David Barton
Encyclopedia
David Barton is an American
evangelical Christian
minister, conservative activist and author. He founded WallBuilders, a Texas
-based organization with a goal of exposing the claimed US constitutional separation of church and state
as a myth. Barton is the former co-chair of the Republican Party of Texas
.
Barton collects early American documents, and his official biography describes him as "an expert in historical and constitutional issues". Barton holds no formal credentials in history or law, and critics dispute the accuracy and integrity of his assertions about history, accusing him of practicing misleading historical revisionism
, "pseudoscholarship
" and "outright falsehoods". His research has been described as flawed by many historians, who dismiss his work as that of "a biased amateur who cherry-picks quotes from history and the Bible."
A 2005 Time magazine
article entitled "The 25 Most Influential Evangelicals" called Barton "a major voice in the debate over church-state separation" who, despite the fact that "many historians dismiss his thinking... [is] a hero to millions—including some powerful politicians." He has been described as a Christian nationalist and "one of the foremost Christian revisionist historians
"; much of his work is devoted to advancing the idea, based upon research that many historians describe as flawed, that the United States was founded as an explicitly Christian nation. Barton has appeared on television and radio programs, including those of former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee
and Glenn Beck
, who has praised Barton as "the Library of Congress in shoes".
in Aledo, Texas
; a suburb of Fort Worth. He received a Bachelor of Arts
degree
in religious education
from Oral Roberts University
in 1976.
After graduating, Barton served as a church youth director. He taught math and science and eventually became principal at Aledo Christian School, a Christian school of fewer than 100 students which grew out of Aledo Christian Center, a nondenominational charismatic
church started by Barton's parents.
In 1987 Barton formed Specialty Research Associates, which "focuses on the historical research of issues relating to America's constitutional, moral, and religious heritage." Specialty Research Associates has submitted amicus curiae
briefs in court cases.
Barton is the founder and president of the Aledo-based group WallBuilders, an organization which says it presents "America's forgotten history and heroes, with an emphasis on the moral, religious, and constitutional foundation on which America was built." WallBuilders publishes and sells most of Barton's books and videos, some of which present Barton's position that the modern view of separation of church and state is not consistent with the views of the Founders
. Among other beliefs about the religion clauses of the First Amendment, they argue that its religion clauses were not intended to include such faiths as paganism and witchcraft, but only monotheistic religions, and perhaps solely Christianity.
Barton is married and has three grown children, including a daughter who does minority outreach for the Republican Party of Texas
.
to the Republican National Committee
on outreach to evangelicals.
He serves on the Board of Advisors of the National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools
, publisher of a controversial Bible curriculum for use in public schools (not to be confused with The Bible and Its Influence
curriculum). This curriculum contains direct quotations from Barton's books, recommends the resources published by WallBuilders, and advocates showing that group's video, Foundations of American Government, at the beginning of the course.
One of the WallBuilders speakers is Rick Green
, a former Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives
and a failed candidate for the Texas Supreme Court
in an April, 2010 runoff election.
Barton serves on the Board of Advisors of the Providence Foundation. According to its website, the Providence Foundation is a nonprofit Christian educational organization whose mission is to spread liberty, justice, and prosperity among nations by instructing individuals in a Biblical worldview. Emphasis is said to be upon educating in principles, rather than issues, drawing upon examples in history for illustration. In an article discussing Barton, The Nation
described the Providence Foundation as "a Christian Reconstructionist
group that promotes the idea that biblical law should be instituted in America."
In Barton’s book The Myth of Separation, the author states his belief that Christians were the ones who were intended to hold public office and that Jews and members of other sects were not. According to Skipp Porteous of the Massachusetts-based Institute for First Amendment Studies, Barton was listed in promotional literature as a "new and special speaker" at a 1991 summer retreat in Colorado sponsored by Scriptures for America, a far-right Christian Identity
ministry headed by Pastor Pete Peters
, which has been linked to neo-Nazi groups. However, Barton said he was unaware of the group's anti-Semitic and racist views at the time. In September, 2011, Barton sued two former Texas State Board of Education candidates for posting a video on YouTube that stated that he was "known for speaking at white supremacist rallies".
