Lincoln found his way to Christianity

Mr. Lorimer, in his letter of Feb. 10, seems to voice the confusion of some concerning Abraham Lincoln’s spirituality. While I do not claim to be an expert on the 16th president of the United States, I have over 20 volumes written about him in my personal library. When Lincoln arrived in Springfield he was turned off by some of the ministers in the state capital. “I do not read my Bible in the same way as these ministers do here in Springfield.”

It was during this period that he was heavily influenced by C.F. Volney’s book, “The Ruins.” But years later, because of the witness of the nurse who had taken care of his son, Willie, and a visit from Dr. Francis Vinton, the Rector of Trinity Church in New York, a profound change took place in his life. And a year and a half before his assassination, Lincoln stated, “When I left Springfield I asked the people to pray for me, I was not a Christian. When I buried my son, the severest trial of my life, I was not a Christian. But when I went to Gettysburg, and saw the graves of thousands of our soldiers, I then and there consecrated myself to Christ. Yes, I do love Jesus.”

Lincoln had written to the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., requesting to make a public profession of his faith on Easter Sunday. But on Good Friday he died. (Much was made of that theologically at the time.) President Lincoln experienced the struggles many of us go through when it comes to things of faith. And while it is true that he was not a Christian when he assumed the presidency, he did come to faith during it.

Rande Wayne Smith

Bartlett