The book flows very well, and it is exceptionally well written. Gehrz also tells this story in a very readable way. He simply tells the story of Lindbergh’s spiritual side in a “matter-of-fact” way, which I believe is how history should be written. When I sat down to read this book, I honestly expected it to be a hate-fest, but it isn’t. Gehrz looks at his subject openly and honestly. He tells a familiar story in a brand new way. I am fascinated and impressed by Gehrz’s skills as a writer. It is quite the literary feat to pull this narrative style off. Instead he briefly tells those stories through a religious lens. Gehrz touches on Lindbergh’s early life and the 1927 flight, but he does not dwell on those periods as that is not the point of the book. This book is perhaps best suited for those who already know the fundamental stories of Lindbergh’s life: his 1927 flight, his marriage to Anne Morrow, the 1932 kidnapping and murder of their son, dubbed the “crime of the century,” and Lindbergh’s involvement in the isolationist America First committee from 1940-41. The book begins by looking at the religious elements in the lives of Lindbergh’s parents and grandparents, shining a light on the rather unorthodox beliefs in which he grew up.
Since Lindbergh’s spirituality flourished in his later years (he was only 25 when he made his famous flight), the foundational part of Gehrz’s argument rests upon the period of Lindbergh’s life spanning the 1930s until his death. Through intense archival research and analysis of published works, Gehrz unpacks Lindbergh’s spiritual complexity. Gehrz’s biography investigates Lindbergh’s beliefs and writings on Jesus, religion, spirituality, the afterlife, and how Lindbergh’s beliefs influenced his actions. Louis drips with religious imagery, as do some of his other later writings. Lindbergh’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1953 book The Spirit of St. He did not believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, yet he was fascinated by Jesus and thought deeply about his own spirituality. That would be fair, since Lindbergh was not an orthodox Christian. Perhaps you might not think religious or spiritual when you think of Charles Lindbergh (if you even think of him at all – increasing numbers of people I run across have never even heard of him). Gehrz’s biography is the first to analyze Lindbergh’s life, writings, and actions through a religious lens. Over the past twenty years, historians have also unpacked Lindbergh’s legacy in light of his views on eugenics and race, as well as his anti-Semitic remarks made during his isolationist America First speeches in the run-up to World War II.ĭespite the numerous books that have been written about Lindbergh over the years, one aspect of his life has been woefully overlooked, until now. Scott Berg’s 1998 biography widely considered to be the standard text on Lindbergh’s life.Ī lot has come out of the woodwork on Lindbergh since 1998, most prominently the discovery of his multiple extramarital affairs and the children he had with three German women. There have been many biographies written about Lindbergh since the pilot, outspoken isolationist, and conservationist died in 1974, with A. I imagine Christopher Gehrz, professor of history at Bethel University in Lindbergh’s home state of Minnesota, might also say he has learned too much about Lindbergh in the course of writing the latest biography on the aviator. In studying the material culture owned by and given to Lindbergh, I have learned a lot about him. The collection ranges from artifacts carried on that flight to the hundreds of medals and awards he received, personal effects, artwork, two aircraft, jewelry, and the random gifts people and governments sent him or gave him and his wife, Anne, on their travels. Since December 2019, I have been cataloging the Missouri Historical Society’s collection of over 2000 objects that Lindbergh donated following his May 1927 New York to Paris flight. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2021, 265 pages.Ĭharles Lindbergh is simultaneously the most fascinating and the most frustrating individual I have ever encountered. Christopher Gehrz, Charles Lindbergh: A Religious Biography of America’s Most Infamous Pilot, Grand Rapids, MI: William B.