| Topic: |
Sociology > Education |
| User: |
"Dana" |
| Date: |
12 Nov 2005 06:17:47 PM |
| Object: |
God: Missing in Action from American History |
http://www.wallbuilders.com/resources/search/detail.php?ResourceID=121
God: Missing in Action from American History
by David Barton
American history today has become a dreary academic subject. Yet, most who
are bored by American history view Bible history quite differently: they
love the stories of David and Goliath, Daniel and the lion's den, and Peter
walking on the water. So it's not that people don't enjoy history, it's just
that they don't respond favorably to the way American history is currently
being taught.
One reason Bible history is interesting and American history is not is that
the Bible (as well as American education during its first three centuries)
utilizes biographical history - that is, it presents history through the
eyes and life experiences of those involved (i.e., the biographies) rather
than through the recitation of a string of dates and places. It is the
difference between reading the stories in Guideposts and the numbers in a
phone book.
Looking at history the way God presents it is exciting and informative; and
in numerous verses, God even commends its study: "Remember the former things
of old: for I am God" (Isaiah 46:9); and "Call to remembrance the former
days" (Hebrews 10:32); etc. But why would God want us to know history? The
Apostle Paul answers that question in 1 Corinthians 10:1: "All these things
happened unto them for example; and they are written for our admonition"
(see also Romans 15:4: "Those things written aforetime were written for our
learning"). In short, we learn from history; and what we learn affects our
behavior.
American leaders long understood this Biblical truth. For example, Thomas
Jefferson noted: "History, by apprizing them [students] of the past, will
enable them to judge of the future." And what can be learned by being
"apprized of the past"? According to Benjamin Franklin: History will afford
frequent opportunities of showing the necessity of a public religion from
its usefulness to the public; the advantage of a religious character among
private persons; the mischiefs of superstition; and the excellency of the
Christian religion above all others, ancient or modern.
Franklin understood that history, when accurately presented, would
demonstrate the need for Christianity because of both the societal and the
individual benefits it produces. In fact, the presenting of an uncensored
and unrevised history actually causes a recognition of the hand of God -
for, in the words of the great statesman Daniel Webster: "History is God's
providence in human affairs."
Today, however, history is presented in such an edited, revised, and
politically-correct manner that God's hand is rarely visible - and even the
historic role of famous Godly leaders in education, business, politics, and
the military is now virtually unacknowledged.
An obvious example of the secularization of history occurs each year around
the Fourth of July. Americans are taught that "taxation without
representation" was the reason America separated from Great Britain; yet
"taxation without representation" was only reason number seventeen out of
the twenty-seven reasons given in the Declaration of Independence - it was
not even in the top half, yet it's all that most ever hear. Never mentioned
today are the numerous grievances condemning judicial activism - or those
addressing moral or religious or other issues.
What religious issues? In 1762, the king vetoed the charter for America's
first missionary society; he also suppressed other religious freedoms and
even prevented Americans from printing an English language Bible. How did
Americans respond? They took action; and almost unknown today is the fact
that Declaration signers such as Samuel Adams and Charles Carroll cited
religious freedom as the reason they became involved in the American
Revolution. And significantly, even though Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin
(two of the least religious signers) are typically the only signers studied
today, almost half of the signers of the Declaration (24 of 56) held what
today would be considered seminary or Bible school degrees. Clearly, for
many Founders, religious issues were an important motivation behind their
separation from Great Britain; but that motivation is largely ignored today.
Moral issues are accorded the same silence. The greatest moral issue of that
day was slavery; and after several of the American colonies moved toward
abolishing slavery in 1773, the King, in 1774, vetoed those anti-slavery
laws and continued slavery in America. Soon-to-be signers of the Declaration
Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush promptly founded America's first
abolition society as a direct response against the king's order. The desire
to end slavery in America was a significant motivation not only for Franklin
and Rush but also for a number of others; but the end of slavery in America
could be achieved only if they separated from Great Britain - which they
were willing to do (and six of the thirteen colonies began abolishing
slavery following the separation).
There were many other significant issues that led to our original Fourth of
July; so why aren't Americans familiar with the rest? Because in the 1920s,
30s, and 40s, a group of secular-minded writers (including Charles and Mary
Beard, W. E. Woodward, Fairfax Downey, and others) began penning works on
American history that introduced a new paradigm. For this group, economics
was the only issue of importance, so they began to write texts accordingly
(their approach is now described as "the economic view of American history"
and since the 1960s has been widely embraced throughout the education
community). Consequently, since "taxation without representation" was the
economic grievance in the Declaration, it became the sole clause that
Americans studied.
