I’ve always respected Abraham Lincoln, the famously stoic and contemplative orator who led our country through a seemingly impossible era. After recently reading Carl Sandburg’s 1957 essay on Lincoln’s religion, I think I respect him even more.

Though Lincoln’s speeches were often peppered with biblical rhetoric, surprisingly little is known of his personal religious views. After the death of his son, Edward, Lincoln formed a close friendship with Rev. James Smith of the First Presbyterian Church in Springfield, IL. While Lincoln attended services and helped out in various capacities around the church, he never joined or professed Christianity. Like many American leaders before him, Lincoln spoke often of the Creator God, but mentions of Jesus were a little more sparse. While his family owned multiple bibles (at least two of which were received as gifts), Lincoln was particularly fond of a small well-worn book of bible verses. He quoted the bible often in political conversations and seemed to elevate it above other literature —even calling the bible a gift from God—, but his refusal to join a church invited criticism of his religious views. Lincoln eventually offered this explanation:

When any church will inscribe over its altars, as its sole qualification for membership, the Savior’s condensed statement for the substance of both law and gospel, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all they soul, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbor as thyself,” that church will I join with all my heart and soul.

I wonder what the church could look like today if we held ourselves to this standard.