Our Endangered Values

America's Moral Crisis

By: Jimmy Carter

Narrated by: Jimmy Carter

President Carter has written importantly about his spiritual life and faith. In Living Faith, a huge best seller, he recounted the values and experiences that shaped his personal and political life. In his companion book Sources of Strength, also a best seller, he meditated on fifty-two of the favorite Bible lessons he has taught.

In Our Endangered Values, Carter offers a personal consideration of "moral values" as they relate to the important issues of the day. He puts forward a passionate defense of separation of church and state, and a strong warning of where the country is heading as the lines between politics and rigid religious fundamentalism are blurred.

Now, he describes his own involvement and reactions to some disturbing societal trends that have taken place during the last few years. These changes involve both the religious and the political worlds as they have increasingly become intertwined, and include some of the most crucial and controversial issues of the day, frequently encapsulated under "moral values".

Many of these matters are under fierce debate. They include preemptive war, women's rights, terrorism, civil liberties, homosexuality, abortion, the death penalty, science and religion, environmental degradation, nuclear arsenals, America's global image, fundamentalism, and the melding of religion and politics.

Sustained by his lifelong faith, Jimmy Carter assesses these issues in a forceful and unequivocal but balanced and courageous way. Our Endangered Values is a book that his millions of readers have eagerly awaited.

©2005 Jimmy Carter (P)2005 Simon & Schuster Inc. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

• Grammy Award Winner, Best Spoken Word Album, 2006

"Carter speaks eloquently of how his own faith has shaped his moral vision and of how he has struggled to reconcile his own values with the Southern Baptist church's transformation under increasingly conservative leadership. He also makes resonant connections between religion and political activism." (Publishers Weekly)

Very interesting

I found this book very interesting and with a humanistic viewpoint as you would expect from Jimmy Carter. He is definitely not in favor of current political policy and gives some background why he believes as he does. While it is a biased book, I found it worthwhile as another perspective on our current domestic and international situation. And, President Carter's reading of the book was warm and genuine.

This Should be Required Reading

In this book, Jimmy Carter does an amazing job of emphasizing the separation of church and state while still being able to hold to his Christian values. He tackles abortion, war, homosexuality, and how Christian fundamentalism (not Christianity) has lead to a corrupt, hypocritical, and warmongering government.

Thoughtful, insightful.

Truly informative. An inspirational call to action for all who care about American values.

Best Ex-President Ever!

President Carter once again shows the intelligence and articulateness that earned him the Presidency. He puts forth a solid argument against the fundamentalism that is running rampant through the far right in America today. He uses scripture to completely debunk the idea that any Christian should support "Preemptive attacks".

It is good to read a solid argument from someone with real credentials in politics and religion.

eye opener

great summary of the misguided actions our country has taken over the past couple decades. Pres. Carter is a great person compassionate of others.

Real insight on fanatical fundamentalism

President Carter has written a real and insightful explanation of radical fundamentalism's impact on today's politics. The dangers of extreme right-wing thinking and political power cannot be ignored and need to be exposed. They were ignored 75 years ago in Germany, and the result was horrendous.

Those same tendencies exist today, in the USA, and they must not be allowed to reign free without check. This book is a wakeup call for all who have actually read and understood history that NOW is the time to act to forestall the inevitability of history's repeating itself.

Timeless Wisdom

President Carter offers a thought provoking look at American society and how it has been shaped by government policies. By presenting accounts of his personal life and the choices he made along the way it gives the reader a greater understanding of how having a moral compass is able to guide us to have compassion and respect for others and ourselves. At a time in history when it seems like we have lost our way and personal attacks on an individual's character have become the norms it's a breathe of fresh air to take a step back and say we can be our better angels. President Carter encourages us in this book to do just that.

A wealth of information

I enjoyed every word of knowledge and openness shared by President Carter. Would love to see a continuation of his story up to today. It was amazing.

Insightful & Balanced

Loved this book. It really was just as true in 2025 as when it was written. It shows how things are now and why.

Outstanding!

President Carter addresses many issues our country is currently tackling. He is particularly critical of our current administration's desire to incorporate "their" religion into "our" government. He addresses the dangers of the path we are taking and how this path conflicts with our constitution and with the very religion professed by the administration. He covers many other issues including preemptive war, science and religion, environmental degradation, homosexuality, abortion, civil liberties, women's rights, along with many others.
His conclusion and the conclusion of many people throughout time is that fundamentalism is one of the most dangerous problems facing the world. The inability to be OK with someone else's point of view or someone else's way of life is simply a danger to the planet. Our country, like Europe during the dark ages, like modern-day Afghanistan, is being steered down a path desired by the fundamentalist. Saddam Hussein was smart enough to not get involved with fundamentalist Muslims. Our president believes that fundamentalism is the path our country should take and, as Carter points out, our president is using patriotism as a means to get the ignorant to not ask questions and to not think for themselves. As of today America is now more conservative than the nation of South Africa.

If you are interested in what a Nobel peace prize winning thinker has to say about the direction our country has taken, then this is an excellent read. If thinking is not your forte, then buy the book so that you can write a review of drivel. You can actually contact the White House or Fox News and find out what your talking points should be regarding this book. That way you and the rest of the storm troopers will all be in lockstep.

The recording quality itself is excellent.