As a result, God is no longer visible in American history; and His absence
is now construed as a mandate for secularism. Texts now forcefully assert
that the American founding produced the first intentionally secular
government in history - even though the Declaration officially acknowledges
God in four separate clauses. (But who still teaches the Declaration - or
even reads it?) Similarly, leaders such as John Hancock and John Adams
receive credit as being the source of our independence, even though John
Adams himself declared that the Rev. Dr. Jonathan Mayhew and the Rev. Dr.
Samuel Cooper were two of the individuals "most conspicuous, the most
ardent, and influential" in the "awakening and revival of American
principles and feelings" that led to American independence. Regrettably, God
(and His servants) have largely disappeared from the presentation of
American history in general and America's founding in particular.
As a further example, consider the legendary Minutemen: even though they are
still honored in many texts, their leader, the Rev. Jonas Clark, is no
longer mentioned - nor the fact that many of the Minutemen were deacons in
his church. And the Rev. James Caldwell is no longer acknowledged as a key
leader of military forces in New Jersey - nor the Rev. John Peter Gabriel
Muhlenberg (who led 300 men from his church against the British) as one of
Washington's most trusted generals.
Regrettably, we no longer know much about the indispensable role of pastors
and Christian leaders in the founding of our civil government. Americans
have been subjected to "revisionism" - defined by the dictionary as "the
revision of an accepted, usually long-standing view; especially a revision
of historical events and movements." Revisionism attempts to alter the way a
people sees its history in order to cause a change in public policy.
Consider how successful this has been. Under the economic view of American
history, Americans now believe that the early colonists came to America
seeking land and gold rather than for the reason most cited by the
colonists: evangelization. And most now accept that the colonies were
founded for trade, fishing, and other economic enterprises, even though more
than half were founded by Gospel ministers for religious purposes (e.g.,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Georgia, etc.). And
if religion is discussed in a text, it will be to present the 21 deaths
during the Salem Witch Trials rather than the Great Awakenings, the Civil
War revivals, or the turn-of-the-century revivals that led to widespread
urban renewal and the end of child labor.
Having now come to believe that economics is what created and made America
great, it is not surprising that few Americans commented on the fact that,
during the 2004 presidential debates, "jobs" and "economy" were mentioned
hundreds of times but "marriage" less than a dozen. Nor is it surprising
that over the past decade, 45 percent of evangelical Christians say that
economic issues are more important than moral issues when it comes to
voting.
There is so much of our wholesome, God-centered American history that we no
longer know today. This is especially true when it comes to the average
American's knowledge of African American history.
Consider, for example, African American achievements during the American
Revolution. Few today know that almost 5,000 of the patriots in the
fledgling Continental Army were African Americans - that, for example, a
hero of the Battle of Bunker Hill was African American Peter Salem. His
heroic actions saved the lives of scores of Americans, and he was honored
before General Washington for his courage.
And Pastor Lemuel Haynes was involved in several major Revolutionary battles
and became an ardent admirer of George Washington, regularly preaching
sermons on Washington's birthday. This patriot preacher was the first
African American to be ordained by a mainstream Christian denomination (the
Congregationalists, in 1785), to pastor a white congregation (a congregation
in Connecticut), and to be awarded an honorary Master's Degree (by
Middlebury College, in 1804). Yet who today has heard of Lemuel Haynes?
Or who has heard of James Armistead, the courageous spy at Yorktown whose
remarkable service considerably shortened the War? Or Oliver Cromwell and
Prince Whipple (depicted in several famous Revolutionary War paintings) who
served directly under General Washington and the general staff? Or Jordan
Freeman, the gallant soldier to whom a monument was erected for his heroic
service at the Battle of Groton Heights?
Then there is also African American church history - including the amazing
story of the Rev. John Marrant, the first African American to evangelize
successfully among American Indians; the Rev. Richard Allen, who gained his
freedom from slavery, served in the American Revolution, became a preacher
in a church of 2000 whites, and founded America's first black denomination;
and the Rev. Harry Hoosier, who delivered the first recorded Methodist
sermon by an African American and drew crowds larger than the great
Methodist Bishop Francis Asbury.
And consider African American political history. Who today knows the story
of the Rev. Hiram Rhodes Revels, the African American missionary who became
the first black U. S. Senator? Or the Rev. Henry Highland Garnet, the first
African American to deliver a sermon in Congress? Or Joseph Hayne Rainey,
who overcame slavery to become the first African American elected to the U.
S. Congress, even presiding over the U. S. House? (In the picture of the
first seven African Americans elected to the federal Congress - all as
Republicans - the Rev. Revels is the first from the left, and Rainey is
second from the right.) Or who today has learned that nearly every southern
Republican Party was started by African Americans - or that the first 190
African Americans elected to office in South Carolina (and the first 112 in
Mississippi, the first 42 in Texas, the first 127 in Louisiana, etc.) were
all Republicans, and many were ministers?
