George Pitcher: Barack Obama's faith, like Lincoln's, is uncertain
[George Pitcher is Religion Editor of The Daily Telegraph.]
We can hardly miss the Abraham Lincoln motif that runs through the inauguration of Barack Obama as 44th President of the United States next Tuesday. He is restaging some of the train trip that Lincoln took to his swearing-in. He will take his oath of office with one hand on a Bible owned by his illustrious predecessor.
Obama will make the same journey down Pennsylvania Avenue. After the ceremony, his guests at lunch on Capitol Hill will enjoy seafood stew in puff pastry, in honour of Lincoln's love of fish, followed by a main course of game, marking Lincoln's upbringing in Indiana.
Even the pudding recalls Lincoln's fondness for fruit. It will all be eaten off china that replicates the set chosen by Mary, Abraham's wife, for his first inauguration in 1861. Obama will then ride in a Lincoln-green Lincoln limousine on to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, where actor Andrew Lincoln (Love Actually) will read the Gettysburg Address.
That last sentence is untrue, of course, but it's all too easy to get carried away with the whole Lincoln-ness of the day. OK, Barack, we get it: you're a big fan. But why?
Most of what Obama wants to invoke from arguably America's greatest leader are a range of touchstone political issues; freedom for the oppressed, unity for a divided nation, even Lincoln's spend, spend, spend approach to public infrastructure as a solution to economic crisis.
But there is also a fascinating religious sub-text here. Obama is unequivocal about his Christian revelation, a faith that is far more complex than his notorious association with Pastor Jeremiah Wright implies. In apparent contrast, Lincoln's faith – or lack of it – was a matter of debate, both during his lifetime and since his assassination in 1865...
Read entire article at Telegraph (UK)
We can hardly miss the Abraham Lincoln motif that runs through the inauguration of Barack Obama as 44th President of the United States next Tuesday. He is restaging some of the train trip that Lincoln took to his swearing-in. He will take his oath of office with one hand on a Bible owned by his illustrious predecessor.
Obama will make the same journey down Pennsylvania Avenue. After the ceremony, his guests at lunch on Capitol Hill will enjoy seafood stew in puff pastry, in honour of Lincoln's love of fish, followed by a main course of game, marking Lincoln's upbringing in Indiana.
Even the pudding recalls Lincoln's fondness for fruit. It will all be eaten off china that replicates the set chosen by Mary, Abraham's wife, for his first inauguration in 1861. Obama will then ride in a Lincoln-green Lincoln limousine on to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, where actor Andrew Lincoln (Love Actually) will read the Gettysburg Address.
That last sentence is untrue, of course, but it's all too easy to get carried away with the whole Lincoln-ness of the day. OK, Barack, we get it: you're a big fan. But why?
Most of what Obama wants to invoke from arguably America's greatest leader are a range of touchstone political issues; freedom for the oppressed, unity for a divided nation, even Lincoln's spend, spend, spend approach to public infrastructure as a solution to economic crisis.
But there is also a fascinating religious sub-text here. Obama is unequivocal about his Christian revelation, a faith that is far more complex than his notorious association with Pastor Jeremiah Wright implies. In apparent contrast, Lincoln's faith – or lack of it – was a matter of debate, both during his lifetime and since his assassination in 1865...