. A professor at Dartmouth College, he has authored numerous influential works, including Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture in America, adapted into an award-winning PBS documentary. Balmer’s research focuses on evangelicalism, the intersection of faith and politics, and the role of religion in shaping American society. A frequent commentator on religious issues, he is known for his accessible writing and public engagement. Balmer holds a Ph.D. from Princeton University and is a passionate advocate for understanding religion’s nuanced role in public life.

From ChatGPT

David Peters, Ph.D., is a retired Political Science professor from Biola University, where he taught for 46 years, specializing in American government and constitutional law. A registered Democrat, Dr. Peters also served as a City Council Member and six-time Mayor of La Mirada, California, where he championed community development and civic engagement. Among his notable students is John Thune, who went on to become a United States Senator and, this year, succeeded Mitch McConnell as Senate Majority Leader. Dr. Peters’ legacy blends academic excellence with impactful public service, inspiring future leaders and fostering a commitment to ethical governance.

Dave Peters met and spoke to Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter in Plaines at a Habitat for Humanity gathering in Plains, Georgia.

This illuminating biography of our thirty-ninth president by an acclaimed historian of American religion presents Jimmy Carter as the last great standard-bearer of progressive evangelical politics. Evangelical Christianity and conservative politics are commonly viewed today as inseparable. But when Carter, a Democrat and unabashed born-again Christian, won the presidency in 1976, he owed his victory in part to American evangelicals. Yet four years later, those very same voters abandoned Carter for Ronald Reagan and the Republican Party, signaling the eclipse of Christian progressivism by the Religious Right.

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