Why You Should Buy My Book - Seriously
Mike Johnson the new Speaker of the House is a student of David Barton
As I write this, the House of Representatives just elected Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) to be Speaker of the House. There were many reasons not to support Johnson’s bid, but I learned one more today: he is a student of Christian nationalist activist David Barton.
Along with co-author Michael Coulter, I just completed a book titled Getting Jefferson Right: Fact-Checking Claims About Thomas Jefferson. In this book, we debunk faulty historical claims about Jefferson, many of which have been advanced by Barton. For the most part, the claims are designed to erode the separation of church and state and privilege Christianity. Rep. Johnson has been long-time fan of Barton. In 2021, Johnson praised Barton in a talk to a group of state legislators:
I just want to say at the outset I’m grateful to WallBuilders and David and Rick and everybody involved. And I was introduced to David and his ministry a quarter century ago, and it has had such a profound influence on me and my work and my life and everything I do. So I’m just so grateful you guys continue to sow into this work and help equip the soldiers on the frontlines. And so thanks to all of you for being willing to serve in this critical time for the country.
In 2012, Christian publisher Thomas Nelson pulled the first edition of David Barton’s book The Jefferson Lies from publication due to historical errors. It was an unprecedented move. We exposed many of those problems in the first edition of Getting Jefferson Right, published just a few months after The Jefferson Lies in 2012. This new second edition greatly expands on that work.
Having a book pulled from publication due to errors would end the career of most historians, but as is now obvious, it has not meaningfully hindered Barton’s influence. Nine years after Barton’s The Jefferson Lies was removed from publication, the future Speaker of the House said Barton’s work influences everything he does.
Many people ignore or minimize Barton. This is a mistake. He has radicalized many current Christian nationalist GOP politicians, including the new Speaker of the House. So, seriously, you should buy our book and see what the reality-based community is up against and how to respond.
You can pre-order the e-book on Amazon now. The print version comes out on November 1. Watch this space and gettingjeffersonright.com.
Here is a video of Rick Green at Wallbuilders saying Speaker Johnson is one of them.
"Can any of us refute the wisdom of Madison and the other framers? Can anyone look at the carnage in Iran, the bloodshed in Northern Ireland or the bombs bursting in Lebanon and yet question the dangers of injecting religious issues into the affairs of state?"
"By maintaining the separation of church and state, the United States has avoided the intolerance which has so divided the rest of the world with religious wars." -- Sen. Barry Goldwater, 1981.
There are few who were more staunchly conservative than Goldwater, and he was a smart guy. He saw the dangers of evangelical influence in what was then the nascent "Religious Right." He emphasized compromise as how politics worked and religious fanatics will have none of it.
Christian nationalists present a new level of danger to our nation, one which dove tails with the chaos going on right now. It's not about faith, it's about power. They want the power of Caesar to enforce what they see as the will of God. They may not succeed in their ultimate goal, but they can seriously damage democratic institutions on the local and state level.
David Barton is a key player in all of this. Throckmorton and Coulter did a wonderful job on their first collaboration. I can't wait to read this one. Read the book, it is necessary primer -- especially if you consider yourself conservative. Use this as a beginning and then learn all you can. We can't be lazy and just listen to the rhetoric and distractions.