Includes index

America's common beliefs--and strong differences -- My traditional Christian faith -- The rise of religious fundamentalism -- Growing conflicts among religious people -- No conflict between science and religion -- The entwining of church and state -- Sins of divorce and homosexuality -- Would Jesus approve abortions and the death penalty? -- Must women be subservient? -- Fundamentalism in government -- The distortion of American foreign policy -- Attacking terrorism, not human rights? -- Protecting our arsenals, but promoting proliferation -- Worshiping the Prince of Peace, or preemptive war? -- Where are the major threats to the environment? -- The world's greatest challenge in the new millennium -- What is a superpower?

President Carter has written importantly about his spiritual life and faith. In this book, he 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. He reacts to some trends involving both the religious and the political worlds as they have increasingly become intertwined, and including some of the most crucial and controversial issues of the day--frequently encapsulated under "moral values." 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 faith, Carter assesses these issues in a forceful and unequivocal but balanced and courageous way.--From publisher description