Lincoln's Sacred Effort: Defining Religion's Role in American Self-Government by Lucas E. Morel

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Although Lincoln's Sacred Effort discusses Lincoln's knowledge and use of the Bible in his statesmanship, my book is not about Lincoln's religion, per se. Rather, it is a book about Lincoln's view of the relationship between religion and politics in the American republic. Simply put, a study of Lincoln's political philosophy and rhetoric teaches us that religion can both help and hinder self-government. Part of Lincoln's genius was his appreciation of the virtues and vices of both religion and government. In addition, his political practice demonstrates his conviction that religion does not exist for the sake of government and therefore should be respected by government and not interfered with (as long as the peace of the community is not subverted). Lastly, Lincoln's Sacred Effort gives a close reading to several important speeches by Lincoln, especially the Second Inaugural Address, which not only teach the reader about the church/state question in the United States, but about the requirements for maintaining a self-governing regime. I do not think you will find a book about Lincoln's statesmanship that is more informed by Lincoln's own words than Lincoln's Sacred Effort. Do you want to learn about Abraham Lincoln's politics from a consideration of what he actually said or wrote? Do you think religion plays an important part in the lives of American citizens? Then how Lincoln defined “religion's role in American self-government” (the subtitle of the book) will help you see the connection between the religious sentiments of Americans and the political thinking and practice of one of the greatest statesmen the world will ever know. I am an assistant professor of politics at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia.