2016 – Page 79 – Warren Throckmorton

What You Need to Know About David Barton's New Edition of The Jefferson Lies (Press Release)

What You Need to Know About David Barton’s New Edition of The Jefferson Lies

Contact Warren Throckmorton, [email protected]
GROVE CITY, Penn., Jan. 13, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ — Yesterday was the official release date of the second edition of “The Jefferson Lies” by Ted Cruz’s Super PAC coordinator David Barton. Published by World Net Daily, the second edition promises to answer Barton’s critics and restore Jefferson’s reputation.
However, there is much World Net Daily and Barton are not telling the public about the circumstances surrounding the new book.
In August 2012, Thomas Nelson confirmed that the first edition of “The Jefferson Lies” had been pulled from publication because the publisher “learned that there were some historical details included in the book that were not adequately supported.” Thomas Nelson stated that it was in “the best interest of our readers to stop the publication and distribution.”
Many of those historical details are addressed factually in “Getting Jefferson Right: Fact Checking Claims about Our Third President,” a 2012 book by Christian college professors Warren Throckmorton and Michael Coulter. With the release of the second edition of “The Jefferson Lies,” the fact checking in “Getting Jefferson Right” is more important than ever.
The new version of “The Jefferson Lies” contains an entire section in critical response to “Getting Jefferson Right.”
In his response, the first error Barton makes is to assert that “The Jefferson Lies” was pulled from publication due to attacks from liberals. However, critics Jay Richards. Senior Fellow at the Discovery Institute and Gregg Frazer, professor of history at The Master’s College are not liberals. “Getting Jefferson Right’s” authors are not liberals. Many other conservative historians have also expressed negatives reviews of “The Jefferson Lies.”
Members of the media may contact Warren Throckmorton and Michael Coulter regarding the facts surrounding the removal of “The Jefferson Lies” from publication in 2012, the allegations of liberal bias now and the historical claims made in “The Jefferson Lies” about Jefferson’s life and work.
For more information, see Getting Jefferson Right.
“Anyone who reads ‘Getting Jefferson Right’ must come to grips with the untruths and suspect historical interpretations that [David] Barton regularly peddles in his books, speaking engagements, and on his radio program.” — John Fea, Chair, History Department, Messiah College
Warren Throckmorton, PhD is Professor of Psychology and Michael Coulter, PhD is Professor of Political Science, both at Grove City College (PA)

Glenn Beck: "Liberal Bastards" Had David Barton's The Jefferson Lies Pulled from Shelves

Even though the book has been available on Amazon for over two weeks, yesterday was the official release of the second edition of The Jefferson Lies by David Barton. To promote the book, Glenn Beck was in typical hyperbolic mode throughout the day on his network. I caught some of the radio segment and watched Barton’s appearance on Beck’s afternoon television show. Prior to Barton’s television appearance, Beck introduced the segment by trashing me as a leftist psychology professor.
Earlier on his radio show, he went further and referred to the “liberal bastards” who got Barton’s book pulled from publication. Watch:
[youtube]https://youtu.be/KE495RqCH2E[/youtube]
I have debunked idea that somehow Barton’s book fell victim to political correctness. Furthermore, to cast me as a leftist is laughable.

Cover of Getting Jefferson Right, used by permission

To read the book by Michael Coulter and I that addresses many of Barton’s Jefferson claim, see Getting Jefferson Right.

Gospel for Asia CEO K.P. Yohannan Dismisses Canadian Board Members; Former Director Seeks Government Investigation

Logo from GFA website

A former board member of Gospel for Asia Canada is alleging that he was illegally dismissed by board president and GFA International Director K.P. Yohannan. Garry Cluley asked the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) to investigate the recent dismissal of two Gospel for Asia Canada board members. In an alleged violation of GFA’s bylaws and Canadian law regarding charities, former Board member Garry Cluley was dismissed by Yohannan via letter dated December 8, 2015. In the letter (see below), Yohannan stated that Cluley’s term of service was up and he was being dismissed because “The Board needs to welcome the fresh perspective and ideas that new members can offer.” GFA’s bylaws nor Canadian law regarding charities provide for dismissal of a director without due process of board action. Cluley alleges that his dismissal was not allowed by law and occurred as he was asking for financial statements and GFA’s joint ministry agreement.
A time line of events was recorded in Cluley’s letter to the CRA:

I, Garry Cluley, became a board member in 2013.
Due to allegations of wrong-doing against our organization, in a board meeting held on July 17, 2015, I requested a copy of our joint-ministry agreement along with financial statements and audits related to it. I was assured that these would be given to me. (I had only recently become aware of their existence. I was not informed of them when I became a board member and they were never mentioned at board meetings.)
Over three months went by without these documents being sent to me. On November 25^th, December 2^nd, and December 8^th, I requested them again from the person in charge of the Canadian office, Pat Emerick. On December 8^th I phoned Pat and spoke again of the importance of me having the aforesaid documents. He agreed to send them. To be sure, I followed the call with an email in which I said, in part:

I understand that you will be sending the joint ministry agreement and the audits and that you will be sending them by registered mail. Again, thank you for your time, and for your work for God.

The next day, December 9^th, I received a letter via email from KP Yohannan, the chairman of our board and president, informing me that I had been dismissed from the board. A copy of the letter is attached.
KP Yohannan stated:
The board needs to welcome the fresh perspective and ideas that new members can offer
I have only been on the board for two years therefore the claim of a need for a “fresh perspective” seems disingenuous. I believe that the true reason for his action is that he does not want me to see the joint-ministry agreement or their associated financial statements and audits.

