“Living God” connotes a being, not a mere force. But would the reader naturally think that Lincoln’s words contemplated a personal God? Yes. If such a reader were asked, based on the speech itself, whether Lincoln believed in a personal, sovereign God, what response would one reasonably anticipate? On the surface, the first two paragraphs say nothing pertinent, but the third and fourth paragraphs have a “strikingly religious character.” Our reader presumably would notice the multiple matter-of-fact references to God-“God” (five times), “living God” (once), the “Almighty” (once), the “Lord” (once), “His” (three times), “He” (twice), “Him” (once)-all in the short space of 469 words in two paragraphs. An interesting thought experiment is to imagine someone who has just read the entire address for the first time. One can read the Second Inaugural in many different places and formats, but none more impressive than as carved on the north, inside wall of the Lincoln Memorial. among the small handful of semisacred texts by which Americans conceive their place in the world.” Our claim is that the address reveals Lincoln’s belief in a personal, sovereign God. The Second Inaugural is especially important because it is “a speech of culmination,” disclosing “Lincoln’s thinking, at the end of his life,” on several “key issues.” It is “the martyr-president’s last defining utterance on the nation’s ultimate defining experience. The starting point for our argument is the Second Inaugural Address, which some believe to be Lincoln’s greatest speech. But did Lincoln actually hold these beliefs? While other explanations are theoretically possible, the theory that best accommodates all the evidence is that Lincoln, by the end of his life, believed in a personal, sovereign God. We believe that much of this data strongly suggests Lincoln’s belief in a personal, sovereign God. The historical record contains considerable raw data pertaining to Lincoln’s religious beliefs: his words, both written and spoken, and his actions. The evaluative process is straightforward. This is especially true for us, who make this claim about a subject-Lincoln’s religious beliefs-that not only has obvious significance, given his pervasive public use of religious language, but also “has been a source of incessant debate almost from the moment of the assassination itself.” And anyone who proposes that any aspect of Lincoln’s life be accepted as fact is rightly subjected to a heavy burden of proof. They should strive not only for thoroughness and accuracy, but also for impartiality. Consequently, those embarking upon historical inquiry concerning Lincoln bear a great responsibility. Given Lincoln’s overriding cultural significance, it really matters what he believed. Truth is valuable for its own sake, but in Lincoln’s case, it has special importance. We presume that most readers of this Journal agree with Noll that it is important to seek the truth about Lincoln’s religious beliefs. at least as far as historical facts can be verified.” We contend that one more fact should be added to Noll’s list-the mature Lincoln believed in a personal, sovereign God. Although referring to “the vexing knot of Lincoln’s faith,” he also lists elements of Lincoln’s religious experiences and beliefs that have been “verified. While important ambiguities remain, such as whether Lincoln was a Christian in the sense of trusting Jesus as his Savior, some elements of Lincoln’s religious faith are beyond doubt. necessarily remain a puzzle.” We believe that such assertions are overstated. Adam Gopnik thinks that Lincoln’s faith is “the most vexed question in all the Lincoln literature.” Richard Carwardine writes that Lincoln’s “personal faith. It is commonplace to say that the religion of Abraham Lincoln will forever be a mystery.
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