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The
Faith of One Man
A Journey
Begins
The Lincoln family can be traced back to
New England and even Old England. This clan carried with it a rich Christian inheritance
with a strain of Quaker blood in it. And so the young boy Abraham Lincoln sat under the
devout teaching of his beloved mother, Nancy Hawks Lincoln, who could boast of two
brothers who were preachers of great reputation.
The Lincoln family was one of the
respectable members of Little Mount Baptist church. It was there that they earnestly spoke
prayers for the delivery of a young child, Abe's sister, Sarah.
There was no doubt that Abe's mother was
a believer, and she was widely characterized by her continual reading of the Holy
Scriptures that fell daily on young Abe's ears. Likewise, come Sunday morning, she never
failed to take Abe and Sarah to the Baptist church. Then on Sunday afternoon, she would
set Abe on her knee to pour into his soul the Word of God, and particularly the Ten
Commandments.
Tragically though, Nancy died when she
was only 34 leaving a sorrowful void in the entire family. Yet she was remembered by those
who knew her for her faithful service in the monotonous, endless everyday chores she
dedicated herself to; and her unrelenting persistence in reading Bible verses
over-and-over as the Word of God saturated her and her family's hearts and lives.
It was while on her deathbed that she
told the young Abraham, "Love your heavenly father, and Abe, keep the
commandments." These words had nothing less than a profound effect on the young mind
of the boy. He set himself from that point on a course in life that would alter forever
the course of our country. He determined he would remain faithful to the law of God.
It was from their family Bible that the
future President of the United States first learned to read. With the exception of
Pilgrim's Progress, which he too became familiar with, it was the only book in the quaint
cabin in which the youngster grew up. This habit of constantly devoting himself to the
reading of Scripture was a practice that dominated Abraham Lincoln's life until the day he
died. He was so familiar with this profound book that during his presidency he would amaze
his callers with his ability to recall passage-after-passage of Scripture from memory.
Yet his early education extended farther
than this. Abe's curiosities lead him continuously to the courthouse where he observed the
lawyers in action deciphering the laws of the land. Into town would come the political
speakers whose rantings and ravings he learned to mimic, along with the traveling
evangelists who "flung their arms and tore the air with their voices."
His father did not stay widowed forever,
as he married an old friend Sarah Bush Lincoln. This remarkable woman of God soon became
the splendid silent voice in Abe's life. She considered her step-son her "best
child" and encouraged him in studies. This woman cultivated a profound influence on
his developing mind and character more than any other person.
The feelings of love and devotion were
shared by Abraham who called her his "angel mother" for "she has been my
best friend in the world." She transmitted her faith in God to her favorite child in
the works that she performed far more than the words that she spoke.
The boy's dad, Thomas Lincoln, was
himself a very active and respected church attendee. After moving, the family became
members of Pigeon Creek Baptist Church in 1823. At that location Thomas served on the
committee of visitors to Gilead church and spent three years as a church trustee. This was
an era when the church enforced strict conduct upon church members. It was his job as a
committee member to look into acts of misconduct between husbands and wives, brothers and
sisters, and neighbor against neighbor.
This was an era when the church was a
community committed to each other and the statutes of God's righteousness. To confess, to
work hard, to be saving, and to be decent were the endeavors that were most often praised
by the preachers. Next to denying Christ, the worst sins among men were considered to be
drinking, gambling, fighting, and loafing. The women submitted to a code of ethics that
disdained gossiping, back-biting, and sloth and slack habits.
Condemnation of the sinner was not an
issue that was avoided, as it is so commonly today. Rather the nation's preachers would
boldly assert that sinners would certainly go to hell and damnation if they failed to
repent of their iniquities.
The congregation's houses were filled
with prayer from the morning, afternoon, till the evening as they covered themselves with
God's grace over meals and at bedtime. The Sabbath, Christmas and Easter were established
as days of thoughts, sober faces, resignation, contemplation, rest, and silence. The
preacher found his financial compensation in the gifts of corn, wheat, whiskey, pork,
linen, wool, and any number of produce items brought into the storehouse by the
congregation members.
This all seems like a sharp contrast to
modern Christianity where families seldom take the time to sit down and fellowship with
each other; much less pray over their meals. One has to search far-and-wide to find a
message that will emphasize accountability towards God. Few pastors insist that we behave
towards Him in a certain prescribed manner lest we incur the wrath of eternal damnation.
