With Charity for All

This is one of the best short lectures I've read in a long time. It was given by Matthew S. Holland to the Law and Literature Class at J. Reuben Clark Law School on April 3, 2008. The lecture analyzes Lincoln's demonstration of Christlike charity and humility to unite the nation toward the end of the Civil War. I read the lecture through the lens of today's political divide and couldn't help but wonder how different our nation would be if Republicans and Democrats alike could somehow overcome the urge to claim the moral high ground. No matter who is elected this year, our government will not change until we as an entire people change. Of course, it would certainly help to have leaders who, like Lincoln, are capable of sacrificing their own vain political ambitions for the sake of uniting the country, rather than dividing the country with unfounded character attacks, gross generalizations, worn out stereotypes, and claims of intellectual, moral, or even spiritual superiority.

Matthew S. Holland: With Charity for All