FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2022, 6:30pm
Tickets: $15
The Church is thrilled to present author, pundit and Sag Harbor resident John Avlon speaking on his new, widely-praised and important book LINCOLN AND THE FIGHT FOR PEACE. Described by the publisher as “a groundbreaking, revelatory history of Abraham Lincoln’s plan to secure a just and lasting peace after the Civil War—a vision that inspired future presidents as well as the world’s most famous peacemakers, including Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr. The book focuses on Lincoln’s character as well as his unwillingness to “back down from his belief that there is more that unites us than divides us.”
Focusing on the last six weeks of Lincoln’s life, from his Second Inaugural to his death, Avlon argues that, in spite of not having laid a blueprint for reconciliation, Lincoln nevertheless “retains the force of revelation” for our times, inspiring us to persevere through our darkly divided present.
As Allen C. Guelzo wrote in his review in the NYTimes, “In this elegant, almost conversational, exposition of Lincoln the ‘soulful centrist,’ the 16th president appears as the reconciler in chief, who not only saved democracy from destruction in war but also pointed the way to saving it from inertia and futility in peace. And, Avlon believes, the Lincolnian example could be a similar balm for our political wounds today.”
John Avlon edited The Daily Beast from 2013-2018 and is now a CNN analyst. He will also discuss his writing method for this ambitious book in his talk at The Church.
For more information: www.thechurchsagharbor.org
