Richard Carwardine Discusses His New Book About Lincoln, Religion, and the Civil War

Oxford University emeritus professor and Lincoln scholar Richard J. Carwardine will speak to the Lincoln Group on Saturday, October 11 at noon. He will discuss his latest book, Righteous Strife: How Warring Religious Nationalists Forged Lincoln’s Union. This will be as part of the regular monthly general membership meeting. The new day and time is to accommodate Professor Carwardine and the five time zone difference with his home in Great Britain. The Lincoln Study Forum is currently reading Righteous Strife in preparation for his presentation. Carwardine last spoke to our members about his prize-winning biography, Lincoln: A Life of Power and Purpose, in 2018.

Righteous Strife starts with a definition of historic Christian nationalism and proceeds to document how religion was a significant factor intensifying the horrors of the Civil War. Carwardine traces how religious influences affected President Lincoln and resulted in his evolving faith beliefs. The changes are most apparent in his…