Philip Ostergard has given us a close reading of Lincolns words, illuminating the connection between his public sentiments and the private stirrings of his heart. Avoiding the temptation to pigeonhole Lincolns faith, Ostergard allows the reader to follow Lincoln on his lifes journey seeking the Almighty.
Thomas F. Schwartz, PhD
Illinois State Historian
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
Philip Ostergard has compiled a most valuable study of Abraham Lincolns knowledge and use of the Bible in his thoughts and writings. Such overt actions surely confirm Lincolns belief in an all-powerful God who became his touchstone in his later life and presidency. This piece of Lincolniana will be an informative tool for all those who ponder Lincolns religion.
Wayne C. Temple, PhD
Chief Deputy Director
Illinois State Archives
Author, Abraham Lincoln: From Skeptic to Prophet
Philip Ostergard provides an illuminating and accessible story of Abraham Lincolns lifelong engagement with the Bible that came to fruition in his Second Inaugural Address. Speech by speech, letter by letter, the author guides us on Lincolns journey in the rough and tumble world of politics. The Inspired Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln includes helpful charts that allow the reader to see how the Bible, for Lincoln, was a major source of political wisdom.
Ronald C. White Jr.
Author, Lincolns Greatest Speech: The Second Inaugural and The Eloquent President
Fellow, Huntington Library
Professor emeritus of American religious history, San Francisco Theological Seminary
Lincoln is Americas Jacob, a God wrestler, wounded, clinging to a national birthright and birth-responsibility. Philip Ostergard shows how early reading in the Bible eventually supplied President Lincoln with roots to nurture him during the personal and public crisis of the Civil War.
Rick Kennedy, Chair
Department of History and Political Science
Point Loma Nazarene University
Visit Tyndale online at www.tyndale.com.
TYNDALE and Tyndales quill logo are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
The Inspired Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln: How Faith Shaped an American Presidentand Changed the Course of a Nation
Copyright 2008 by Philip L. Ostergard. All rights reserved.
Cover photo copyright by Corbis. All rights reserved.
Interior photo of Abraham Lincoln copyright by Eric Foltz/iStockphoto. All rights reserved.
Author photo copyright by Diana Bolinger and Casey Clevenger. All rights reserved.
Designed by Beth Sparkman
Edited by Kimberly Miller
Published in association with the literary agency of WordServe Literary Agency.
Permission to quote from The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln granted by Dr. Thomas Schwartz, Illinois state historian, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Springfield, Illinois.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version.
Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NKJV is a trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.
The Library of Congress has catalogued the original edition as follows:
Ostergard, Philip L.
The inspired wisdom of Abraham Lincoln : how faith shaped an American president and changed the course of a nation / Philip L. Ostergard.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4143-1342-9 (hardcover)
1. Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 Religion. 2. Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 Oratory.
3. Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 Literary art. 4. Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 Concordances.
5. Bible Quotations. 6. Christianity and politics United States History 19th century. I. Title.
E457.2.O85 2008
973.7092 dc222007038565
ISBN 978-1-4143-6667-8 (softcover)
Build: 2015-11-23 15:04:25
Dedicated to my grandchildren
Jensen, Parker, Bailey, Hudson, Cooper, and Peyton,
that they might place their faith in the Divine Being,
as did Abraham Lincoln,
and attain potential greatness
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I recall checking out a biography of Abraham Lincoln at the main library in Pasadena, California, as a boy of fourteen.
My serious study of Lincoln began once I had acquired and read the eight original volumes of The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. As I read, I made a card file of those quotations offering advice and wisdom for many situations in life.
My wife gave me a gift that helped make Lincoln a close-at-hand friend. Its a small statue, a maquette of the great sculpture by Borglum in Boston in which Lincoln is sitting on a park bench as though inviting those passing by to swap stories. As I sit at my desk writing letters and planning projects, that little work of art prods me to think, How would Lincoln say this?
I was also inspired by my visit to the Louis A. Warren Lincoln Library and Museum (now called The Lincoln Museum) in Fort Wayne, Indiana. While there, I was able to visit the home of Warren, a pioneer Lincoln researcher. By then retired, Warren was devoting his time to tending his garden of a thousand dahlias. As we strolled through the vast colorful expanse in full bloom, I was humbled to listen to the words of so respected a man. His love of Abraham Lincoln ignited mine.
Dr. Thomas Schwartz of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, Illinois, encouraged me in the research for this book and granted the necessary copyright permission for the numerous quotations from The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. Dr. Wayne Temple, chief deputy director of the Illinois State Archives, and Dr. Ronald Rietveld, professor of history at California State University, Fullerton, reviewed the manuscript and made a number of helpful suggestions. Dr. Ronald White, highly acclaimed Lincoln author and scholar at the Huntington Library in Pasadena, California, has been an invaluable mentor. My friend William Yee, history teacher at Alhambra High School in Alhambra, California, has been a point of focus in my mind as my study has been to help teachers of our youth. I also render my sincere thanks to a most helpful person, Kimberly Miller, my editor from Tyndale House Publishers.
While the study of Lincoln has been my lifelong avocation, my professional life has been spent in youth leadership. My greatest hope is that todays boys and girls will learn that Lincoln overcame extreme disadvantages to become a great figure in history because he built his life on biblical principles.
A CHRONOLOGY OF LINCOLNS LIFE
February 12, 1809 Abraham Lincoln born near Hodgenville, Kentucky
Spring 1811 Family moves to 230-acre farm on Knob Creek, six miles east of Hodgenville
1812 Brother Thomas born and dies in infancy
Fall 1817 Family moves to farm in Vincennes, Indiana
October 5, 1818 Nancy Hanks Lincoln, Abrahams mother, dies of milk sickness
December 2, 1819 Thomas Lincoln, Abrahams father, marries Sarah Bush Johnston
June 1823 Father joins Pigeon Creek Baptist Church
January 20, 1828 Abrahams older sister, Sarah, dies in childbirth
March 1830 Lincoln family moves to new home near Decatur, Illinois
1831 Abraham Lincoln settles in New Salem, Illinois