Killing Lincoln

I could hardly tear myself away from the book Killing Lincoln written by Dugard and O’Reilly. I was emotionally involved with the main characters. It is not as if I did not know what was going to happen. After all, the title of the book tells the reader who is going to be murdered, and I did have exposure to America history in school.

I hated history in school—too much learning of dates and places. I could have cared less about what ancient governments thought they needed to do. I could see no connection to real people. Then I found historical fiction. Suddenly the people of each era and conflict had a human face. I could understand their concerns and how their lives were affected. To my surprise, in the past couple of years, I have discovered that factual history books can be interesting if they emphasize the people and culture of that era.

Ray enjoys history more than me. He wanted to see the Gettysburg Battlefield so I reluctantly agreed to go. We spent two days driving the roads around and through that historic place. We walked on selected parts of the scene of this gruesome battle. The people became real. I developed an interest in Joshua Chamberlain, a college professor who became a commander in the Union Army. We purchased and read his book “Bayonet! Forward”: My Civil War Reminiscences. Shortly after the Gettysburg trip I picked up Sharra‘s book Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War and found it much more intriguing as I read it another time.

I just finished Killing Lincoln. Killing Lincoln is set during the end of and time shortly after the Civil War. I was pleased that I actually recognized some of the names of people and places. I had a better grasp of the issues facing the people and how lives were affected. I was mesmerized.

Then it struck me. My appreciation for the Bible has followed a similar path as my understanding of the Civil War. I didn’t get it. The Bible's weird names, seemingly senseless customs, and killing just didn’t apply to my life. I enjoyed the parts about love and peace, but the other parts were boring, not important. Then I attended some well-done Bible studies and conferences. I started to really pay attention to some outstanding expository preaching of scripture. I read biblically sound books. When I started to understand that ancient culture, the people of the Bible became real.

I cannot say that all the Bible characters and all the passages of the Bible fascinate me; however, I am astounded by the lives of famous biblical characters like Daniel, Paul, and Moses. Some of the lesser recognized characters like Onesimus are fascinating. I want to know more about him and love to create stories about what caused his estrangement from Philemon and what happened after he delivered the letter.

So instead of viewing the Bible as an outdated book, we should be reading the stories of real people as avidly as we read our favorite genre. Parts of the Bible are hard to grasp. But it abounds with adventure, human conflict, and love. Much can be gleaned from this fascinating book.

“ I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:11 ESV

Lord, give me insight into your stories. Make my time reading the Bible a time of understanding, insight, and pleasure.