Tag: david Barton

Wheaton's Inhabit Conference: Race and the Christian Nation Question

I am hearing good things about the Inhabit conference held at Wheaton College this past weekend. I had wanted to attend but couldn’t due to a previous commitment. One topic of discussion at the conference was the problem of the Christian nation concept.
John Fea notes that the Christian nation theory is offensive to many African-American evangelicals. Here is a taste:

On Friday evening I was inspired by the Wheaton Gospel Choir and messages by Pastor Ray, Chris Beard of Peoples Church in Cincinnati, and Bryan Loritts, the pastor of a multiracial church in Memphis.  (Loritts is a big Jonathan Edwards fan and was very excited to meet Marsden.  He had just finished Marsden’s biography of Edwards and was now reading some of Noll’s work). The evangelical African-American community is deeply offended by the notion, made popular by Christian nationalists such as David Barton, that the United States needs to somehow “return” or “go back” to its so-called Christian roots.  They view America’s founding as anything but Christian.  Many of the founding fathers owned slaves.  When the founders had the chance to choose the nation over the end of slavery (1776 and 1787) they always chose the former.  Slavery is embedded in the Constitution. Indeed, the entire debate over whether the United States is a Christian nation is a white Protestant evangelical issue.  One would be hard pressed to find an African-American evangelical who wants to return to what Christian Nationalists often describe as the golden age of American Christianity.

Rev. Beard’s experience as a minister in Cincinnati illustrates Fea’s observations:

Beard’s Peoples Church seems to have made the most striking reversal on the Christian America question.  As a member of the Assembly of God denomination, Beard taught his congregation that the founders were Christians, that America was a Christian Nation, and that patriotism was almost inseparable from the Kingdom of God.  He even had David Barton speak at his church.  But after reading folks like Noll and Marsden, and looking more closely at the historical record, Beard changed his mind.  He made a deliberate attempt to reject Christian nationalist teaching, build an international and multiracial congregation, and subordinate his patriotism to the Kingdom of God.  He lost a lot of his church in the process, but he has rebuilt it into an even stronger congregation.

Beard’s views certainly motivated his opposition to The Jefferson Lies when it came out, as well as to the recent surge of interest in the Institute on the Constitution and League of the South.

David Barton for Senate? (UPDATED)

According to this tweet, David Barton is being recruited to run against John Cornyn for the Republican Senate nomination.

The link leads a Facebook group titled: Draft David Barton for US Senate. According to the page,

This group is set up to alert the grassroots that there is a movement taking place that would like to encourage David Barton with Wallbuilders to run for the US Senate against John Cornyn.

Currently, the group has 394 members.
I hope he runs since it would shed more light on his history lessons and other curious statements.
UPDATE:
Apparently, there is some buzz building about this idea. This supporter of Barton believes the rumors are legitimate. As of the morning of Oct. 29, the group now has over 1000 members.

Barton's Big 12: What Colleges Are On The List?

Last week, David Barton told Oklahoma Wesleyan University president Everett Piper that OWU is on a short list of “about a dozen” colleges that are “right on the Bible, right on the Constitution, right on American history.”
I figure Ohio Christian University is another one since they are giving Barton an award. Liberty University is probably there as well given Barton’s frequent appearances in their chapel.
A bit of chatter has taken place in various places about other schools on the list. For instance, Patrick Henry was nominated but then discounted by others.
Gentle readers, what others schools do you think are on the list?
UPDATE: John Fea has good reason to identify six schools in the Barton Dozen.

Barton's Big 12: What Colleges Are On The List?

Last week, David Barton told Oklahoma Wesleyan University president Everett Piper that OWU is on a short list of “about a dozen” colleges that are “right on the Bible, right on the Constitution, right on American history.”
I figure Ohio Christian University is another one since they are giving Barton an award. Liberty University is probably there as well given Barton’s frequent appearances in their chapel.
A bit of chatter has taken place in various places about other schools on the list. For instance, Patrick Henry was nominated but then discounted by others.
Gentle readers, what others schools do you think are on the list?
 

David Barton: There Are About A Dozen Colleges That Are Right

These days David Barton’s historical work would not well received at many colleges and universities. There are dozens of Christian academics, and many more outside of Christian settings, who have raised significant questions about Barton’s accuracy and conclusions. However on his broadcast yesterday (Oct. 16), he suggested that there are about a dozen Christian colleges which are receptive to him. Barton said:

There’s about a dozen universities out there across America that we know of and deal with that are right biblically cause they believe what the Bible says, they’re very pro-America, they’re very pro-Constitution, the Constitution that God was involved in that, that it reflects biblical values, and so those are the guys that are good to go to to get a perspective. And we thought you know, one of the theologian guys that is really good on this is also the president of a university, Oklahoma Wesleyan University which is a great university, one of these that’s, it’s right on the Bible, right on the Constitution, right on American history.

Barton then introduced Dr. Everett Piper as his speaker on theological liberalism.
For his part, Piper is glad to be endorsed by Barton, tweeting

What I get out Barton’s statement is that if you question Barton’s claims, then you are not right biblically, not pro-America, pro-Constitution, or right on American history.  Reminds me of his claim that those who question him are just repeating our pagan training.
I suppose it is encouraging that there are only 12 schools remaining that need to see the light.
I propose that there is a great divide between those (apparently) few evangelical schools which Barton approves and the others which he rejects. While we probably agree on many things, there may be a great difference in what students are learning in the history classes.