I have spent years collecting thousands of original and priceless documents
from American history in general and black history in particular; God's
fingerprints are evident throughout. I have been asked why I, as an Anglo,
would spend so much time in the study of African American political history.
The answer is simple: I am an American; and since the story of African
American history is part of American history, it therefore is part of my own
history. Furthermore, I am inspired by all stories of sacrifice, courage,
and Godly character - regardless of skin color. The stories of African
American heroes such as Phillis Wheatley, Francis Grimke, and John Roy Lynch
are as thrilling to me as are the stories of Lewis & Clark, Helen Keller,
and Alvin York.
The reintroduction of a truthful and complete telling of American history is
long overdue. Daniel Webster was right: "History is God's providence in
human affairs," and it is time for Americans once again to become aware of
the remarkable hand of God throughout our history.
--
The fundamental principle of our Constitution . . . enjoins [requires] that
the will of the majority shall prevail.
George Washington
--------------------------------------------------------------
The will of the majority [is] the natural law of every society [and] is the
only sure guardian of the rights of man. Perhaps even this may sometimes
err. But its errors are honest, solitary and short-lived
Though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be
rightful must be reasonable - the minority possess their equal rights which
equal law must protect
Thomas Jefferson
.
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| User: "Barbi Satin" |
|
| Title: Re: Missing in Action from American History |
12 Nov 2005 10:53:43 PM |
|
|
"Dana" <whoya@whoya.com> wrote in message
news:11nd163t8dggq88@corp.supernews.com...
http://www.wallbuilders.com/resources/search/detail.php?ResourceID=121
God: Missing in Action from American History
by David Barton
I am sooo hot for you Dana baby! Do you still have that pink satin
french maids uniform?
.
|
|
|
|
| User: "Joseph Welch" |
|
| Title: Re: Missing in Action from American History |
12 Nov 2005 08:10:58 PM |
|
|
"Dana" <whoya@whoya.com> wrote in message
news:11nd163t8dggq88@corp.supernews.com...
If you want to live in a theocracy why don't you move to Saudi Arabia, or
Iran, or Iraq you fucking traitor?
--
JW
***************
"You've done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have
you left no sense of decency?"
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/welch-mccarthy.html
.
|
|
|
|
| User: "Rich Travsky " |
|
| Title: So? Re: God: Missing in Action from American History |
13 Nov 2005 01:59:07 AM |
|
|
Dana wrote:
http://www.wallbuilders.com/resources/search/detail.php?ResourceID=121
God: Missing in Action from American History
by David Barton
American history today has become a dreary academic subject. Yet, most who
are bored by American history view Bible history quite differently: they
love the stories of David and Goliath, Daniel and the lion's den, and Peter
walking on the water. So it's not that people don't enjoy history, it's just
that they don't respond favorably to the way American history is currently
being taught.
One reason Bible history is interesting and American history is not is that
the Bible (as well as American education during its first three centuries)
utilizes biographical history - that is, it presents history through the
eyes and life experiences of those involved (i.e., the biographies) rather
than through the recitation of a string of dates and places. It is the
difference between reading the stories in Guideposts and the numbers in a
phone book.
Looking at history the way God presents it is exciting and informative; and
in numerous verses, God even commends its study: "Remember the former things
of old: for I am God" (Isaiah 46:9); and "Call to remembrance the former
days" (Hebrews 10:32); etc. But why would God want us to know history? The
Apostle Paul answers that question in 1 Corinthians 10:1: "All these things
happened unto them for example; and they are written for our admonition"
(see also Romans 15:4: "Those things written aforetime were written for our
learning"). In short, we learn from history; and what we learn affects our
behavior.
American leaders long understood this Biblical truth. For example, Thomas
Jefferson noted: "History, by apprizing them [students] of the past, will
enable them to judge of the future." And what can be learned by being
"apprized of the past"? According to Benjamin Franklin: History will afford
frequent opportunities of showing the necessity of a public religion from
its usefulness to the public; the advantage of a religious character among
private persons; the mischiefs of superstition; and the excellency of the
Christian religion above all others, ancient or modern.
Franklin understood that history, when accurately presented, would
demonstrate the need for Christianity because of both the societal and the
individual benefits it produces. In fact, the presenting of an uncensored
and unrevised history actually causes a recognition of the hand of God -
for, in the words of the great statesman Daniel Webster: "History is God's
providence in human affairs."
Today, however, history is presented in such an edited, revised, and
politically-correct manner that God's hand is rarely visible - and even the
historic role of famous Godly leaders in education, business, politics, and
the military is now virtually unacknowledged.
