Month: August 2011

Finding the Truth Too Late

  

When dealing with the religious beliefs of America’s Founding Generation—those who participated in the Revolution and the creation of the Constitution—one must draw a clear distinction between those who were genuine Christians and those who were merely religious in a general sense. As I tell my students incessantly, early America was a society built on a Biblical framework of thinking, even though some of the prominent individuals may not have been what evangelicals call “born again.” Yesterday’s post dealt with… Read more »

Jefferson’s Definition of “Christian”

  

Yesterday I pointed out false quotations attributed to Washington, Henry, and Madison with respect to their linkage to the Christian faith. Now, that doesn’t mean they weren’t Christians. My only purpose in highlighting those false quotes was to caution us to be careful, and to be sure we are accurate when we show how America was founded on Biblical principles. I have another example today of how well-meaning Christians can convey a false impression—well, actually it borders on an outright… Read more »

Honesty, Integrity, & Spurious Quotations

  

Those who read this blog regularly know that I believe America had a strong Biblical basis at its founding. The evidence is pretty overwhelming. Those of us who believe that, though, need to be careful in passing along quotations we have read in secondary sources to back up our belief. Let me give a few examples of spurious quotations we should avoid using. George Washington was an Episcopalian who had his own family pew at the Pohick church near his… Read more »

Bitter Division & Truth-Telling

  

There’s been a lot of talk lately about how the political arena has become bitterly divided. As a historian, let me first say that this is not unique in American history. There have always been periods of strong division: the 1790s, the Jacksonian era, the entire 1850s through the Civil War, the beginnings of the Cold War in the late 1940s-early 1950s, Vietnam and Watergate. And for those who think everyone loved Ronald Reagan [which is what you might surmise… Read more »

Principles & Honor

  

I spoke last evening at the Winter Haven, Florida, 9/12 Project meeting. For those who are unfamiliar with the organization, it began after the 2008 elections with the expressed purpose of educating citizens on the kinds of principles and values that formed the bedrock of our nation and our government. This organization is performing a valuable public service, and I heartily endorse its goals. They are the same goals I have maintained throughout my twenty-two years of teaching at universities…. Read more »

In Praise of Harmony & Mutual Respect

  

The budget/debt ceiling bill passed the House last night, and the Senate is slated to vote on it today. Half of the Democrats opposed it; sixty-six Republicans also said no to it. The Democrats’ objections were that there were no tax increases, there were spending cuts, and it called for the Congress to send a balanced budget amendment to the states for ratification. Republicans’ objections were that most of the spending cuts were too far down the road, there is… Read more »