In writing Robert E. Lee: The Christian, William J. Johnson sifted through hundreds of letters written to and from Lee as well as accounts written of him, seeking to find evidence of this Civil War general's faith. Having found ample evidence, the author concludes that Lee's correspondance "reveals him as a man who lived in the presence of God; who looked to God continually for guidance and strength; whose mind and heart were saturated with faith and trust in God." The nearly 300 pages of this book are dedicated to showing example after example of Lee's obvious love for and trust in his Creator.
This book is not a biography. Rather, it is a collection of hundreds of quotes taken from Lee's letters, mostly those written to his family, but also ones he wrote to his superiors, subordinates and friends. Lee's words outnumber the author's by a large margin, likely four to one or even higher. Johnson provides hundreds of examples of Lee's trust in God, his Christian character and his love for the Lord. He was a true spiritual giant, one of many to emerge from the Civil War (I think also of Abraham Lincoln, Stonewall Jackson, and others).
A little dry, but well worth reading for Civil War enthusiasts, this book proves that Robert E. Lee should be an inspiration for all believers.
Title: Robert E. Lee: The Christian
Author: William J. Johnson
Published: Unknown
Key Words:
- Robert E. Lee
- Robert E. Lee Christian
- Civil War
Comments (6) »
1. Dr. James Brooks
February 18, 2004
8:12 PM
My Dear Sir,
I read your review of the book, Lee the Christian with interest. It is truely a classic and a fine book about a great man. I wish to suggest however, that you may change your estimation of Abraham Lincoln if you read more about him. According to the written testimony of his wife, close friends, and nearest relatives, there is absolutely no evidence that the man even believed in heaven, much less in salvation thru Christ. His law partner, Herndon, who was an atheist, said that he believed Lincoln to be an agnostic. Mary Todd Lincoln said her husband could by no stretch of the imagination be called a Believer. Others testified to the same thing. May I recommend the book, “The Real Lincoln,” by Charles L. Minor to you? It contains a chapter of references to Lincoln and his stated religious beliefs, or better, the lack of them. It is available in paperback form from Crown Rights Publishing Company. They have a website.
Sincerely and best wishes,
Dr. James Brooks
2. Tim
February 18, 2004
10:11 PM
Thank you for your comment at www.challies.com.
I recently read and reviewed a book that had to do specifically with Lincoln’s faith. I find it hard to believe that the mountains of evidence this author collected could all be wrong. You can read my review here.
3. Charles Coffin
May 6, 2004
7:15 PM
Was Abraham Lincoln a Christian?
By Charles Coffin
The Christian character of President Lincoln is an American enigma. A lifelong non-churchgoer, Lincoln has been the subject of numerous speculations concerning his faith. He was more intensely spiritual than almost any other American President, yet the confusion about the genuineness of Lincoln’s Christianity arises from the ambiguities of his early life. Charles Carleton Coffin, a Civil War correspondent and author of eight American history novels, published his final novel on Lincoln in 1892. Coffin provides us with a definitive answer on Lincoln’s faith. An early spiritual crisis in 1841 marked a turning point in Lincoln’s life:
Much has been written concerning him, and doubtless much more will be written. My acquaintance with him began in his Springfield home following his nomination for the Presidency. It was such an acquaintance as a correspondent of a leading journal was privileged to have with public men. I saw him frequently during his Presidential term, met him socially on several occasions, and walked with him through the burning streets of Richmond. In preparing this work, I have visited the scenes of his early years. From playmates of his childhood, and from those who knew him in later years I have obtained this information which may be accepted as authentic.1
The marriage of Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd would be a notable event. There was much preparation in the hospitable mansion of Ninian Edwards. The guests assemble; the feast is prepared; all are waiting. The evening wanes. He does not come. The guests take their departure; the lights are extinguished; the wedding feast is not eaten. Mary Todd is in her chamber, overwhelmed with mortification. Joshua Speed searches for the delinquent groom, and finds him pale, haggard, and in the deepest melancholy.2 Heart-rending is the letter which he sent to his friend, Mr. Stuart:
“I am the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would not be a cheerful face on earth. Whether I shall ever be better I cannot tell; I awfully forbode I shall not. To remain as I am is impossible. I must die or be better.”3
Unmindful of what was going on around him, silent, pale, his mind tempest tossed, Mr. Lincoln was sinking into distressful melancholy. It was very kind of Joshua F. Speed, who had closed his business in Springfield, and who was going to Kentucky, to take Mr. Lincoln with him to his former home just out from Louisville.4 There was tenderness in the sympathetic welcome given him by the mother of Mr. Speed, a great-hearted Christian woman.
To men who think for themselves, no matter what may have been their previous religious belief, there not unfrequently comes a period of doubting. Such a period came to Abraham Lincoln. He had not forgotten his mother’s teachings. He could repeat much of the Bible, but he was not moved by emotional appeals. When his first love Ann Rutledge died, and his soul was wrung with grief, no one had talked to him of divine love and eternal goodness. So far as he could see, his own life had been a failure. Hopes had not been realized, desires not gratified. He had accomplished nothing.