When was the last time your church
"checked up" on its members to insure that everything was continuing in a holy
and respectable manner? If it did, no doubt it would find itself loosing its congregation
to other bodies that are less strict and demanding.
We live in a more independent and
up-rooted society today where people believe they have the right to go where they want and
do what they please - with the privilege of following God as they see fit rather than
according to the dictates of the bible. Church attendees fill the pews with the
expectation of what they can receive from the pulpit to make them feel better, be healed
or experience some dramatic supernatural even to excite them. Too little attention is
given to what is expected of them.
Now don't get me wrong. The church that
the Lincolns attended did not lack in the extra-ordinary physical manifestations of God's
spirit. One morning it was recorded that a preacher yelled with sobs and hysterics until a
row of women had been laid to rest under an oak tree. The account is that they had
"moaned, shaken, danced up and down, worn themselves out with 'jerks' and
fainted."
This was a typical manifestation that
occurred in the Western United States during this period of time. Occurrences of the
supernatural were the fruit of the Second Great Awakening.
Today, there are many in the Charismatic
movement who treat the supernatural experiences that are occurring in there midst as
something unique to this age. They use this line of reasoning to give credence to the
"newness" of these dramatic events that are transpiring among them. This in turn
allows them to draw people to other "new" teachings that likewise have been
"reserved for this age." As a result, the influx of beliefs, such as inner
healing and techniques of visualization, that are foreign to historical Christianity have
been perpetuated under their guidance.
As much as the modern theologians would
like you to think they have something new to say, they really don't. There is nothing new
about the physical evidences of God's Holy Spirit. There really isn't anything
"new" as a matter of fact!
The sheep are being lead by many
individuals who wouldn't consider the occupation of ministry except that they receive
healthy incomes that have allowed them to fulfill their own American dream. One would have
to search under every rock in most any town to find a pastor who would assume his calling
for the payment of the sustenance from the simple offerings of the fruit of their
congregation's labors.
Oh, it is not that they are above
receiving gifts, for their lives are filled with the favors granted to them by the ones
who follow them. Many people will do a number of things for a pastor that they would never
consider affording to anyone else. Many of the pilots of the modern church seem to come to
expect these preferences awarded to them because of their "special calling that
demands so much human sacrifice."
I remember a vacation Vanessa and I
shared with some very dear friends. It was an event that all of us had looked forward to
with the greatest of anticipation after a long year of putting our noses to the
grindstone. If all goes well, vacation is a time of rest!
Well as it was, I continued to watch as
our companion, labored on his trailer. The mobile home seemed to have deteriorated from
the last time he used it. Daily, he went into town fighting the traffic to replace
something that was missing, or not working properly. Constantly the generator struggled
with a battery that took less of a charge each time it was refurbished. The last night was
spent with no electricity at all as we gathered together to the glow of a Coleman lantern
that had been brought inside to light it up ever so dimly.
Now if someone wants to have an
enjoyable vacation it would be recommended that one checks out everything before he
leaves, especially if your trailer has been loaned to a pastor. It seems as if our friend
had given his trailer to a youth minister to use at a summer camp. Items were misplaced. A
light was left on to completely drain the battery.
What is the general outlook of the
Christian leader in these circumstances? "All of this stuff is going to burn anyway.
Besides it belongs to God."
This disgusting behavior has no business
amongst the body of Christ, much less among those in authority! Thus my only reply to this
line of thinking is, "Though it is going to be destroyed, I would prefer the task was
taken on by God rather than the likes of someone who simply seeks to trash other people's
stuff."
This is hardly an isolated incident. Our
churches in America are filled with professional ministers who have taken on congregations
to further their own personal career goals. They seek out church growth strategies to
create a congregation that is the most formidable in town; winning the acclaim of their
peers. In the name of being "seeker-friendly" they speak words carefully
construed as not to offend anyone so they might remain in "good standing" in
their churches and with the community about them. In all of this, the current unpopular
message of accountability and repentance from eternal damnation has been lost in most
Christian circles.
It is of little wonder that we have a
nation filled with congregations that seek mostly to receive when its pastors do so little
to set the example of responsibility. Everyone is in a state of starvation as they
continue to seek to have their needs fulfilled by each other: the pastor while fleecing
his sheep, the parishioner through filling up a pew to soothe his conscience through the
outlay of tithes.
