Abe Lincoln Wasn’t the Kind of Christian You Think He Was
Joshua Zeitz, author of Lincoln’s God, walks us through Lincoln’s unique take on spirituality and what people get wrong about the former president.
Photo Illustration by Erin O'Flynn/The Daily Beast/Getty Images
President Abraham Lincoln had a unique relationship with religion.
According to historian Joshua Zeitz, author of Lincoln’s God: How Faith Transformed a President and a Nation, Lincoln was the first president to court religious voters, which is ironic, because up until his son died, he wasn’t very religious at all.
“Lincoln gets to the White House, and he is almost certainly a lifelong non-believer. He had been dogged early in his political career by charges that he was a religious scoffer. He had at one point penned some sort of infidel tract to denying the divinity of Christ, which would’ve been a big no-no in 1840-something,” Zeitz shares on the latest episode of The New Abnormal politics podcast.
Subscribe to The New Abnormal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or Overcast.
Zeitz joins The New Abnormal to talk through some of the findings about Abe in his book, including the kind of spirituality the president practiced. And although he connects to religion eventually, it wasn’t the same kind of Christianity that other political figures prescribed to.
In other words, Abe had questions, especially when people evoked God, and what they thought he wanted, during the war.
“He thinks there’s just no way you can know, his God is unknowable and distant,” Zeitz tells TNA co-host, Danielle Moodie.
He also tells Danielle about the connection that Lincoln’s religion had to his decision to emancipate the enslaved and what people get wrong about him.
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Listen to this full episode of The New Abnormal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon and Stitcher.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Unlock a year of full access to The Looker and The Daily Beast for $35.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Looker and The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Sign in
Login dialog