Daniel L. Dreisbach

The Bible in the Political Rhetoric of the American Founding

The American founders frequently alluded to and quoted from the Bible in their political rhetoric. This fact alone reveals little about how and for what purposes the founding generation used the Bible and, more important, how the Bible influenced the political thought of the founding era. Drawing on some of the most familiar political rhetoric of the founding era, this article examines the founders diverse uses of the Bible in political discourse, ranging from the strictly literary and cultural to the theological, from the stylistic to the substantive. Recognition of these distinct uses is important insofar as it is misleading to read spiritual meaning into purely political or rhetorical uses of the Bible or vice versa .

Biblical Language and Themes in Lincoln's Gettysburg Address

Abstract The Gettysburg Address contains no direct quotations from the Bible; nevertheless, it is replete with biblical phrases and themes. Lincoln, who had an intimate and thorough knowledge of the King James Bible, used the Bible in ways essential to the mission and message of his brief address delivered on November 19, 1863, at the dedication of a national cemetery at Gettysburg. The unifying theme of his speech was the conception, birth, and death of the nation, which parallels the life of Jesus as recounted in the New Testament. This theme climaxes with the nations “new birth of freedom,” secured through the sacrifice of the Civil War, especially through the shed blood and death of the “brave men” on Gettysburgs battlefield. Lincoln invoked biblical cadences, phrases, and themes to solemnify the occasion for his speech and to infuse the great sacrifice of the dead and wounded with profound meaning.

Thomas K. Beecher : minister to a changing America, 1824-1900

Preface Acknowledgements and a Note on the Text Growing Up a Beecher The Struggle for Independence: The Philadelphia Years Teaching and Courting in Hartford, Connecticut Coping with Failure: The Williamsburgh Ministry Starting Over: The Early Years of Beechers Elmira Ministry Taking Risks: Marriage, Friendship, and Political Activism The War Years: Political Intrigue and Family Conflict Tackling the Elmira Establishment: Beecher and the Politics of Conflict Park Church: An Experiment in Christian Socialism Coping with Social Turmoil, Family Tragedy, and Old Age Epilogue Select Bibliography