The religion of the Lincoln family today
is considered by most to be outdated, legalistic, and old-fashioned. We have found freedom
in this age: freedom to worship as we choose and to do what is right in our own eyes.
Yet is our newly fashioned world better?
Many of our children are involved in drugs and sex abuse as they attend our institutes of
learning. What exactly did those traditional values teach Abraham Lincoln? What was this
young man doing in school?
His friends were busy lighting fire to a
mud turtle; witnessing the reptiles' demise to their great delight. Upon their invitation
though, Abe refused to join them in their devious act. In fact, he was so enraged by their
behavior that he wrote a paper regarding cruelty to animals.
Even in his early years he had a
propensity for the underdog who had been trodden upon. A boy named Matthew Gentry had been
known for his weird disconnected babbling. Yet he found a true friend in Abraham Lincoln
as they broke into a long and intimate relationship. Even at this young age one can see
the integrity brought out of a solemn Christian education bearing its weight in Lincoln's
life.
All Grow'd Up
A Catholic priest Charles Chiniquy was
in need of legal council. He was referred to the "grow'd up" lawyer -- Abraham
Lincoln. The messenger of the referral described Abe as the most "honest" lawyer
in Illinois.
While practicing law in Springfield in
the 1830's, Lincoln clashed with the lawyer, George Forquer, who had been appointed by
President Jackson as the Register of the Land Office, at the price tag of a generous
$3,000 per year. With his colossal earnings George built himself an elegant house complete
with a lightning rod. The lightning rod, the only one of its kind, became the talk of a
town in which nobody could afford such an extravagance. People came from miles around to
witness the sight.
George once accused Lincoln, who had
just delivered a speech, of being too high and mighty so as he would have to be
"taken down." In response Abe stepped to the platform and spoke, "I desire
to live, and I desire place and distinction; but I would rather die now than like the
gentleman, live to see the day that I would change my politics for an office worth three
thousand dollars a year, and then feel compelled to erect a lightning rod to protect a
guilty conscience from an offended God."
Now this might sound like no more than
political rhetoric. However, these words of personal integrity proved to be the central
guiding light of this prominent American's entire political being as the testimony of God
was allowed into every corner of his life.
The stature of righteousness became
characteristic in Lincoln, who had given so much effort into obeying the last wish of
dyeing mother. But his efforts to keep the law of God eventually welt up in his spirit
with frustration and self-condemnation that contributed to his life-long struggle with
depression. It was for this reason that as a young boy, realizing his own inadequacy, Lincoln
had scribbled in his arithmetic book, "Abe Lincoln, his hand and pen, he will be
good, but God knows when."
Now as he grew older, his frustration
turned to cynicism, noting the hypocrisy of the Christian community around him.
"Christians are long on creed and short on conduct," he insisted. Though he
wrote against the authority if the Bible, he became increasingly aware that a lifelong
effort at self-improvement would not lead him to Christ either.
The Christian influence upon Lincoln
extended beyond his family and his church, as God continued to reach the man with His
extended arm. During the years of political upheaval over the issue of slavery there was a
Presbyterian abolitionist minister who attempted to set up a printing press in Alton in
order to express his sentiments. After repeated attempts at destroying his presses on November
7, 1837, a mob burned down an entire warehouse where a replacement sat. Elijah Lovejoy
attempted to prevent the endeavors of the throng only to be shot by a bullet. His brother,
the Congregational minister Owen Lovejoy vowed "never to forsake the cause that had
been sprinkled with my brother's blood."
It was years later that he and Lincoln
found themselves clinging tightly to each other as they fought the common cause to abolish
slavery. Lincoln trusted the minister with even his deepest thoughts: words spoken in
confidence that could have hurt him politically if revealed. Owen was without a doubt the
true sanguine refuge of the mind of Lincoln; the two of them establishing an unfailing
bond of trust. Of this man of God Abe reflected, "To the day of his death, it would
scarcely wrong any other to say, he was my most generous friend."
