Anti-Historical Bias in America's Christian History

Gary responds to an article published by Baptist News written by Mara Richards Bim about the recent report released by President Trump’s Justice Department.

A 1982 article in Newsweek magazine stated the following: “[F]or centuries [the Bible] has exerted an unrivaled influence on American culture, politics and social life. Now historians are discovering that the Bible perhaps even more than the Constitution, is our founding document.” Time magazine said something similar in 1987: “Ours is the only country deliberately founded on a good idea. That good idea combines a commitment to man’s inalienable rights with the Calvinist belief in an ultimate moral right and sinful man’s obligation to do good. These articles of faith, embodied in the Declaration of Independence and in the Constitution, literally govern our lives today.” Our nation’s values were rooted in the Bible. Of course, this does not mean that all Christian Americans followed the biblical precepts they claimed to believe or that nonbelievers rejected them.

Even those who would dismiss the Bible as a standard of moral righteousness cannot help themselves from appealing to the Bible when it suits their purpose. An editorial in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette quoted the words of Jesus to “love your enemies” as a moral prescription against torture. Good for them. I wonder if the same editors are ready to adopt Jesus’ definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman (Matt. 19:4-6)? The governor of the state of Alabama wanted to raise taxes based on the article “An Argument for Tax Reform Based on Judeo-Christian Ethics” that appeared in the Alabama Law Review. There were very few if any atheists in early America, although there were a number of religious skeptics. But even these could not develop a moral worldview on reason alone. They continually pointed to the Bible, even if they rejected its revelational claims. Thomas Jefferson is a good example.

The Case for America’s Christian Heritage

It’s not enough, however, to relive history. There’s much work before us to reset the foundation stones of a firm reliance on Divine Providence. We need to heed the words of Benjamin Franklin who quoted Psalm 127:1 during the drafting process of the Constitution: “except the Lord build the house they labor in vain that build it,” and “that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better, than the Builders of Babel.” The principles that were true and necessary centuries ago for building nations are equally true and necessary today.

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Gary responds to an article published by Baptist News written by Mara Richards Bim about the recent report released by President Trump’s Justice Department. Bim is very selective in her reporting, and what she will accept as “historical evidence” (it must come from a PhD “expert”). She also discounts many Christian writers for their lack of doctorates, yet never deals with their actual claims. Gary points out her own historical ignorance.

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American Vision’s mission is to Restore America to its Biblical Foundation—from Genesis to Revelation. American Vision (AV) has been at the heart of worldview study since 1978, providing resources to exhort Christian families and individuals to live by a Biblically based worldview. Visit www.AmericanVision.org for more information, content and resources