Brad Birzer
Professor of History
“From my standpoint, Abraham Lincoln serves as one of the three best presidents in our history. He stands with Washington in the 18th century (beyond compare) and Reagan in the 20th. Always anti-slavery, Lincoln found great inspiration in the Northwest Ordinance and the Declaration of Independence, leading him back into national politics beginning in 1854. We should especially remember his profound October 16, 1854 speech (“The Republican Robe is Soiled”) as his re-emergence on a national stage, though protesting from Illinois. “Following in the footsteps of the mytho-historical Roman republican, Cincinnatus, Lincoln temporarily assumed extraordinary powers during the crisis of the Civil War. His last words given to Grant and Sherman regarding a post-war America should never be forgotten: ‘Let them all go, officers and all, I want submission and no more bloodshed. . . I want no one punished; treat them liberally all around. We want those people to return to their allegiance to the Union and submit to the laws.’ These are the words of an extraordinary leader. Day-Lewis provides a stunning humanization of the real Abraham Lincoln, how he really would have acted and been perceived by people. “Lincoln” not only speaks to the personage of the President as a tireless and amiable leader, but addresses several timeless questions that America and indeed the world must consider.”
Donald Turner
Professor of Philosophy
“Lincoln used some shady tactics to pass the 13th Amendment, yet virtually everyone would agree that slavery is a horrible evil. So the moral question is raised: when are you justified in doing something that in and of itself would be wrong to try to end this great evil? Are you justified in lying to achieve some greater end? Is morality a matter of consequences do the ends justify the means? A lot of people put Lincoln on a pedestal and see him as a god-like character incapable of erring. It is true that he did what some people would think is wrong because he thought it necessary. My opinion of Lincoln is different now. I see him as more human and have a greater appreciation for the very difficult issues he had to struggle with and difficult decisions he had to weigh in his mind. It seems then that the historical drama has prompted deep discussion about the nature of history and the permanent questions that man must ask himself during the course therein.”
John Studebaker
Lecturer in Religion
“Lincoln’ delves into fundamental topics in the discussion of worldviews: human nature and human purpose. Notice the question does not ask if we are to ‘fit into’ the times; rather, it implies that we are made in a manner specially fit for the struggles of our day. A Judeo-Christian worldview, which Lincoln seemed to espouse, affirms the notion of a ‘life-calling’ for individual persons –– a unique design of one’s soul that ‘calls’ us to a divine purpose as well as a unique mission. His question is reminiscent of the famous one posed by Mordecai to Esther: ‘Who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?’ (Esther 4:14). How might this be re-phrased for college students? As you prepare for the future, try not to think so much in terms of finding the perfect job or career that you must ‘fit into.’ Rather, how might you begin the adventure of discovering the way your ‘design’ (which includes your unique set of motivations, gifts, and talents) is rightly fit for shaping ‘the times we are born into?’”
