In two previous posts, the Secular Square examined some general views of David Barton on history as expressed in his essay, God Missing in Action from American History. Barton accuses modern professional historians of deliberately removing God from any role in history and secularizing their accounts of the American past. They do this, according to Barton, in order to support their secular social and political agenda.
He really opposes professional academic history itself. Instead, he prefers older accounts that try to explain history in terms God’s Providential working of his purposes in history. (Implicit is the notion that all history is moving to the second coming of Jesus Christ. This, of course, it not history at all. It is historicism, where history is swallowed up by eschatology). He seems unaware of analytical historical accounts of Christian history that try explain the ways in which religious faith informs American culture. Instead, if his “recommended reading” page is any indication, his interest in history does not go beyond anecdotal collections he finds useful in promoting his brand of conservatism. Barton shares the conservative concern about the direction of our country. He believes it has lost its moral and spiritual bearings. Barton utilizes his largely anecdotal sources to demonstrate that the federal courts negotiated a series of wrong turns in their constitutional interpretation and severed religion from public institutions in ways unintended by our founders. Most Conservatives agree. He seeks to restore original intent. Most conservatives agree. And as evidenced in other essays posted on the Wallbuilders web page, he seems convinced that if Americans can legally display nativity scenes in town squares, erect Ten Commandment monuments in parks, reintroduce prayer at the start of each school day, replace evolution with creationism in science classes, and teach American history as “His story,” America will regain sound and steady course established by our country‘s founders. And this program sets the narrow parameters of Barton’s historical interest. Beyond his utilitarian aimsfor history, Barton seems singularly incurious.
The rich historical tradition of writings about Christianity in America is too expansive to give it complete due. For those readers who possess more inquiring minds, below is a brief "Greatest Hits" list of the Christian history Barton missed. Many of these are evangelical accounts and evangelical “friendly;” all are by professional academic historians.
Surveys:
Sydney Ahlstrom A Religious History of the American People
Edwin Gaustad Religious History of America
Mark Noll History of Christianity in the US and Canada
Mark Noll The Rise of Evangelicalism
Nathan Hatch The Democratization of American Christianity
The Puritans:
Perry Miller Orthodoxy in Massachusetts
Perry Miller The New England Mind (two volumes)
Edmund Morgan The Puritan Family
Edmund Morgan Visible Saints
Edmund Morgan The Puritan Dilemma: The Story of John Winthrop
Robert Middlekauff The Mathers
Michael Zuckerman Peaceable Kingdoms: New England Towns in the 17th century
Philip Gura A Glimpse of Sion’s Glory
Harry Stout The New England Soul
Great Awakening:
Alan Heimert Religion and the American Mind
Edwin Gaustad The Great Awakening in New England
Wesley Gewehr The Great Awakening in Virginia
Charles Maxson The Great Awakening in the Middle Colonies
Rhys Isaac Transformation of Virginia
Janet Lindman Bodies of Belief: Baptist Community in Early America
William Lumpkin Baptist Foundations in the South
Christine Heyrman Southern Cross: The Beginning of the Bible Belt
Monica Najar Evangelizing the South