Vocal Point-Dr. Daniel Dreisbach

Topic: The Bible and the Gettysburg Address.

One of the top speeches in all of American history is Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, delivered to commemorate that battlefield in rural Pennsylvania. Dr. Daniel Dreisbach, professor at the school of public affairs at American University in Washington, DC, is the author of “Reading the Bible with the Founding Fathers.” He’s also written many articles on how the sacred volume played a key role during important parts of American history—such as the Gettysburg Address. Dreisbach wrote, “The Gettysburg Address reverberates with biblical rhythms, phrases, and themes. Its author was well acquainted with the English Bible – specifically the King James Bible. Those who knew him best reported that Lincoln had an intimate and thorough knowledge of the sacred text and was known to commit lengthy passages to memory. His biographer and friend of a quarter century, Isaac N. Arnold, recalled that Lincoln ‘knew the Bible by heart. There was not a clergyman to be found so familiar with it as he.’” Dr. Daniel Dreisbach joins Jerry Newcombe to discuss the Scriptures and the Gettysburg Address. @d3bach