Christ and
Freedom
So, biblical Christianity would play a
central role in how Lincoln dealt with slavery. In spite of this fact, the critics of
Christianity love to expound on the notion that the Bible fails to condemn the practice of
slavery. Yet, it was on account of the actions of the Church during the Second Great
Awakening that the concept of universal abolition began to take shape. Indeed, it was very
early in Church history that Christians began to realize the evil of this institution.
Back in the fifth Century, Saint
Augustine wrote that the Bible never intended to allow man dominion over man. In Genesis,
God only granted man dominion over the irrational creation: the fish of the sea and the
birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all creatures that move
along the ground. (Gen 1:26b niv) There is no mention that man is to establish a dominion
over his own kind.
Augustine, therefore, recognized that
the institution of slavery is a result of sin: "The Latin word for 'slave' is servus
and it is said that this word is derived from the fact that those who, by right of
conquest, could have been killed were sometimes kept and guarded, servabantur, by their
captors and so became slaves and were called servi. Now, such a condition of servitude
could only have risen out of sin, since whenever a just war is waged the opposing side
must be in the wrong, and every victory, even when won by wicked men, is a divine judgment
to humble the conquered and to reform or punish their sin. To this truth Daniel, the great
man of God, bore witness. When he was languishing in the Babylonian captivity he confessed
to God his sins and those of his people and avowed, with pious repentance, that these sins
were the cause of the captivity. (Dan 9:5) It is clear, then, that sin is the primary
cause of servitude, in the sense of a social status in which one man is compelled to be
subjected to another man. Nor does this befall a man, save by the decree of God, who is
never unjust and who knows how to impose appropriate punishments on different
sinners."
So, God's intent in the Garden of Eden
was such that no one would ever have any dominion over another. However, notice that the
ruler-ship of one person over another emerged from the original sin. For God spoke to
the woman, "Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."
(Gen 3:16b niv) The punishment for Eve's sin was that she would live under that authority
of her husband. But this was instated, not out of cruelty, but out of compassion, for it
would be the leadership of her husband that would keep woman's passions (now aware of the
knowledge of good and evil) at bay.
In the same way the Jews were taken into
captivity by the Babylonians as punishment for their idolatry. Yet this act of God was not
intended for their destruction, but for their preservation. Indeed, there is no biblical
record of the Israelites having a problem with idolatry from that point onward.
We see in America today that as the
Church has given itself over to unbiblical theologies that she has brought sin into her
midst. Right along with these manifestations has risen the oppression of Christianity.
Christians in the 20th century have found themselves under a yoke such as none in America
has ever known. The very law that their Christian forefathers had written into the
Constitution to grant freedom of religion has been utilized to subjugate them under the
state's rule. Their children go to school to be subjected to every Babylonian teaching
imaginable. The authority of the Christian in the affairs of society has progressively
diminished as the views of Babylonian-based religions take the forefront of national
thought. Indeed, the captivity of Babylon as again asserted its tyranny in modern America.
This historical dynamic explains why the
nations underpinned by pagan religions have, in the bulk of world history, lived under the
demands of a tyranny. But a nation that lives under the guidance of God's Word is one that
God sets free. This freedom is the result of the faithfulness of those who belong to God.
God has no reason to subjugate the righteous under the yoke of the dominion of other men,
for it is unnecessary to punish them for their sins.
Likewise, those who live in a godly
environment have no need to impose their yoke upon others, for they understand biblically
where their dominion lies. Therefore, they rebel against repressive government, because
they understand that God desires that they be free from tyranny. Likewise, as in America,
they liberate their slaves, knowing well that this sort of bondage is not the program of
God.
In the fall of 1994, I was involved in a
meeting with a superintendent of schools concerning the elementary school educational
curriculum that they had adopted. During the confrontation, this professing Christian
delivered a comment that I found to be utterly astounding. Rising to his pulpit he
blazoned, "It is a tragedy that the historic church in America remained silent in
regards to slavery."
Ironically, when I brought up the fact
that if the Church in America today would unite itself against abortion it could eliminate
it, this same man defended his contemporary pastors who were not in favor of fighting
against the slaughter of babies. Of course, this would put this particular Christian
superintendent in agreement with the church that conceded to slavery.
It is not appropriate to condemn the
church with regards to its supposed failure to deal with slavery. The church did not fail
to speak out against it! Though many early American pastors once justified and supported
slavery, it was the church that rose up against the institution and convinced people of
the evils of that inhumane practice. Therefore, what is significant in American history is
that our Christian-based society of the 19th Century ultimately abolished slavery, for
this was the outcome of the conflict.
