The two-hundredth anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth comes tomorrow. A few years back, I wrote a seven-part series on Lincoln’s second Inaugural Address, the links to which are listed below.
A lifelong religious skeptic who was nonetheless an ardent student of the Bible, Lincoln was led by the crucible of civil war felt compelled to return, again and again, to that book.
What emerged as he took the presidential oath of office for a second time was a unique political proclamation, the first very rough draft of his reconstruction plan, that took the form of a sermon, rooted in no fewer than four passages of Scripture.
It’s a fascinating bit of writing from one of our most intriguing presidents. Some day, I hope to write book on the themes mentioned in this series. Tell me what you think.