An obvious example of the secularization of history occurs each year around
the Fourth of July. Americans are taught that "taxation without
representation" was the reason America separated from Great Britain; yet
"taxation without representation" was only reason number seventeen out of
the twenty-seven reasons given in the Declaration of Independence - it was
not even in the top half, yet it's all that most ever hear. Never mentioned
today are the numerous grievances condemning judicial activism - or those
addressing moral or religious or other issues.
What religious issues? In 1762, the king vetoed the charter for America's
first missionary society; he also suppressed other religious freedoms and
even prevented Americans from printing an English language Bible. How did
Americans respond? They took action; and almost unknown today is the fact
that Declaration signers such as Samuel Adams and Charles Carroll cited
religious freedom as the reason they became involved in the American
Revolution. And significantly, even though Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin
(two of the least religious signers) are typically the only signers studied
today, almost half of the signers of the Declaration (24 of 56) held what
today would be considered seminary or Bible school degrees. Clearly, for
many Founders, religious issues were an important motivation behind their
separation from Great Britain; but that motivation is largely ignored today.
Moral issues are accorded the same silence. The greatest moral issue of that
day was slavery; and after several of the American colonies moved toward
abolishing slavery in 1773, the King, in 1774, vetoed those anti-slavery
laws and continued slavery in America. Soon-to-be signers of the Declaration
Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush promptly founded America's first
abolition society as a direct response against the king's order. The desire
to end slavery in America was a significant motivation not only for Franklin
and Rush but also for a number of others; but the end of slavery in America
could be achieved only if they separated from Great Britain - which they
were willing to do (and six of the thirteen colonies began abolishing
slavery following the separation).
There were many other significant issues that led to our original Fourth of
July; so why aren't Americans familiar with the rest? Because in the 1920s,
30s, and 40s, a group of secular-minded writers (including Charles and Mary
Beard, W. E. Woodward, Fairfax Downey, and others) began penning works on
American history that introduced a new paradigm. For this group, economics
was the only issue of importance, so they began to write texts accordingly
(their approach is now described as "the economic view of American history"
and since the 1960s has been widely embraced throughout the education
community). Consequently, since "taxation without representation" was the
economic grievance in the Declaration, it became the sole clause that
Americans studied.
As a result, God is no longer visible in American history; and His absence
is now construed as a mandate for secularism. Texts now forcefully assert
that the American founding produced the first intentionally secular
government in history - even though the Declaration officially acknowledges
God in four separate clauses. (But who still teaches the Declaration - or
even reads it?) Similarly, leaders such as John Hancock and John Adams
receive credit as being the source of our independence, even though John
Adams himself declared that the Rev. Dr. Jonathan Mayhew and the Rev. Dr.
Samuel Cooper were two of the individuals "most conspicuous, the most
ardent, and influential" in the "awakening and revival of American
principles and feelings" that led to American independence. Regrettably, God
(and His servants) have largely disappeared from the presentation of
American history in general and America's founding in particular.
As a further example, consider the legendary Minutemen: even though they are
still honored in many texts, their leader, the Rev. Jonas Clark, is no
longer mentioned - nor the fact that many of the Minutemen were deacons in
his church. And the Rev. James Caldwell is no longer acknowledged as a key
leader of military forces in New Jersey - nor the Rev. John Peter Gabriel
Muhlenberg (who led 300 men from his church against the British) as one of
Washington's most trusted generals.
Regrettably, we no longer know much about the indispensable role of pastors
and Christian leaders in the founding of our civil government. Americans
have been subjected to "revisionism" - defined by the dictionary as "the
revision of an accepted, usually long-standing view; especially a revision
of historical events and movements." Revisionism attempts to alter the way a
people sees its history in order to cause a change in public policy.
Consider how successful this has been. Under the economic view of American
history, Americans now believe that the early colonists came to America
seeking land and gold rather than for the reason most cited by the
colonists: evangelization. And most now accept that the colonies were
founded for trade, fishing, and other economic enterprises, even though more
than half were founded by Gospel ministers for religious purposes (e.g.,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Georgia, etc.). And
if religion is discussed in a text, it will be to present the 21 deaths
during the Salem Witch Trials rather than the Great Awakenings, the Civil
War revivals, or the turn-of-the-century revivals that led to widespread
urban renewal and the end of child labor.
Having now come to believe that economics is what created and made America
great, it is not surprising that few Americans commented on the fact that,
during the 2004 presidential debates, "jobs" and "economy" were mentioned
hundreds of times but "marriage" less than a dozen. Nor is it surprising
that over the past decade, 45 percent of evangelical Christians say that
economic issues are more important than moral issues when it comes to
voting.