The same day Cluley was told he would get the GFA documents, a letter dismissing Cluley was written by K.P. Yohannan.
That letter is below (see a pdf of it here).

As Cluley noted, he had only been on the board since late 2013. Furthermore, the GFA Canada bylaws do not define a board member’s term. Cluley was not informed of any board action or meeting for the purpose of deciding his fate as a board member.
Although the CRA has not responded at this writing about the possibility of an investigation, the basis for a government inquiry appears sound. Based on the documents I have seen (more documents are available at the end of the post), it appears that Cluley attempted to fulfill his fiduciary responsibility as a board member by looking into allegations against GFA. He was stonewalled by his own organization and then when he refused to stand down, he was dismissed in apparent violation of GFA’s bylaws and Canadian law. I spoke with Cluley yesterday and he informed me that the remaining board member not named Yohannan told him there was no board meeting to dismiss the Cluley. It seems highly unlikely that a board meeting to dismiss Cluley took place. On December 8, Cluley was promised documents by Canadian director Pat Emerick and then also on December 8, a letter was prepared by K.P. Yohannan dismissing Cluley from the board.
Cluley has also contacted GFA’s U.S. board of directors regarding his dismissal with no reply from them.
I call on GFA to explain why Garry Cluley and Rob Thiessen were dismissed and to provide a legal basis for the action.
More information:
Gospel for Asia Canada Bylaws, formative documents and Canadian regulations. — As Cluley noted in his letter to the CRA, there is no bylaw 4.02 in the bylaws. Nothing in the Canadian law nor in the bylaws allow the removal of a board member the way K.P. Yohannan did it.
Memo from Garry Cluley to the US Board – The US board is sitting on their hands without comment or response to Cluley about this allegedly illegal action.

Young Life Apologizes for Ed Cash's Spontaneous Appearance On Stage at Orlando Conference

Ed Cash, prominent Nashville Christian music producer and a former leader in the mind-control group The Gathering, was not supposed to appear on stage at last week’s Young Life conference. According to Young Life’s Director of Communications Terry Swenson, Cash spontaneously and without the endorsement of Young Life joined David Crowder during a performance on stage. On behalf of Young Life, Swenson said he was sorry to family members who have loved ones in The Gathering.
The Gathering was once the religious home of Cash, best known for co-authoring “How Great is Our God.” On December 30, 2015, Cash and his brother Scott Cash posted a letter on their website proclaiming that they had left The Gathering. In the light of that letter, many family members and ex-members expressed hoped that Ed Cash would contact them or their loved ones still in The Gathering to urge them to leave or to reconcile with families due to his prior support. According to some parents and siblings I spoke with, Cash was involved and aware of Jolley’s command to some members to cut off contact with their family outside of The Gathering. Cash has not replied to several questions I have posed regarding his current relationship to The Gathering.
Young Life is involved because Ed Cash has led worship at their annual conferences in the past but was asked not to do so this year. Instead, the Cash brothers were invited as guests with the provision that they would not participate upfront in the conference. However, Ed Cash joined David Crowder onstage during a worship set/concert and performed briefly.
Through a source related to a current member of The Gathering, I have learned that Young Life responded to Cash’s appearance and provided the following statement from Terry Swenson, Director of Communications:

I do want you to know the circumstances that led to Ed Cash’s appearance on stage Wednesday night. First, what we communicated earlier about the Cash brothers’ presence at the Celebration was and remains true: they have no on stage role and are absolutely not “featured,” as was unfortunately communicated. They were guests in the audience and, to our complete surprise and without our endorsement, David Crowder invited Ed on stage. This was not planned and we don’t take what happened lightly. We understand the hurt this has stirred and I’m sorry for that!

Mr. Swenson confirmed this statement later this morning.

David Barton, John Locke’s Two Treatises, and the Real Reason Thomas Nelson Pulled the Jefferson Lies

This post is inside baseball for those who are keeping up with the controversy surrounding David Barton’s history writing.
One of David Barton’s frequent claims is that John Locke referred to the Bible 1500 times in his Two Treatise on Government. He said this to a Ukrainian audience and claimed it again in his new edition of The Jefferson Lies. From the new edition:

And in his Two Treatises of Government (1689 – a work about the proper role of government that was openly praised by Jefferson and other Founders39), Locke invoked the Bible over 1,500 times.
Barton, David (2015-12-22). The Jefferson Lies: Exposing the Myths You’ve Always Believed About Thomas Jefferson (Kindle Locations 1766-1768). WND Books. Kindle Edition.

Barton’s footnote on this point reads:

John Locke, Two Treatises of Government (London: Awnsham & Churchill, 1689), passim; the number of verses was documented by the author’s staff, in individually identifying and counting the Bible verses in this work.
Barton, David (2015-12-22). The Jefferson Lies: Exposing the Myths You’ve Always Believed About Thomas Jefferson (Kindle Locations 5811-5812). WND Books. Kindle Edition.

In a previous post, I asked Locke scholar Greg Forster to evaluate this claim. Forster declared it to be completely false. In fact, Locke did not refer to the Bible 1500 separate times nor did he invoke 1500 Bible verses, as Barton sometimes claims. Apparently, Barton’ staff had to count all 900+ verses from the books of Proverbs to get to 1500. See this prior post for what it appears Barton had to do to get to the 1500 number. It should be clear that Barton’s claim is wildly inflated.
While this is one small fact claim, it is indicative of the real reason Thomas Nelson pulled The Jefferson Lies from publication. This same error was in the first edition as well. There are many such exaggerations and errors in The Jefferson Lies. Taken individually, many aren’t vital to the points Barton attempts to validate. However, taken together, they make the book unreliable.