Eventually, millions of American
soldiers would lay their lives on the line in the Civil War. The consequence of this
conflict, as witnessed by the world, was the abolition of slavery in America forever.
Americans died and proved to the world through their lives that slavery is wrong. Out of
the contest the Babylonian institution was abolished in our land. That seems to be to our
country's credit rather that its discredit.
Rather that praising our ancestors for
what they did do, the modernist desires to condemn them for what they didn't do. All the
while, they sit back in their judgmental armchairs while innocent unborn are slaughtered
by the millions right under their noses.
A House
Divided
When I was a new believer, I was
surprised in picking up the Bible for the first time to see words, which I had long
attributed to Abraham Lincoln, come out of the mouth of Jesus. At the time I didn't
realize that Lincoln had read the Bible so closely as to know it better than most of us
do. I had no idea that this profound knowledge of God's divine Word inspired him to quote
from its contents in his talks with juries, his multitude of letters, and his public
speeches.
It was in 1843 that he first wrote in a
campaign circular the words that have since become the Biblical foundation for his stance
on the preservation of the Union. Pleading for party unity among the Whigs, Lincoln
drafted this utterance: "He whose wisdom surpasses of all philosophers, has declared
'a house divided against itself cannot stand.'"
It was a few years later at the
Republican convention that Lincoln repeated these words in his famous House Divided
Speech that contributed so significantly to his political recognition, and established
forever his stance on whether or not the Southern States had a right to sever their ties
with the Union. These were the words of Christ Himself.
Though Lincoln profoundly quoted Christ
in that manner, he remained divided within his own soul. He could not quite bring himself
to acknowledge the sacrifice of Jesus for all sin.
In 1850 the Lincoln family suffered the
death of their son, Edward. So touched were they by the funeral sermon given by James
Smith of the First Presbyterian church, that the grieving family rented a pew. From then
on a close friendship developed between the minister and the Lincoln family. Smith even
presented to Abe his book The Christian's Defense that presented a reply to the
infidels and atheists.
Lincoln's wife Mary eventually joined
the church, but Abraham "couldn't quite see it." Though he attended revivals and
showed a considerable amount of interest, there remained continuing theological questions
in his life that would have to wait for the terrible conflict to come to become completely
resolved. Only then would he come to grips with his personal salvation.
In the mean time, it continued to be
apparent that Abraham's faith in a God who works in history was adamantly maintained. As
his father lay on his deathbed Lincoln kindly wrote to his step-brother, "I sincerely
hope father may yet recover his health; but at all events, tell him to remember to call
upon, and confide in, our great, and good, and merciful Maker; who will not turn away from
any extremity. He notes the fall of a sparrow, and numbers the hairs on our heads; and He
will not forget the dying man, who puts his trust in Him. Say to him that if we could meet
now, it is doubtful whether it would not be more painful than pleasant; but that if it be
his lot to go now, he will soon have a joyous meeting with many loved ones gone before;
and where the rest of us, through the help of God, hope ere-long to join them."
Thomas Lincoln to his last breath was a
churchgoing, and religious man who, as narrated by a local newspaper, inevitably would
pray at mealtime, "fit and prepare us for humble service, we beg for Christ's sake.
Amen." It is in this elderly man's son Abraham, that this prayer was answered in one
of the most dramatic fashions in history.
Lincoln realized the deterioration that
was occurring all around the country. "Our progress in degeneracy appears to me to be
pretty rapid. As a nation we began by declaring 'all men are created equal.' We now
practically read it, 'all men are created equal, except Negroes.' When it comes to this I
should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no reference of loving liberty -
to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of
hypocrisy."
The argument presented by today's
conservatives in regard to our nation falling away from the foundation that has made it
what it is, was not being uttered for the first time in the 90's. The call of President
George Bush during the Presidential campaign in 1992 to return to traditional values is
not a new one. Throughout its history America has prompted itself to deviate from the
moral, ethical, and Constitutional values upon which it stands. Lincoln recognized that in
his days, and also understood that it was this deviancy that was causing the turmoil of
the time. It threatened to tear the country apart.