There is so much of our wholesome, God-centered American history that we no
longer know today. This is especially true when it comes to the average
American's knowledge of African American history.
Consider, for example, African American achievements during the American
Revolution. Few today know that almost 5,000 of the patriots in the
fledgling Continental Army were African Americans - that, for example, a
hero of the Battle of Bunker Hill was African American Peter Salem. His
heroic actions saved the lives of scores of Americans, and he was honored
before General Washington for his courage.
And Pastor Lemuel Haynes was involved in several major Revolutionary battles
and became an ardent admirer of George Washington, regularly preaching
sermons on Washington's birthday. This patriot preacher was the first
African American to be ordained by a mainstream Christian denomination (the
Congregationalists, in 1785), to pastor a white congregation (a congregation
in Connecticut), and to be awarded an honorary Master's Degree (by
Middlebury College, in 1804). Yet who today has heard of Lemuel Haynes?
Or who has heard of James Armistead, the courageous spy at Yorktown whose
remarkable service considerably shortened the War? Or Oliver Cromwell and
Prince Whipple (depicted in several famous Revolutionary War paintings) who
served directly under General Washington and the general staff? Or Jordan
Freeman, the gallant soldier to whom a monument was erected for his heroic
service at the Battle of Groton Heights?
Then there is also African American church history - including the amazing
story of the Rev. John Marrant, the first African American to evangelize
successfully among American Indians; the Rev. Richard Allen, who gained his
freedom from slavery, served in the American Revolution, became a preacher
in a church of 2000 whites, and founded America's first black denomination;
and the Rev. Harry Hoosier, who delivered the first recorded Methodist
sermon by an African American and drew crowds larger than the great
Methodist Bishop Francis Asbury.
And consider African American political history. Who today knows the story
of the Rev. Hiram Rhodes Revels, the African American missionary who became
the first black U. S. Senator? Or the Rev. Henry Highland Garnet, the first
African American to deliver a sermon in Congress? Or Joseph Hayne Rainey,
who overcame slavery to become the first African American elected to the U.
S. Congress, even presiding over the U. S. House? (In the picture of the
first seven African Americans elected to the federal Congress - all as
Republicans - the Rev. Revels is the first from the left, and Rainey is
second from the right.) Or who today has learned that nearly every southern
Republican Party was started by African Americans - or that the first 190
African Americans elected to office in South Carolina (and the first 112 in
Mississippi, the first 42 in Texas, the first 127 in Louisiana, etc.) were
all Republicans, and many were ministers?
I have spent years collecting thousands of original and priceless documents
from American history in general and black history in particular; God's
fingerprints are evident throughout. I have been asked why I, as an Anglo,
would spend so much time in the study of African American political history.
The answer is simple: I am an American; and since the story of African
American history is part of American history, it therefore is part of my own
history. Furthermore, I am inspired by all stories of sacrifice, courage,
and Godly character - regardless of skin color. The stories of African
American heroes such as Phillis Wheatley, Francis Grimke, and John Roy Lynch
are as thrilling to me as are the stories of Lewis & Clark, Helen Keller,
and Alvin York.
The reintroduction of a truthful and complete telling of American history is
long overdue. Daniel Webster was right: "History is God's providence in
human affairs," and it is time for Americans once again to become aware of
the remarkable hand of God throughout our history.
--
The fundamental principle of our Constitution . . . enjoins [requires] that
the will of the majority shall prevail.
George Washington
--------------------------------------------------------------
The will of the majority [is] the natural law of every society [and] is the
only sure guardian of the rights of man. Perhaps even this may sometimes
err. But its errors are honest, solitary and short-lived
Though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be
rightful must be reasonable - the minority possess their equal rights which
equal law must protect
Thomas Jefferson
.
|
|
|
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| User: "" |
|
| Title: Re: God: Missing in Action from American History |
12 Nov 2005 07:06:57 PM |
|
|
Dana wrote:
http://www.wallbuilders.com/resources/search/detail.php?ResourceID=121
God: Missing in Action from American History
by David Barton
American history today has become a dreary academic subject. Yet, most who
are bored by American history view Bible history quite differently: they
love the stories of David and Goliath, Daniel and the lion's den, and Peter
walking on the water.
If that's the case, students will absolutely love reviewing
religious/spiritual myths from Hinduism (like Krishna and Rama), Native
American sources, etc. The story of Xenu (Scientology) will absolutely
enthrall them!
Bring it on.
