David Barton

I think I became aware of David Barton when a local pastor I knew slightly wrote a piece for our newspaper's 4th of July edition, about the founding fathers' fervent Christianity. His piece was full of factual errors, much less erroneous interpretation, so I wrote him privately. After all, his piece had been presented to this university town as representing the local Christian community: and there were academic historians reading it, knowing even better than I do that most of his assertions about American history were false.

He was kind enough to write me back, defending what he'd said as true, and citing his source: David Barton's "Wallbuilders" website. I'm a longtime student of American history, so I looked at "Wallbuilders" to see if it had some worthwhile information I'd missed. Quite the contrary: the site's "information" was simply untrue, to an obviously-dishonest purpose. Such stuff has to offend anyone who values accurate history: but there's little that can be done to counter it. There are always people who will buy into fringe beliefs like the Atlantean age, or British Israelites. Honest history never seems to dissuade people who want to believe lies.

I just wrote off David Barton's crack-pot history as undeserving of serious attention. Others didn't take that view. The Republican Party of Texas elected Barton its Chairman eight times. The Republican National Committee named Barton its "liaison to social conservatives" during the 2004 Bush presidential campaign. In 2005, Time magazine profiled Barton as one of "The 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America." (Barton frequently refers to this honor on his "Wallbuilders" website and in his Who's Who entry, but without quoting Time's biography: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1993235_1993243_1993261,00.html. More on that below.)

But unlike some of Time's "Influential Evangelicals," whom I respect as spiritual leaders (Billy Graham, Joyce Meyer, J. I. Packer, Chuck Colson, Rick Warren), Barton was singled out for his political influence on American Christians (see above). Barton's influence grows from his role as the founder of (in Time's words) "what might be called Christian counter-history," and its power to sway Christian voters. That influence continues: I understand that in 2012 Barton was chosen to help write the Republican platform...on which a Mormon priest ran for President.

But though his influence on Christians (and the country) is political, Barton studiously avoids mentioning politics. His high political achievements are the kinds of things anyone would ordinarily cite proudly in their Who's Who biography, or on their own website. Barton doesn't. Even his "Wallbuilder's" mention of Time's honor as an "influential Evangelical" links to that issue's cover: not to its biographical sketch detailing his work as a professional Republican operative. That reticence seems very curious, unless Barton wants to appear non-political...which he's emphatically not.

Barton's also been deceptive in claiming to be a "historian," and has only recently stopped referring to himself that way on his website. If his (self-written) Who's Who biography can be believed, he has a bachelor's degree in Christian Education. That in itself is not damning. Many amateur historians have done excellent and important work, despite having no formal training in history: Barbara Tuchman (with a degree in journalism) and David McCullough (English) come readily to mind. But Barton's version of America's "Christian heritage" fails AS history on that discipline's most basic standard, applicable to amateur and professional alike: factual accuracy, and honest interpretive methods.

More importantly, Barton's politically-skewed "history" doesn't meet Christians' most basic standard: love of the Truth/Jesus. Barton cites events which never happened, or didn't happen the way he portrays them, and quotes people as saying things they never said or wrote (his own website has a large section of "Disputed Quotations" where he attempts to defend the latter); and interprets it all in manifestly-biased ways that amount to "conservative" propaganda.

I used to pray that God would convict David Barton of his lies and his deceptive practices. But when a person's worldly success is based on untruth (Glenn Beck, for example, or Rush Limbaugh), it's particularly hard for them to repent: even if they are still able to recognize Truth. (And if I understand scripture correctly, men can so obstinately refuse to "receive the love of the Truth" that God sends on them "strong delusions," so that they can no longer recognize saving Truth. II Thessalonians 2:7-12)

All I know is that David Barton has taught, and continues to teach, lies. His lies are specifically intended to deceive Christians, for base political purposes. That much is manifest to any honest examination of the man and his teachings. But God examines the heart: He Alone is the sovereign Judge of David Barton's heart.

I can testify, however, that I no longer feel God leads me to pray for Barton to repent. Toward him, I feel led instead to pray that God will glorify Himself in destroying the enemies of Truth. That in His mercy, He will protect His people's hearts from the lies by which the enemy tries to lead us away from His Beloved Son ! That He will stir His people's love of Truth to intense flame ! I pray (as right now) that God will exalt His Name, putting to shame the father of lies and his evil-workers !

It's a prayer every Christian should pray. It's a prayer of protection for every one who loves our God and His Chosen; and of destruction on every enemy of Christ. It's a prayer pleasing to God. And He alone, the only righteous Judge of mens' hearts, determines who He is pleased to protect, and who He wills to destroy.

Whatever God determines toward David Barton, His judgements are righteous altogether, and are Glory to our King ! Praise Him !!

Amen !!

Loving Truth (Even on Facebook)

I have a facebook "friend" ("friended" because she's the wife of a real-life friend) who continually posts all the current political/social lies. Among other things, she posts a lot of tea party stuff (including regular posts from the Australian Tea Party....!?!?!?)

As a Christian, I have to see lies as spiritual warfare. Jesus said He IS "the Truth." He called satan "the father of lies." It's as simple as Jesus said: spreading lies is working for the enemy. By definition, a lie contradicts Truth, as when "The serpent said...'You surely will not die !' " (Genesis 3:4). By nature, a lie is a Personal denial of Jesus Christ.