As we look at the issues that are
dividing us today; such as the arguments over the separation of church and state,
evolution, women and animal rights (and many women seem to want to make themselves into
animals who eat their young), abortion and sexual perversion; we realize that every one of
these issues has presented itself as a result of a departure on someone's part from that
which has been traditionally been accepted as moral and decent.
The civil war that waits is inevitable
as it was in Lincoln's time. But is there one in this era who has the moral and Godly
stamina to lead us through it with our life and liberty intact? The person who is
representing a change from our foundational beliefs certainly will not be the one.
The man who will lead his nation into
safety will be a prophet in his land. He will utter the words of the Lord to call his
country to repentance. In 1858 while talking to a massive audience in Bloomington Joseph
Fifer reported Lincoln was making declarations until "all the faces of those
listening thousands were as if carved out of a rock on a mountainside - so still, so
set!"
Then Abraham "raised high his long
right arm with the clenched hand on the end of it - high above his head - and he shook it
in the air and then brought it down. And when he did that it - it made the hair on a man's
head stand up, and the breath stop in his throat."
The next year in his speeches in Ohio
Lincoln spoke with "simple finality, a merciless logic, usually soberly entwined with
Bible verses." This was definitely a man on a mission - a prophet carrying a message
from God of repentance and restoration to Him.
It was this prophet who proclaimed at
the Republican national convention in Springfield on June 16, 1858, "'A house divided
against itself cannot stand.' I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half
slave and half free." Again, these were the words of Jesus whom Lincoln was quoting:
words from the Bible that lent wisdom to the consequence that sin will bring. It was the
Word of God that illustrated to Lincoln how the sin of slavery would sever the people of
God. It was the voice of God who convinced Lincoln that slavery is wrong.
The question that the modernist brings
up concerning what the founding fathers intended when they wrote the Constitution is not a
new one. Lincoln had to deal with the modernists as well when he contended with those who
believed that slavery should continue. In his famous Copper Union speech given in New York
on February 27, 1860, Lincoln referred to the statements of his long-time opponent Douglas
when he said, "Our fathers, when they framed the Government under which we lived,
understood this question (of slavery) just as well, and even better than we do now."
Then he went on to prove the founding fathers held to his point of view.
Concerning whether or not the Federal
Government had the authority to control slavery in the territories Lincoln asserted that
he defied "any man to show that any one of them (the founding fathers) ever, in his
whole life declared that." Lincoln argued, "Neither the word 'slave' nor
'slavery' is to be found in the Constitution, nor the word 'property' even." In fact
he pointed out the Constitution referred to a slave as a "person!" Therefore, Lincoln
concluded that the framers of the Constitution's purpose was "to exclude from the
Constitution the idea that there could be property in a man." So in Lincoln's mind,
the action of slavery was not only anti-God but it was unconstitutional.
All of this discussion about morality
and the Constitution is not unlike the argument that is continuing today over the abortion
issue. Modernist progressives have denied that abortion is morally wrong and they are
equally adamant in asserting that the destruction of the unborn is constitutional. Yet
their efforts to redefine the intentions of the founding fathers are no different from the
manipulations of those who supported slavery in Lincoln's day. It was the pro-slavery
element who took the liberal approach to Christianity and the interpretation of the
Constitution, proclaiming that a black man was a "thing" that could be owned. Is
it any coincidence that those today that support abortion rights call themselves
"pro-choice?"
It is the mentality of the slave-owner
that suggests that a living human being who inside his or hers mother's womb is no more
than a thing that can be destroyed. Yet Lincoln's argument holds true today just as well
as it did over a hundred years ago, for where in the constitution does it proclaim that an
unborn child is a "thing," and the "property" of a mother who can do
as she wishes?
What the amoralist of today wants you to
believe is that Lincoln had the same disregard for the black human life as they now have
for the unborn child. Misery loves company, and if they cannot find companionship among
the moral Christian of today, they will look for it amongst the heroes of the past who are
no longer here to defend themselves.
But the question must be asked; who do
the modernist progressives most resemble? Do they sound like the pro-slavery man of the
18th century who contended that the Constitution guarded the rights of only a select group
of individuals? Do they insist that the right to life has been reserved for one class of
individual while not for another?
In his debates with Douglas Lincoln
said, "I believe the entire records of the world, from the date of the Declaration of
Independence up to within 3 years ago, may be searched in vain for one single affirmation,
from one single man, that the Negro was not included in the Declaration of
Independence." When was the first time that the notion was asserted that the unborn
child is not included in the Declaration?
