His hometown of Plains wasn’t just Carter’s childhood home — it was his spiritual center. Upon his return after his presidential defeat, Carter, a third-generation Baptist, maintained his lifetime habit — teaching Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church. He made a cross that stood for years above the altar in his wood shop. As an active member, he took his turn cutting the church’s grass. And he applied his love-your-neighbor ethic to his work at the Carter Center. “He is not some pie-in-the-sky Christian. He is a down-to-earth Christian who...

He and his wife founded the Carter Center after they left the White House. Former President Jimmy Carter earned a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 which, at the time, seemed to cap his decades of dedication to international humanitarian work after leaving the White House. Instead, he continued to work for years after -- a legacy that is drawing renewed attention in the wake of his death at age 100. After serving one term as president and losing his reelection bid to Ronald Reagan, Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Carter,...