Abraham Lincoln: Was He a Christian?

The question of whether Abraham Lincoln embraced Christianity has roiled scholars and admirers for decades. This volume brings together more than a hundred contemporary witnesses, newspaper reports, and excerpts from the countless biographies that have chronicled the Great Emancipator’s life. By weaving together these disparate sources, the author creates a single, accessible narrative that lets listeners hear the arguments on both sides of the debate. The opening sections lay out the historical tug‑of‑war, showing how friends of Lincoln denied his piety while later writers repeatedly revived the claim.

In the first act the author defines what it meant to be a Christian in the nineteenth‑century United States—belief in God and an immortal soul—and measures Lincoln’s own statements against that yardstick. Drawing on personal recollections that are now disappearing, the book presents a careful case that Lincoln’s public language, though often moral, does not amount to orthodox faith. Listeners are invited to weigh the evidence themselves and consider how the controversy reshapes our view of a leader whose legacy continues to inspire.