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Join Brunswick Civil War Round Table, discuss Abraham Lincoln's religion

Wilmington StarNews

Perhaps before or following Sunday church services at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., the family frequently gathered around Abraham Lincoln who had deeply religious beliefs while he read aloud excerpts from the Bible.

During Abraham Lincoln’s lifetime, and ever since, there has been much speculation and often sharp disagreement about his religious beliefs among scholars and the public.

Join historian and author George C. Rable as he discusses this intriguing and rarely discussed subject at the Brunswick Civil War Round Table meeting. Rable's talk is “Believer, Skeptic, or Something Else? The Elusive Mr. Lincoln.” The in-person meeting will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 5 at the Hatch Auditorium on Caswell Beach. Registration and refreshments begin at 6:15 p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend. The visitor fee is $10, which can include a spouse, and could be applied toward the $25 annual membership dues.

In 1864, former slaves in Maryland presented Abraham Lincoln with a gift of a Bible, to which he replied, “it is the best gift God has given to man.”

Lincoln has been described as everything from a lifelong skeptic to an orthodox Christian. Rable will explore what we can learn about Lincoln’s religious faith and the limits of that knowledge by examining the evolution of his views on religion from his youth and culminating in his magnificent second inaugural address.

Rable is professor emeritus, and formerly the Charles G. Summersell Chair in Southern History for 18 years at the University of Alabama where he retired in 2016. He received his Ph.D. from Louisiana State University in 1978. His primary interests are Southern history and the American Civil War. He is a prolific award-winning author, including, and is the recipient of the Jefferson Davis Award, the Douglas Southall Freeman Award, and the Lincoln Prize.

Abraham Lincoln purchased a pew for $50 at First Presbyterian Church in Springfield, Illinois, for his family’s worship services while living in Illinois but never became a member of the church. It eventually became the site of Mary Todd Lincoln’s funeral in 1888.

Abraham Lincoln never became a member of New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., but frequently visited after he took office in March 4, 1861, until his death in April 16, 1865. The church is located three blocks from the White House, and is a popular visitor sightseeing location today.

Lincoln grew up in a highly religious Baptist family but was never baptized as a child or an adult. He never joined any church, and was a skeptic as a young man in his early 20s, sometimes ridiculing revivalists. He frequently referred to God and had a deep knowledge of the Bible, often quoting it. He attended Protestant church services with his wife and children, and after two of his children died he became more intensely concerned with religion.

Lincoln rented pews for his family at First Presbyterian Church in Springfield, IL, and attended New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., but never formally joined either one.

For more information on registering, the meeting or how to become a member, contact John Butler at Brunswickcwrt@gmail.com, 404-229-9425 or visit http://brunswickcivilwarroundtable.com/.

Want to go?

What: Brunswick Civil War Round Table

When: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 5

Where: Hatch Auditorium, Caswell Beach

Info: Brunswickcwrt@gmail.com or 404-229-9425.