Final answer:
Lincoln defended himself by asserting that his criticism was not against Christianity itself, but against the hypocritical slaveholding religion of his time, highlighting the vast difference between it and true Christian values.
Step-by-step explanation:
Abraham Lincoln defended himself against charges that he "scoffs at Christianity" by carefully distinguishing his views from being anti-Christian. He targeted his criticism explicitly at the slaveholding religion of his time, which he felt was hypocritical and contrary to the true Christian values.
Lincoln positioned himself as an opponent of the corrupt and immoral practices often justified in the name of religion during that era, which included slavery, rather than expressing opposition to Christianity itself. He aimed to clarify that his views were not an attack on Christianity proper, but rather on the religion of the land, which he saw as being grossly inconsistent with the teachings of Christ, specifically when it condoned and supported slavery.