Even the evil secular world recognizes the simple moral judgement that lies are wrong. Even the spiritually-blind can see that following lies produces disastrous results: who can ignore the utter destruction of Germany when it followed Hitler's "Big Lie" ? In terms of the Bible's deeper moral wisdom, lies are spiritual poison to those who ingest them, producing spiritual death. What kind of "friend" feeds their friends poison ?

Believing what Jesus said, it's painful, infuriating in the extreme, to see Christians (CHRISTIANS !!!) spreading lies on facebook, in e-mail, in their blogs. The only good way I've found to respond to Christians (?) who do the enemy's work is to point out their "facts" don't measure up to Truth...as non-judgementally as possible.

"Non-judgementally" because personal culpability is not the ultimate point here. Personal failing we ALL have always with us: and calling each other evil names short-circuits our receptivity to reproof. To get across the spiritual evil of lies, our best hope is that "friends" who spread them are not so personally invested in them that they personally identify with the lie. It's helpful that virtually all e-mail and facebook lies are authored by Anonymous: giving greater possibility that whosoever will can more dispassionately (and honestly) compare someone else's false "facts" with verifiable reality.

It's noteworthy that "honesty," "fact," and "reality" all, in one regard or another, relate to TRUTH. Even more noteworthy that all are expressions of what really exists...of I AM. In the same way that Creation declares God's glory (Psalms 19:1) and His righteousness (Psalms 50:6) such that all men see it (Psalms 97:6), I understand that the Truth through Whom all things came into being (John 1) is indelibly stamped on the human world in full view of All humankind. Most of all do we, who claim to follow that One Who IS "the Truth," have to LOVE Truth in our honesty to facts and reality. Sadly, if our e-mails, facebook posts, and blogs are a reliable indicator, such honest love is severely lacking in the heavily-politicized American Church.

Fortunately, there are a number of good fact-checking sites online whose honest research verify if the latest political-social factoid actually happened, or if some partisan interpretational "spin" is truthful. I reference and forward those pages when I want to non-judgementally confront a "friend" who's spreading lies. The hope is that anyone with a spiritual consciousness of "Truth," any who honestly love Him, will understand, and repent of these lies.

The deeper question is one that's intrigued me for over 40 years: WHY do people believe lies ? I grew up in a neighborhood only a few miles from the world headquarters of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and a number of kids I grew up with were RLDS or Mormon (indeed, our high-school graduation was held in the RLDS temple next to the parking-lot where Mormons claim Jesus will return to earth). My spiritual awareness as a teenager was practically nil, only the rudiments impressed on my unwillingly mind by years of Southern Baptist Sunday School and sermons: but I remember wondering even then how nice folks, intelligent people, could believe the stuff my Mormon friends did ?

The question came into sharper focus in the early '70s. I was mostly apolitical at the time, a former druggie recently begun to walk in Christ: but we were all hyper-aware of the Watergate drama playing out daily. It seemed obvious to me then, as it does even more today, that President Nixon was lying his ass off to save himself. But my parents, longtime Nixon followers, entirely believed his lies that he hadn't done anything wrong, and that everything negative being said about him was the work of political enemies out to get him.

My parents were "good," church-going people, and they weren't stupid. Yet they believed Nixon's lies to the day they died. It put the question prominently before me again: why do good, intelligent people believe manifest lies ?

Even after 40 years, I have difficulty understanding how it can be. It's more clear to me than ever that accepting Truth, or believing a lie, is a moral choice God gives us. More clear too that following Truth (Jesus) is the Way (Jesus) of Life (Jesus) and blessing: and following a lie the sure road to destruction and death. But the best answer I've come up with why people would choose the latter, is that they want to.

My facebook "friend," perhaps in oblique reference to the many times I've challenged her lying posts, recently posted this (itself by an anonymous author):

"Just because I post it, doesn't mean I'm going through it and it doesn't mean that it's directed at anyone. Maybe it's just that I like what I read or what I see and so I share it. I am Human!"

The attempt to disavow responsibility for one's own posts ("Just because I post it...") seems disingenuous on the face of it. But I doubt my "friend" really means it, anyway. Her admission that "...it's just that I like what I read or what I see and so I share it" sounds very much like she recognizes she's responsible for what she posts.

But my focus was on her reason for posting lies: "...I like [them]." That part of her statement seems very honest, and confirmation of my small understanding why people believe lies: it pleases us to do so. In the broad view, the autonomous ("self-law") mind of man in rebellion against God, accepts and acts on no authority higher than its own: we want to do what pleases us.

The problem of being governed by our autonomous mind could not be more stark than it is in regard to Truth: as stark as (and part of) the choice between death and Life (Whom Jesus also said He IS). God gives us a free choice: will we love and follow Truth, and live...or do as we please ? Everything in His governing reality, framed and fashioned by His Word of Truth, follows from that choice.

Woe to American Christianity, whose public testimony (in its facebook posts, e-mails, and blogs) is that it "likes" lies !!

God, Father of mercy, break our evil hearts to REPENT before You !!!