It’s not who you think: The only U.S. president who never formally joined a church and never identified as a Christian

Though many conservatives in the United States like to claim that the country is a Christian nation, they may not be fully aware of the religious views held by one of the Republican Party’s most iconic presidents: Abraham Lincoln.

Lincoln’s early life and religion

Born in Kentucky, Lincoln was raised in a Baptist household, though he was never baptized—neither as a child nor as an adult. His parents were members of the Separate Baptist Church, an evangelical congregation located in Indiana, where most members opposed slavery. The church the Lincolns attended was deeply pious and disciplined, and it was part of the Great Awakening movement, which aimed to rekindle personal religious devotion.

Lincoln’s views soften entering politics

As he grew older, historians note that Lincoln deliberately avoided affiliating with any particular church. A History.com profile on the 14th president reports that by his twenties, the future leader “was outspoken about his religious skepticism.” His strong critiques of Christianity—including the view that the Bible was “just an ordinary book”—gradually softened, especially as such views proved politically disadvantageous. After the death of his son Willie, historian Eric Foner has argued that his skepticism further diminished, although he still never formally joined a church; however, the experience may have brought out a more spiritual side of Honest Abe.

Remembering Lincoln and his religious journey

After Lincoln was assassinated, the debate over his religious beliefs did not end. Some biographers and critics labeled him an infidel—a charge that deeply upset his widow, Mary Todd Lincoln. In 1873, Reverend James Armstrong Reed, a Presbyterian minister, was preparing a series of lectures on President Lincoln’s religious life. As part of his research, he spoke with members of the clergy who had known the late president personally. Among them was Pastor Phineas Gurley of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, which the Lincolns had attended during their time in Washington.

Gurley firmly rejected the claim that Lincoln was an infidel. “It could not have been true of him while here,” he wrote in response to Reed’s inquiries, adding that he and Lincoln had “frequent and intimate conversations” about the Bible and Christian teachings. “I considered him sound not only on the truth of the Christian religion but on all its fundamental doctrines and teaching,” Gurley affirmed. He also noted that the death of Lincoln’s son, along with the devastation of the Battle of Gettysburg and the broader toll of the Civil War, had drawn the president closer to God. Before his untimely death, Gurley said, Lincoln had spoken with him about “his intention [...] to make a profession of religion.”

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