Warren Throckmorton has an interesting post up today concerning an article at World Magazine about the on-going David Barton controversy:
World’s David Barton Coverage: What Will Evangelicals Do?
But what especially caught my eye was a two paragraph section in the middle of his post:
In recent weeks, Barton has claimed that Ronald Reagan opposed the Brady Bill (Reagan favored it), the National Rifle Association was founded to oppose the KKK (it wasn’t), that school children in the 1850s saved a teacher from an assailant by brandishing their weapons (no documentation has been offered, the story may have come from a Louis L’Amour novel), and that there were only two gun accidents during the founding era of history (of course there were many more).
Besides these errant claims, Barton also claims that the Constitution quotes the Bible “verbatim” (it doesn’t), that the first English Bible in America was printed by Congress (it wasn’t), that the state of Texas uses reading levels in the third grade to predict the need for prison beds in the future (it doesn’t), and that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court dismissed a murder conviction because a prosecutor recited the Bible in court (it didn’t).
Two very small paragraphs….in which eight lies are highlighted and debunked.
Deceived or deceiver…or perhaps both? For its plain pseudo-American-Historian, David Barton, certainly battles with (not for) truth.
The deception of nationalism and American idolatry is so strong that men will openly lie and invent falsehoods in order to support the indefensible. Even if all those things were true, just what does that have to do with the gospel and the truth of Scripture? The entire spectacle openly reveals the level of deception.
Wow! I like your blog. Good to meet a fellow believer that has good monergistic theology too.
Thanks Ronnie. I checked out your ‘Bread of Life Fellowship’ page…nice blog!