He is out in the desert - hungry, thirsty, weary, depressed in spirit - no star to guide him. But as angels of God came to the carpenter’s Son of Nazareth, so came Joshua Speed and Lucy Gilman Speed to him.
He finds himself in a hospitable home. Flowers are blooming around it; balmy breezes sweep through the halls. He breathes an atmosphere of restful peace. A saintly woman sits by his side, opens the New Testament, and reads the words of One who Himself had been in the wilderness. She talks of God as a father, Jesus Christ as a Brother. New truths dawn upon him, and the Bible becomes a different book from what it has been in the past. Little does Lucy Gilman Speed know that God has crowned her with glory and honor, to be a ministering spirit in leading a bewildered wanderer out of the desert of despair and unbelief, that he may do great things for his fellow-men. Weeks go by, the gloom and anguish disappear. The period of doubt has gone, never to return. From that hour the Bible is to be his rule of life and duty.
His biographers - those who knew him later in life - have this to say of him: “The late but splendid maturity of Lincoln’s mind and character dates from this time; and although he grew in strength and knowledge to the end, from this year we observe a steadiness and sobriety of thought and purpose discernible in his life.”5
This estimate does not include the service rendered by Lucy Gilman Speed. When the great account is made up, and the angels of God come from the harvest fields to lay their sheaves at the feet of the Master, hers will be the changed life of Abraham Lincoln.
As this biography of Lincoln unfolds, there will be seen, as the years go by and the responsibilities of life roll upon him, a reverent recognition of Divine Providence, an increasing faith and childlike trust in God.6
1 Charles Carleton Coffin, Abraham Lincoln (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1893) Introduction.
2 W.H. Herndon, Lincoln, p. 215 (edition 1889).
3 Letter to J.T. Stuart, quoted in Herndon’s Lincoln, p.215.
4 Joshua Speed, Lecture on Abraham Lincoln, p.39.
5 Century Magazine, January, 1887.
6. Coffin, pp.110-114.
4. Cindie Light
May 6, 2004
7:24 PM
Above is a period piece by one of the most noted writers and personal friends of Mr. Lincoln in the 1800’s. If you have taken the time to read his works you will find him to be wonderfully honest about the way things just were both then and during the Civil War. On the other hand your source Mary Todd was an insane person. Stack her life and fruit up against her husbands any day, to me it really does prove like Jesus says ” A tree is known by it’s Fruit”. No doubt in my mind and heart that though Mr. Lincoln was a human who was a sinner and lived a life full of faults, that his life from cover to cover shows a maturing Christian life. I believe with all my heart that I will see him in heaven one day. I can see why scoffers would want to disprove him since his quotes on the Bible is very damaging to the idea that America is not a Christian nation. The truth is truth and the truth indeed will set you free!
5. Tim
May 6, 2004
9:20 PM
Great stuff, Charles. Thanks.
6. Tom Johnston
July 21, 2007
5:48 PM
As to Lincoln’s spirituality, I have to point out that there is absolutely no doubt among serious historians that Lincoln most certainly was not a Christian. He said so himself! Virtually all of his closest acquaintances and associates and even his own wife have testified that he was not a Christian. As a matter of fact, Lincoln wrote a paper lampooning Christianity as a young man in New Salem, Illinois, and he delighted in poking fun at Christianity, often to the horror of his young legal assistants.
With all the information available that makes it perfectly clear that Lincoln was not a Christian by any stretch of the imagination, I find it hard to believe that someone can claim that he was. You find it hard to believe that a single book can be wrong but as a 2nd generation Lincoln scholar myself, having a library of books about Lincoln consisting of several thousand volumes surrounding me as I write this (all of which I have read!) as well as his Collected Works as a reference, I can tell you categorically and without any hesitation that Lincoln was most certainly not a Christian. Christians have made a habit of claiming his as one of their own probably because he was such a good man and they find it difficult to conceive of such a good and moral man not being a Christian.
Perhaps a few quotes by Lincoln himself will help you understand the truth about the man:
“My earlier views on the unsoundness of the Christian scheme of salvation and the human origin of the scriptures have become clearer and stronger with advancing years and I see no reason for thinking I shall ever change them.”
“I am not a Christian.”
“The Bible is not my book nor Christianity my profession.”
“I am approached by religious men who are certain that they represent the Divine Will…I hope it will not be irreverent of me to say that if it be probable that God would reveal his will to others on a point so connected with my duty, it might be supposed that he would reveal it directly to me.”
“It will not do to investigate the subject of religion too closely as it is apt to lead to infidelity.”
“In great contests, each party claims to act in accordance with the will of God. Both may be, and one must be, wrong. God cannot be for and against the same thing at the same time.”
“We, on our side, are praying Him to give us victory because we believe we are right; but those on the other side pray Him, too, for victory, believing they are right.”
“Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God; and each invokes His aid against the other.”
“What is to be, will be, and no prayers of ours can arrest the decree.”
“I have never united myself to any church because I found difficulty in giving my assent without mental reservation, to the long, complicated statements of Christian doctrine which characterize the articles of belief and the usual confession of faith.”
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