.
|
|
|
|
| User: "Gray Shockley" |
|
| Title: Re: God: Missing in Action from American History |
13 Nov 2005 12:47:43 AM |
|
|
On Sat, 12 Nov 2005 18:17:47 -0600, Dana wrote:
http://www.wallbuilders.com/resources/search/detail.php?ResourceID=121
God: Missing in Action from American History
by David Barton
American history today has become a dreary academic subject. Yet, most who
are bored by American history view Bible history quite differently: they
love the stories of David and Goliath, Daniel and the lion's den, and Peter
walking on the water. So it's not that people don't enjoy history, it's just
that they don't respond favorably to the way American history is currently
being taught.
Exactly!
When I was in the 11th grade, I came across a paperback entitled,
"1776" and that made history real for me.
For instance, most of us were taught that Chuck Cornwallis'
statement to our young gentlemen was, "Disperse, you rebels". But
that book quoted Chuckie as saying, "***** you! Disperse you
rebel bastards."
And sanitized history has LBJ saying of Gerald Ford that "Ford
can't walk and chew gum at the same time." Now, anyone who was
around during LBJ's salad days knows that LBJ tended to be a mite
bit "earthier" than that and so it goes. It was sanitized by the
reporters who decided that they weren't going to put, on their
newspapers' front pages that, "Gerald Ford can't walk and fart at
the same time."
Goodness, Gracious Me! Subscriptions
<https://w1.buysub.com/pubs/SR/WNS/hard_sub.jsp?cds_page_id=21274&id
=1131849946741&lsid=53162045467038741&vid=1&cds_response_key=INNSB5P
&cds_mag_code=WNS>
to "Weekly World News"
<http://www.weeklyworldnews.com/>
cost less than textbooks and, with textbooks, one doesn't get a
BatBoy T-Shirt! at no extra charge.
One reason Bible history is interesting and American history is not is that
the Bible (as well as American education during its first three centuries)
utilizes biographical history - that is, it presents history through the
eyes and life experiences of those involved (i.e., the biographies) rather
than through the recitation of a string of dates and places. It is the
difference between reading the stories in Guideposts and the numbers in a
phone book.
There aren't many public school children who have never read or
been taught from the Apocrypha that, at about the age of 12, a
couple of kids really hacked Jesus off and Jesus smites those
suckas dead. In fact, Joseph mentions to Mary that they really
shouldn't let Jesus go outside. Oops, I forgot to add that he
killed a teacher, also.
Looking at history the way God presents it is exciting and informative;
Yup. Like
2:23 And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up
by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and
mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou
bald head.
2:24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the
name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the
wood, and tare [mauled] forty and two children of them.
- 2nd Kings 2:23-24
and, of course:
31:14 Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you:
every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for
whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from
among his people.
- Exodus 31:14
and
in numerous verses, God even commends its study: "Remember the former things
of old: for I am God" (Isaiah 46:9); and "Call to remembrance the former
days" (Hebrews 10:32); etc. But why would God want us to know history? The
Apostle Paul answers that question in 1 Corinthians 10:1: "All these things
happened unto them for example; and they are written for our admonition"
(see also Romans 15:4: "Those things written aforetime were written for our
learning"). In short, we learn from history; and what we learn affects our
behavior.
Oh - okay:
1:2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is
better than wine.
1:9 I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in
Pharaoh's chariots.
1:10 Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with
chains of gold.
1:13 A bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me; he shall lie all
night betwixt my breasts.
1:14 My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the
vineyards of Engedi.
1:15 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou
hast doves' eyes.
1:16 Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed
is green.
1:17 The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir.
2:1 I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.
3:1 By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought
him, but I found him not.
4:1 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou
hast doves' eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats,
that appear from mount Gilead.
4:2 Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which
came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is
barren among them.
4:3 Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is
comely: thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy
locks.
4:4 Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armoury,
whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men.
4:5 Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which
feed among the lilies.
4:6 Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me
to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.
4:7 Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.
4:12 A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a
fountain sealed.
4:13 Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant
fruits; camphire, with spikenard,
5:4 My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my
bowels were moved for him.
6:8 There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and
virgins without number.
7:1 How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince's daughter! the
joints of thy thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a
cunning workman.
7:2 Thy navel is like a round goblet, which wanteth not liquor: thy
belly is like an heap of wheat set about with lilies.
7:3 Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins.
7:4 Thy neck is as a tower of ivory; thine eyes like the fishpools
in Heshbon, by the gate of Bathrabbim: thy nose is as the tower of
Lebanon which looketh toward Damascus.
7:5 Thine head upon thee is like Carmel, and the hair of thine head
like purple; the king is held in the galleries.
7:6 How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights!
7:7 This thy stature is like to a palm tree, and thy breasts to
clusters of grapes.
7:8 I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the
boughs thereof: now also thy breasts shall be as clusters of the
vine, and the smell of thy nose like apples;
7:9 And the roof of thy mouth like the best wine for my beloved,
that goeth down sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep
to speak.
