Christian nationalist pastors claim America’s Christian heritage is evident in founding documents

Evidence

Halfway across the country in Oklahoma, on the same day, a similar “Freedom Celebration” service was in full swing. The senior pastor began his message, entitled “America—An Exceptional Nation,” by confronting the pernicious myth about the country’s secular roots. Referencing political operative and self-proclaimed historian David Barton, whose ministry, WallBuilders, supplies quotes and factoids for services just like this one, the pastor proclaimed that anyone who questions the Christian heritage of the United States would need to ignore scores of original letters and documents from the founding fathers. Deniers of our heritage would also have to “go to Washington, D.C. and take a sandblaster and remove the Scriptures from the monuments and the buildings. It’s all there!” Beaming with pride, the pastor boasted that his church frequently hosts a “Reclaiming America for Jesus Christ” conference, though he’d begun to wonder recently whether America really can be reclaimed. — Andrew L. Whitehead; Samuel L. Perry, Taking America Back for God, 38

Categorization

• QUESTION: David Barton’s WallBuilders ministry supplies the historical factoids behind Christian nationalist services — worth exploring the echo chambers circulating this material.
• XREF: connects to: Christian nationalist founding claims are historically false. — Philip S. Gorski and Samuel L. Perry, The Flag and the Cross: White Christian…, 104; American national identity remains fundamentally Judeo-Christian at its core — Sahar F. Aziz, The Racial Muslim: When Racism Quashes…, 159; The United States was not founded as an explicitly Christian nation — Andrew L. Whitehead; Samuel L. Perry, Taking America Back for God, 115 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Christian nationalist founding claims are historically false. #contradicts (0.95) — Philip S. Gorski and Samuel L. Perry, The Flag and the Cross, 104
• The United States was not founded as an explicitly Christian nation #contradicts (0.90) — Andrew L. Whitehead; Samuel L. Perry, Taking America Back for God, 115
• American national identity remains fundamentally Judeo-Christian at its core #corroborates (0.85) — Sahar F. Aziz, The Racial Muslim, 159