Today marks the 199th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln and the beginning of a year of activities as we head toward next year’s bicentennial celebration. In the current issue of WORLD, Marvin Olasky writes:

In a campaign year when reporters often ask candidates for yes-or-no answers concerning their religious beliefs, there is something to learn from Abraham Lincoln’s long and winding road to God. Apart from the spin—proclamations that Lincoln was a Christian from youth, or an atheist even during his last year—the fact pattern is more complex.

John Piper writes on his blog today: “[T]he most striking thing about Marvin Olasky’s recent article about Lincoln in World Magazine is to see how personal and national suffering drew Lincoln into the reality of God, rather than pushing him away.” You can read the entire article here, which is available for free for the next couple of days.