Barton is a lecturer for Glenn Beck's online Beck University
.
, The 700 Club
, Fox News Channel
, ABC
, The Daily Show
, and National Public Radio.
, Newt Gingrich
, Michele Bachmann
and Senator Sam Brownback
.
, Rob Boston
of Americans United for Separation of Church and State
, Gordon College
History professor Stephen Phillips
, Republican Senator Arlen Specter
, the Anti-Defamation League
, Senior Research Director for the Military Religious Freedom Foundation
Chris Rodda
, John Fea, and Baylor University
historian Barry Hankins.
of Virginia was actually the first Muslim
member of Congress in reaction to the recent election of Keith Ellison
(D-MN), a practicing Muslim. Barton's statement garnered widespread coverage in the evangelical Christian media at the time, but appears to have been based on a misinterpretation of a passage in which Randolph reported a youthful flirtation with agnosticism and professed sympathy for the Muslim Arabs during the crusades. Randolph was a practicing Episcopalian
for most of his life, and biographer William Cabell Bruce
considered Randolph's self-described "absurd prejudice in favor of Mohammedanism" a vagary that soon passed.
, Thomas Jefferson
, Benjamin Franklin
, and U.S. Supreme Court decisions (hence, the title of the article), but maintained that the quotes were "completely consistent" with the views of the Founders. This drew criticism from Rob Boston of Americans United for Separation of Church and State
, who accused Barton of "shoddy workmanship", and said that despite these and other corrections, Barton's work "remains rife with distortions of history and court rulings". WallBuilders responded to its critics by saying that Barton followed "common practice in the academic community" in citing secondary sources, and that in publishing "Unconfirmed Quotations", Barton's intent was to raise the academic bar in historical debates pertinent to public policy.
The Texas Monthly
noted that Barton has denied saying that in his famous letter to Danbury Baptists "Jefferson referred to the wall of separation between church and state as 'one-directional'—that is, it was meant to restrain government from infringing on the church's domain but not the other way around. There is no such language in the letter." The article goes on to note that this denial is contradicted by a 1990 version of Barton's video America's Godly Heritage in which Barton states:
Barton was also criticized for speaking at two functions organized by the ministry of Christian Identity
adherent and Holocaust denier Pete Peters. He later stated that he "didn't know they (the groups he spoke at) were part of the Nazi movement".
Barton's legitimacy was reported to be growing in 2006, due largely to his first work which was not self-published, a 2003 article in the Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics and Public Policy, (Volume XVII Issue No. 2, 2003, p. 399), a "rather tame survey" on Jefferson’s writings about the First Amendment.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
evangelical Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
minister, conservative activist and author. He founded WallBuilders, a Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
-based organization with a goal of exposing the claimed US constitutional separation of church and state
Separation of church and state
The concept of the separation of church and state refers to the distance in the relationship between organized religion and the nation state....
as a myth. Barton is the former co-chair of the Republican Party of Texas
Republican Party of Texas
The Republican Party of Texas is one of the two major political parties in the U.S. State of Texas. It is affiliated with the United States Republican Party. The State Chairman is Steve Munisteri, a retired attorney and businessman from Houston, and the Vice-Chair is Melinda Fredricks of Conroe....
.
Barton collects early American documents, and his official biography describes him as "an expert in historical and constitutional issues". Barton holds no formal credentials in history or law, and critics dispute the accuracy and integrity of his assertions about history, accusing him of practicing misleading historical revisionism
Historical revisionism (negationism)
Historical revisionism is either the legitimate scholastic re-examination of existing knowledge about a historical event, or the illegitimate distortion of the historical record such that certain events appear in a more or less favourable light. For the former, i.e. the academic pursuit, see...
, "pseudoscholarship
Pseudohistory
Pseudohistory is a pejorative term applied to a type of historical revisionism, often involving sensational claims whose acceptance would require rewriting a significant amount of commonly accepted history, and based on methods that depart from standard historiographical conventions.Cryptohistory...
