The Point on The Jefferson Lies: We don’t need to change the facts

John Stonestreet, speaking on The Point, a radio minute affiliated with The Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview, came out in a negative manner toward The Jefferson Lies last week.  Here is the brief segment:

The facts are always important — even when we don’t like them. For the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview, I’m John Stonestreet with The Point.

A few weeks ago, David Barton of Wall Builders and frequent guest of the Glenn Beck Show, published a book called “The Jefferson Lies: Exposing Myths You’ve Always Believed About Thomas Jefferson.” But many historians think that it’s Barton’s book that is full of myths and inaccuracies about our third president.

In fact, Dr. Jay Richards, a recent guest with me on BreakPoint This Week, asked ten Christian historians to assess Barton’s work. Their responses were pretty negative. And now Barton’s publisher has taken the book out of print and apologized.

We may be eager to portray the founding fathers — and especially Jefferson — as orthodox, evangelical Christians and gloss over any evidence to the contrary. But as Dr. Richards argues in World and Os Guinness presents in his new book A Free People’s Suicide, the American experiment was exceptional enough that we don’t need to change the facts to prove it. Come to ThePointRadio.org to hear my interview with Os Guinness about this new book. For the Point, I’m John Stonestreet.

Last week, I noted that the Institute for Religion and Democracy had posted a column pointing out the “unfortunate, unnecessary exaggerations” in Barton’s work. Now another conservative Christian organization comes forward with recognition of the serious critique offered by Christian scholars.

Wallbuilders leaders David Barton and Rick Green continue to paint those who fact check Barton’s work as liberals and worse. The Point’s broadcast is another crack in that wall. About The Point:

In association with BreakPoint.org and the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview, The Point’s primary mission is to “engage real life in real time from a Christian worldview.” But we won’t just tell you how to think. By tackling the tough questions of our time on a daily basis, we plan to start discussion here that will translate directly to your home, workplace and church. We’re challenging Christians from all walks of life to reject the boundaries between secular and sacred and to realize that the world and everything in it is under God’s jurisdiction.

 

12 thoughts on “The Point on The Jefferson Lies: We don’t need to change the facts”

  1. This country was not founded on tolerance, but liberty. Tolerance is a concession, bigotry with feigned acceptance. James Madison and Jefferson knew this. When the Virginia Declaration of Rights was being drafted George Mason had an amendment read [T]hat all men should enjoy the fullest toleration in the exercise of religion,” That was not good enough for Madison and Baptist John Leland, who had Madison’s ear. Madison debated for it to be changed to “All men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion.”, and he won.

    I joined Barton’s FB page in order to bring this information to his sheeple. I quickly found myself and my post removed. In threads littered with ad hominem attacks on Barton, and facts discrediting Barton’s finding, they felt compelled to delete and information relating the Early Baptist influence on our Government. Perhaps this is something that needs further exploration and exploitation.

  2. This country was not founded on tolerance, but liberty. Tolerance is a concession, bigotry with feigned acceptance. James Madison and Jefferson knew this. When the Virginia Declaration of Rights was being drafted George Mason had an amendment read [T]hat all men should enjoy the fullest toleration in the exercise of religion,” That was not good enough for Madison and Baptist John Leland, who had Madison’s ear. Madison debated for it to be changed to “All men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion.”, and he won.

    I joined Barton’s FB page in order to bring this information to his sheeple. I quickly found myself and my post removed. In threads littered with ad hominem attacks on Barton, and facts discrediting Barton’s finding, they felt compelled to delete and information relating the Early Baptist influence on our Government. Perhaps this is something that needs further exploration and exploitation.

  3. Mr. Barton’s perfidy is becoming more pronounced daily. He continues to lash out at any and all who dare to to question his revisionist history. I have to wonder where he gets the intestinal fortitude to continue this tack in the face of a moral and ethical G*D? Our founding fathers where mere men, although men of courage and valor, their hearts were those of men, with all the foibles and quirks that go into our humanity.

    Should he continue to inflict on this nation a kind of malaise, a malaise which will endanger our nation with incomplete and fantastical historical facts, it will only serve to embolden those who seek to destroy the nature of our democracy. A democracy which is founded on tolerance and a welcoming nature, which is endangered at this very moment, by forces which seek to close the borders, which seek to demonize those who are “different.” What is the root cause of this danger, a lack of control, a changing demographic which will see WASP’s become the minority soon. Hopefully soon, Christians will awake from their slumber and choose to live peaceably and with a welcoming heart.

  4. Barton is trying hard to make Jefferson out to be a 21st evangelical to justify his “Christian Nation” argument but the evangelical community is quickly realizing that Jefferson would not fit the mold. They believe Barton will go to any length to prove a Christian link to the founding at the risk of the reputation of evangelical Christianity today.

  5. This clearly shows that the conspirators somehow got to Stonestreet! If Chuck Colson were still alive, he would have quashed this perfidy with one swift stroke. How convenient that Colson is no longer here to defend Barton. Are we supposed to believe that this is all a coincidence? Hopefully, Barton, Lively and Beck will get right on this and expose the conspiracy before it spreads any further.

  6. Mr. Barton’s perfidy is becoming more pronounced daily. He continues to lash out at any and all who dare to to question his revisionist history. I have to wonder where he gets the intestinal fortitude to continue this tack in the face of a moral and ethical G*D? Our founding fathers where mere men, although men of courage and valor, their hearts were those of men, with all the foibles and quirks that go into our humanity.

    Should he continue to inflict on this nation a kind of malaise, a malaise which will endanger our nation with incomplete and fantastical historical facts, it will only serve to embolden those who seek to destroy the nature of our democracy. A democracy which is founded on tolerance and a welcoming nature, which is endangered at this very moment, by forces which seek to close the borders, which seek to demonize those who are “different.” What is the root cause of this danger, a lack of control, a changing demographic which will see WASP’s become the minority soon. Hopefully soon, Christians will awake from their slumber and choose to live peaceably and with a welcoming heart.

  7. Barton is trying hard to make Jefferson out to be a 21st evangelical to justify his “Christian Nation” argument but the evangelical community is quickly realizing that Jefferson would not fit the mold. They believe Barton will go to any length to prove a Christian link to the founding at the risk of the reputation of evangelical Christianity today.

  8. This clearly shows that the conspirators somehow got to Stonestreet! If Chuck Colson were still alive, he would have quashed this perfidy with one swift stroke. How convenient that Colson is no longer here to defend Barton. Are we supposed to believe that this is all a coincidence? Hopefully, Barton, Lively and Beck will get right on this and expose the conspiracy before it spreads any further.

  9. Barton’s cries of “liberal elitists” are going to become harder and harder to believe as more conservative christian orgs come out against his book. And the more he tries that tactic the more people are going to realize he is just using it to avoid facing the hard questions about his book (and the more people are gong to look into his past claims as well). Until he is left with only a bunch of hard-core “true believers” that will follow him.

  10. Barton’s cries of “liberal elitists” are going to become harder and harder to believe as more conservative christian orgs come out against his book. And the more he tries that tactic the more people are going to realize he is just using it to avoid facing the hard questions about his book (and the more people are gong to look into his past claims as well). Until he is left with only a bunch of hard-core “true believers” that will follow him.

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