At the end of her book Uncle Tom's
Cabin Harriet Beecher Stowe concluded with a prophecy for the nation. "This is an
age of the world when nations are trembling and convulsed. A mighty influence is abroad,
surging and heaving the world, as with an earthquake. And is America safe? Every nation
that carries in its bosom great and unredressed injustice has in it the elements of its
last convulsion." This is just as true today as it was back then.
Lincoln was dealing with a nation that
was torn by sin, and left on its last leg. Fortunately for all of us though, our country
at the time had a man by the name of Abraham Lincoln who sought to influence men towards
righteousness. This man of distinction was humble enough to realize Whom he had to depend
upon in the arduous task that lay before him as he brought the nation back into unity with
the will of the Lord.
This man, who the intellectual contends
was primarily motivated by desires for political success, was not in the convention hall
when the Republicans met to select their candidate for President. There were no speeches
coming from his lips to gather up support for his cause. Rather, he stayed at home in Springfield;
a rather reluctant candidate at best! Upon being notified that he had been nominated by
the Republican party as their candidate for the Presidency he assured them he understood
that he could only continue by "imploring the assistance of Divine Providence."
The contest for President was heated as
the Democratic Party split in half over the slavery issue. Lincoln continued to stay
silently at home during the bitter campaigning, as his opponents traveled throughout the
country in order to gather votes.
He did consent to release information
for a biography that was published in a Republican campaign. It was focused on the virtues
of Abe's honesty and ascent from humble beginnings rather than his stance on slavery and
the preservation of the Union. The party was wise enough to realize that the less that was
known about Lincoln's views on those matters, the better. No Southerner would accept a
President of Lincoln's persuasion. Yet the election belonged to Abe and the contest for
the soul of America was on. History was about to be made that would be remembered for all
time.
About the Author
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About the Author
Don Wigton
is a graduate of the prestigious music department at CSULB where he studied under Frank
Pooler, lyricist of Merry Christmas Darling, and sang in Pooler’s world renown
University Choir alongside Karen and Richard Carpenter. During this time Don was also the
lead composer of the band, Clovis Putney, that won the celebrated Hollywood Battle of the
Bands. After giving his life to God, Don began attending Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa to
study under some of the most prominent early Maranatha! musicians. Subsequently he toured
the Western United States with Jedidiah in association with Myrrh Records.
Eventually
Don served as a pastor at Calvary Chapel Bakersfield to witness thousands of salvations
through that ministry. As the music/concert director, Don worked for seven years with most
major Christian artist of that time while producing evangelical concerts attended by
thousands of young people seeking after God. Don’s Calvary Chapel Praise Choir
released the album Let All Who Hath Breath Praise the Lord on the Maranatha! label.
The next
years of Don’s life were spent as the praise leader of First Baptist Church in Bakersfield
during a time of unprecedented church renewal. Don teamed with the leadership to
successfully meld the old with the new through a period of tremendous church growth.
During this exciting time, Don’s praise team, Selah, produced the CD Stop and
Think About It.
Today Don is
the leading force behind Wigtune Company. This
webbased project located at www.praisesong.net has provided several million downloads of
Don’s music and hymn arrangements to tens of thousands of Christian organizations
throughout the world. More music can be found at Don's Southern
Cross Band website at www.socrossband.com.
The book Holy
Wars represents Don’s most recent effort to bless the church with biblical
instruction and direction in praise and worship. This heartfelt volume is an offering not
only to God’s people, but also to God Himself.
Connect With Don Online
Facebook - Southern Cross
Band
Facebook - Wigtune Company
Wigtune Blog
Smashwords |
was formed as a service to the body of Christ to encourage scriptural
worship. To accomplish this goal Wigtune Company offers free contemporary Christian praise
and worship music, contemporary Christian rock and hymn mp3 and chart material along with
a free on-line worship study book for personal devotions, Bible study groups, Sunday
schools, pastors, music ministers and ministry training. In order to bridge the gap
between the old and the new the worship study book gives solid theological and
historical support to the use of traditional Christian hymn-singing in conjunction with
praise chorus singing. 
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Wigtune Story 
Check out this powerful Southern Cross song! 