8:10 I am a wall, and my breasts like towers: then was I in his
eyes as one that found favour.
- Solomon, Song of - Selections
Teenagers are fond of these passages.
Solomon loves me, this I know;
Cause the Bible tells me so.
There's the framework for a number of "lessons" right there.
Gray Shockley
--------------------------
Now my own suspicion is that the
Universe is not only queerer than
we suppose, but queerer than
we can suppose.
- J. B. S. Haldane
American leaders long understood this Biblical truth. For example, Thomas
Jefferson noted: "History, by apprizing them [students] of the past, will
enable them to judge of the future." And what can be learned by being
"apprized of the past"? According to Benjamin Franklin: History will afford
frequent opportunities of showing the necessity of a public religion from
its usefulness to the public; the advantage of a religious character among
private persons; the mischiefs of superstition; and the excellency of the
Christian religion above all others, ancient or modern.
Franklin understood that history, when accurately presented, would
demonstrate the need for Christianity because of both the societal and the
individual benefits it produces. In fact, the presenting of an uncensored
and unrevised history actually causes a recognition of the hand of God -
for, in the words of the great statesman Daniel Webster: "History is God's
providence in human affairs."
Today, however, history is presented in such an edited, revised, and
politically-correct manner that God's hand is rarely visible - and even the
historic role of famous Godly leaders in education, business, politics, and
the military is now virtually unacknowledged.
An obvious example of the secularization of history occurs each year around
the Fourth of July. Americans are taught that "taxation without
representation" was the reason America separated from Great Britain; yet
"taxation without representation" was only reason number seventeen out of
the twenty-seven reasons given in the Declaration of Independence - it was
not even in the top half, yet it's all that most ever hear. Never mentioned
today are the numerous grievances condemning judicial activism - or those
addressing moral or religious or other issues.
What religious issues? In 1762, the king vetoed the charter for America's
first missionary society; he also suppressed other religious freedoms and
even prevented Americans from printing an English language Bible. How did
Americans respond? They took action; and almost unknown today is the fact
that Declaration signers such as Samuel Adams and Charles Carroll cited
religious freedom as the reason they became involved in the American
Revolution. And significantly, even though Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin
(two of the least religious signers) are typically the only signers studied
today, almost half of the signers of the Declaration (24 of 56) held what
today would be considered seminary or Bible school degrees. Clearly, for
many Founders, religious issues were an important motivation behind their
separation from Great Britain; but that motivation is largely ignored today.
Moral issues are accorded the same silence. The greatest moral issue of that
day was slavery; and after several of the American colonies moved toward
abolishing slavery in 1773, the King, in 1774, vetoed those anti-slavery
laws and continued slavery in America. Soon-to-be signers of the Declaration
Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush promptly founded America's first
abolition society as a direct response against the king's order. The desire
to end slavery in America was a significant motivation not only for Franklin
and Rush but also for a number of others; but the end of slavery in America
could be achieved only if they separated from Great Britain - which they
were willing to do (and six of the thirteen colonies began abolishing
slavery following the separation).
There were many other significant issues that led to our original Fourth of
July; so why aren't Americans familiar with the rest? Because in the 1920s,
30s, and 40s, a group of secular-minded writers (including Charles and Mary
Beard, W. E. Woodward, Fairfax Downey, and others) began penning works on
American history that introduced a new paradigm. For this group, economics
was the only issue of importance, so they began to write texts accordingly
(their approach is now described as "the economic view of American history"
and since the 1960s has been widely embraced throughout the education
community). Consequently, since "taxation without representation" was the
economic grievance in the Declaration, it became the sole clause that
Americans studied.
As a result, God is no longer visible in American history; and His absence
is now construed as a mandate for secularism. Texts now forcefully assert
that the American founding produced the first intentionally secular
government in history - even though the Declaration officially acknowledges
God in four separate clauses. (But who still teaches the Declaration - or
even reads it?) Similarly, leaders such as John Hancock and John Adams
receive credit as being the source of our independence, even though John
Adams himself declared that the Rev. Dr. Jonathan Mayhew and the Rev. Dr.
Samuel Cooper were two of the individuals "most conspicuous, the most
ardent, and influential" in the "awakening and revival of American
principles and feelings" that led to American independence. Regrettably, God
(and His servants) have largely disappeared from the presentation of
American history in general and America's founding in particular.
As a further example, consider the legendary Minutemen: even though they are
still honored in many texts, their leader, the Rev. Jonas Clark, is no
longer mentioned - nor the fact that many of the Minutemen were deacons in
his church. And the Rev. James Caldwell is no longer acknowledged as a key
leader of military forces in New Jersey - nor the Rev. John Peter Gabriel
Muhlenberg (who led 300 men from his church against the British) as one of
Washington's most trusted generals.
