|PIC1|Former president Jimmy Carter says the shared faith in Jesus Christ should be enough of a reason for Christians to unite.

Speaking at a regional gathering of the New Baptist Covenant on Sunday, Carter said disharmony among Christians was like "a cancer metastasising in the body of Christ" and that other divisive issues needed to be put aside if they stand in the way of unity.

“We're saved by the grace of God through our faith in Jesus Christ. That's a fundamental in which I believe. And I think for Christians that's basically adequate,” the he told the more than 800 Baptists gathered at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

"If you believe in that, no matter how you feel about homosexuality or the death penalty or church and state being separated ... we should put those things aside."

The April 25-26 regional gathering was one of a number that grew out of the initial Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant, held in Atlanta in January 2008, which brought together nearly 15,000 Baptists representing more than 30 Baptist organisations.

The covenant was launched out of concern that the prevailing image of Christians, particularly Baptists, today is one of divisiveness. Baptists in the US have debated and, in some cases, split over such issues as the role of women in ministry and marriage, abortion, civil rights for gays, and Scripture.

“They (Baptists overseas) see us (US Baptists) at each other's throats, as argumentative, as struggling for authority and power,” Carter said Saturday, according to The Charlotte Observer.

Hoping to overcome any racial, theological, philosophical, geographical or political division, over 30 organisations representing 20 million Baptists lent their support to the start of the New Baptist Covenant last January.

Since the landmark meeting, event organisers have been holding multiple regional meetings in order to offer greater opportunities for cooperation among Baptist ministries. Regional meetings have so far this year been held in Birmingham, Alabama, and Liberty, Montana. Other meetings this year are scheduled for Norman, Oklahoma, and Chicago.

The theme of the recent meeting at Wake Forest was “This is God’s Year to Act: Responding to a Society in Crisis”. The gathering featured writer Maya Angelou as a speaker and included worship services and workshops offering strategies for churches to respond to pressing social and spiritual needs in a time of economic crisis.

The steering committee for the event included a diverse group of individuals representing more than 40 churches and organisations from three states.