EDITORIAL: ‘Christian nation’ is not sufficient

A reader recently sent a long, thoughtful letter expressing disappointment with the Standard’s treatment of David Barton, an activist who advocates for what his website calls “America’s forgotten history and heroes, with an emphasis on our moral, religious and constitutional heritage.”

The reader felt we should have published a response from Barton in our June 6 article on the Baptist History and Heritage Society’s meeting in Dallas. A speaker alleged Barton and others who claim America is a Christian nation offer “a story with just enough truth to give the air of credibility but riddled with historical inaccuracies.” The reader and I traded reasons for and against interviewing Barton—who was not on the society’s program—for our article. We corresponded frankly, yet cordially, and our e-mails provided food for thought regarding how to report on controversial presentations in which only one “side” is presented.

Our exchange also prompted me to think about claims that the United States is, and always has been, a Christian nation.

The “Christian America” camp cites public statements and letters attributed to the Founding Fathers, as well as those 18th century American leaders’ reported faith affiliations. From this, they claim the Founders intended the United States to be Christian in origin and conduct. Then they extrapolate that Christianity should exert its historic hegemony over the faith-life of the nation. In practical terms, this would mean reinstating organized prayer in Jesus’ name in public schools, providing government funds for faith-based organizations, posting the Ten Commandments in courtrooms, outlawing Sharia law, basing state and federal laws upon conservative interpretatons of the Bible and affirming other practices that preserve Christian dominance in society.

Their detractors assert many of Barton’s historical citations are inaccurate or lifted out of context. They note that while numerous Founding Fathers were Christians, others were not—at least in the way they are presented today. They describe how the Founders, themselves inheritors of the Enlightenment, learned lessons from religion-based, monarchy-sponsored European oppression and war, and so they saw the wisdom in separating church and state and guaranteeing religious liberty for all people.

Any argument between “Christian America” advocates and church-state separation supporters devolves into a vortex. Both sides cite original sources and historical precedent. Neither acknowledges the validity of the other.

Ultimately, for Baptists at least, this doesn’t really matter. Even if every one of Barton’s claims is accurate—and significant historical documentation and even his own website indicate otherwise—his premise that America is quintessentially Christian and the Christian faith merits official favor should be refuted, at least by Baptists who understand their heritage and basic doctrines.

These reasons stand out:

• The Founding Fathers were not infallible, and the 18th and 21st centuries are enormously different. As Brent Walker, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee notes, the Founders could have been wrong on some points. A quote by John Quincy Adams does not settle the issue. And even if the Founders were right for their time, the application of principles looks quite different when you compare their relatively simple society to our enormously complex culture.

• If we are true to our heritage, Baptists seek precedents from our spiritual forebears, not our political founders. For example, 17th century Baptists Thomas Helwys in England and Roger Williams in the colonies suffered persecution because they championed religious liberty for all people—not just Baptists, but people of other faiths and no faith. Eighteenth century Baptist John Leland secured such liberty in the First Amendment. If they lived today, they would fight for the rights of Christians, but also Jews, Muslims, Mormons, atheists and agnostics. They would proclaim all voices should be heard, and government should neither advocate for nor interfere with any of them.

 Marv Knox is editor of the Baptist Standard. Visit his blog at baptiststandard.com.