Regrettably, we no longer know much about the indispensable role of pastors
and Christian leaders in the founding of our civil government. Americans
have been subjected to "revisionism" - defined by the dictionary as "the
revision of an accepted, usually long-standing view; especially a revision
of historical events and movements." Revisionism attempts to alter the way a
people sees its history in order to cause a change in public policy.
Consider how successful this has been. Under the economic view of American
history, Americans now believe that the early colonists came to America
seeking land and gold rather than for the reason most cited by the
colonists: evangelization. And most now accept that the colonies were
founded for trade, fishing, and other economic enterprises, even though more
than half were founded by Gospel ministers for religious purposes (e.g.,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Georgia, etc.). And
if religion is discussed in a text, it will be to present the 21 deaths
during the Salem Witch Trials rather than the Great Awakenings, the Civil
War revivals, or the turn-of-the-century revivals that led to widespread
urban renewal and the end of child labor.
Having now come to believe that economics is what created and made America
great, it is not surprising that few Americans commented on the fact that,
during the 2004 presidential debates, "jobs" and "economy" were mentioned
hundreds of times but "marriage" less than a dozen. Nor is it surprising
that over the past decade, 45 percent of evangelical Christians say that
economic issues are more important than moral issues when it comes to
voting.
There is so much of our wholesome, God-centered American history that we no
longer know today. This is especially true when it comes to the average
American's knowledge of African American history.
Consider, for example, African American achievements during the American
Revolution. Few today know that almost 5,000 of the patriots in the
fledgling Continental Army were African Americans - that, for example, a
hero of the Battle of Bunker Hill was African American Peter Salem. His
heroic actions saved the lives of scores of Americans, and he was honored
before General Washington for his courage.
And Pastor Lemuel Haynes was involved in several major Revolutionary battles
and became an ardent admirer of George Washington, regularly preaching
sermons on Washington's birthday. This patriot preacher was the first
African American to be ordained by a mainstream Christian denomination (the
Congregationalists, in 1785), to pastor a white congregation (a congregation
in Connecticut), and to be awarded an honorary Master's Degree (by
Middlebury College, in 1804). Yet who today has heard of Lemuel Haynes?
Or who has heard of James Armistead, the courageous spy at Yorktown whose
remarkable service considerably shortened the War? Or Oliver Cromwell and
Prince Whipple (depicted in several famous Revolutionary War paintings) who
served directly under General Washington and the general staff? Or Jordan
Freeman, the gallant soldier to whom a monument was erected for his heroic
service at the Battle of Groton Heights?
Then there is also African American church history - including the amazing
story of the Rev. John Marrant, the first African American to evangelize
successfully among American Indians; the Rev. Richard Allen, who gained his
freedom from slavery, served in the American Revolution, became a preacher
in a church of 2000 whites, and founded America's first black denomination;
and the Rev. Harry Hoosier, who delivered the first recorded Methodist
sermon by an African American and drew crowds larger than the great
Methodist Bishop Francis Asbury.
And consider African American political history. Who today knows the story
of the Rev. Hiram Rhodes Revels, the African American missionary who became
the first black U. S. Senator? Or the Rev. Henry Highland Garnet, the first
African American to deliver a sermon in Congress? Or Joseph Hayne Rainey,
who overcame slavery to become the first African American elected to the U.
S. Congress, even presiding over the U. S. House? (In the picture of the
first seven African Americans elected to the federal Congress - all as
Republicans - the Rev. Revels is the first from the left, and Rainey is
second from the right.) Or who today has learned that nearly every southern
Republican Party was started by African Americans - or that the first 190
African Americans elected to office in South Carolina (and the first 112 in
Mississippi, the first 42 in Texas, the first 127 in Louisiana, etc.) were
all Republicans, and many were ministers?
I have spent years collecting thousands of original and priceless documents
from American history in general and black history in particular; God's
fingerprints are evident throughout. I have been asked why I, as an Anglo,
would spend so much time in the study of African American political history.
The answer is simple: I am an American; and since the story of African
American history is part of American history, it therefore is part of my own
history. Furthermore, I am inspired by all stories of sacrifice, courage,
and Godly character - regardless of skin color. The stories of African
American heroes such as Phillis Wheatley, Francis Grimke, and John Roy Lynch
are as thrilling to me as are the stories of Lewis & Clark, Helen Keller,
and Alvin York.
The reintroduction of a truthful and complete telling of American history is
long overdue. Daniel Webster was right: "History is God's providence in
human affairs," and it is time for Americans once again to become aware of
the remarkable hand of God throughout our history.
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