The opening line of the “Marines’ Hymn”—“From the Halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Tripoli”—commemorates the Mexican War (1846–1848) and the war with Tripoli when Marines took Part 1n the capture of Derna on April 27, 1805. There is a new war going on, a war over history. Keith Ellison (D. Minn.), the first Muslim Congressman, told the Detroit Free Press that he used Thomas Jefferson’s two-vol [...]

With a title like The Myth of a Christian Nation, one would think that the author would have spent more time on the nuances of how the phrase “Christian Nation” is used by people like John Eidsmoe, David Barton, and other scholars in the field. If you’re going to critique a concept, it’s necessary to deal with those who make the claim and define the phrase, which I do in America’s Christian Histor [...]

Gutzon Borglum, the genius and drive behind the Mount Rushmore sculpture in the Black Hills of South Dakota, made particularly famous by Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest, starring Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint, wanted to include an entablature to be placed alongside the presidents. It was to have been inscribed with a brief history of the United States. Without it the monument would have abo [...]

Millions of elementary school students have been taught that the first voyage of Columbus was conceived by the intrepid explorer to prove the earth was round. The story goes that the scientists and cartographers of the fifteenth century were still under the illusion that the earth was flat because that’s what the Bible taught. Religion was an impediment to scientific discovery. Columbus stood up t [...]

The facts of history are never neutral. They do not “speak for themselves.” Those who study history always give meaning to the facts they uncover. This is why it is necessary to have a standard to evaluate historical events. Without a standard, facts are simply random events with little or no significance. For the Christian, history can be explained in terms of biblical standards and God’s d [...]

Critics of “Dominionism” are claiming that adherents to this vaguely defined belief system want to reinstitute slavery. Can this be true? The slavery practiced in this country prior to 1860 was “man stealing,” better defined as “kidnapping.” Black West Africans were kidnapped, often by other Black West Africans, put on ships, brought to these shores, sold at auction, and placed in forced labor.[1] [...]

The Internet has been all abuzz with articles condemning a brand of Christian activism called “Dominionism.” Even Rush Limbaugh got into the act when he discussed the conspiratorial fear of the Left on the topic of “Dominionism” during his May 2, 2005 show. The discussion was prompted by a series of articles that appear in the May 2005 issue of Harper’s Magazine. It seems that anyone who believes [...]

Fred Clarkson, who has an almost irrational fear of Christians involved in anything other than going to church on Sunday (and even this frightens him), has written “How to Beat the Christian Right.” He reserves his salvos for D. James Kennedy’s “Reclaiming America Conference” and American Vision’s “Restore America Rally,” an event he describes as “like an ideological indoctrination seminar in Chri [...]

On September 17, 1787 the Constitutional Convention officially ended. Copies of the Constitution were sent to the state legislatures. Delegates anticipated tough battles in the states over whether or not the Constitution ought to be ratified. There was much that both proponents and opponents of the Constitution agreed upon. Power, whether in a monarchy or a republic, tended to corrupt whoever yiel [...]

The American Civil Liberties Union has asked a judge to hold a Louisiana school board in contempt because someone said a prayer over the PA system before a high-school baseball game.[1] During the critical days with tempers flaring in the July heat, Benjamin Franklin asked to be recognized and presented this memorable speech. Directing his words to George Washington, Franklin made the following pl [...]

Here comes Peter Cottontail, Hoppin’ down the bunny trail, Hippity, hoppity, Easter’s on its way. Bringin’ every girl and boy Baskets full of Easter joy, Things to make your Easter bright and gay. I don’t know what’s worse—Veggie Tales substituting for Bible characters or the whole Easter Bunny, soft marshmallow chicks, colored eggs, and jelly bean menagerie somehow representing [...]

One of the difficulties in answering Brooke Allen’s “Our Godless Constitution,” which appeared on The Nation’s website on February 3rd, is that her sources are not footnoted.[1] There’s no way of identifying the context. Any piece of literature can be made to say anything if it’s taken out of context. The most famous, of course, is the biblical statement, “There is no god” (Ps. 14:1). In addition [...]

The Pledge of Allegiance is once again in the news. David Habecker, a council member in Estes Park, Colorado, has decided not to stand to say the Pledge because he has a problem with the addition of “under God” to the original version. As a result, there is a recall effort under way. Habecker would be on more solid ground if he had refused to say the Pledge because of its socialist ori [...]

Almost every day now, especially during the Christmas season, we’re reading stories about how anything religious is being cut out of history. Censoring Christianity from culture is not a new phenomenon. What has been going on for more than 30 years and known only by a few is finally coming to light thanks to the Internet. It’s no wonder that most young adults have little knowledge of A [...]

As promised, I am offering a few comments on the Discovery Channel special “Rameses: Wrath Of God Or Man?” [The Discovery Channel Challenges the Bible] Dr. Kent Weeks claims he has found the firstborn son of the Pharaoh of the Exodus. Well, sort of. Throughout the program we heard, “I believe he could well be. . . . He thinks he’s found the skull. . . . It’s believed to be the skull of the son of [...]

Have you seen the Wrath of God advertisement? It’s a one-page ad that has been appearing in big-market, big-name magazines like Time. There are no pictures, just a one-line web address: www.wrathofgod.info. At the bottom of the ad, the reader is dared to check it out. When you do, you will find a slick video presentation depicting the ten plagues on Egypt. The Flash video ends with these que [...]

A single line in the first Treaty of Tripoli (ratified June 10, 1797) is often cited as incontrovertible evidence that our founders self-consciously denied any attachment to the Christian religion, and that there is a radical separation between religion and civil government. This conclusion is based upon Article 11 of the treaty that states, in part, that “the government of the United States of Am [...]