" and "outright falsehoods". His research has been described as flawed by many historians, who dismiss his work as that of "a biased amateur who cherry-picks quotes from history and the Bible."
A 2005 Time magazine
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
article entitled "The 25 Most Influential Evangelicals" called Barton "a major voice in the debate over church-state separation" who, despite the fact that "many historians dismiss his thinking... [is] a hero to millions—including some powerful politicians." He has been described as a Christian nationalist and "one of the foremost Christian revisionist historians
Historical revisionism
In historiography, historical revisionism is the reinterpretation of orthodox views on evidence, motivations, and decision-making processes surrounding a historical event...
"; much of his work is devoted to advancing the idea, based upon research that many historians describe as flawed, that the United States was founded as an explicitly Christian nation. Barton has appeared on television and radio programs, including those of former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee
Michael "Mike" Dale Huckabee is an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in both popular vote and number of states won . He won...
and Glenn Beck
Glenn Beck
Glenn Edward Lee Beck is an American conservative radio host, vlogger, author, entrepreneur, political commentator and former television host. He hosts the Glenn Beck Program, a nationally syndicated talk-radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks...
, who has praised Barton as "the Library of Congress in shoes".
Biography
Barton graduated in 1972 from Aledo High SchoolAledo High School (Texas)
Aledo High School is a 4A high school located in Aledo, Texas . It is part of the Aledo Independent School District located in south central Parker County...
in Aledo, Texas
Aledo, Texas
Aledo is a city in Parker County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,726 at the 2000 census.The city is served by the Aledo Independent School District.-Geography:...
; a suburb of Fort Worth. He received a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
in religious education
Religious education
In secular usage, religious education is the teaching of a particular religion and its varied aspects —its beliefs, doctrines, rituals, customs, rites, and personal roles...
from Oral Roberts University
Oral Roberts University
Oral Roberts University , based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the United States, is an interdenominational, Charismatic Christian, comprehensive university with an enrollment of about 3,790 students from 49 U.S. states along with a significant number of international students from 70 countries...
in 1976.
After graduating, Barton served as a church youth director. He taught math and science and eventually became principal at Aledo Christian School, a Christian school of fewer than 100 students which grew out of Aledo Christian Center, a nondenominational charismatic
Charismatic movement
The term charismatic movement is used in varying senses to describe 20th century developments in various Christian denominations. It describes an ongoing international, cross-denominational/non-denominational Christian movement in which individual, historically mainstream congregations adopt...
church started by Barton's parents.
In 1987 Barton formed Specialty Research Associates, which "focuses on the historical research of issues relating to America's constitutional, moral, and religious heritage." Specialty Research Associates has submitted amicus curiae
Amicus curiae
An amicus curiae is someone, not a party to a case, who volunteers to offer information to assist a court in deciding a matter before it...
briefs in court cases.
Barton is the founder and president of the Aledo-based group WallBuilders, an organization which says it presents "America's forgotten history and heroes, with an emphasis on the moral, religious, and constitutional foundation on which America was built." WallBuilders publishes and sells most of Barton's books and videos, some of which present Barton's position that the modern view of separation of church and state is not consistent with the views of the Founders
Founding Fathers of the United States
The Founding Fathers of the United States of America were political leaders and statesmen who participated in the American Revolution by signing the United States Declaration of Independence, taking part in the American Revolutionary War, establishing the United States Constitution, or by some...
. Among other beliefs about the religion clauses of the First Amendment, they argue that its religion clauses were not intended to include such faiths as paganism and witchcraft, but only monotheistic religions, and perhaps solely Christianity.
Barton is married and has three grown children, including a daughter who does minority outreach for the Republican Party of Texas
Republican Party of Texas
The Republican Party of Texas is one of the two major political parties in the U.S. State of Texas. It is affiliated with the United States Republican Party. The State Chairman is Steve Munisteri, a retired attorney and businessman from Houston, and the Vice-Chair is Melinda Fredricks of Conroe....
.
Affiliations
Barton is a former Vice Chairman of the Texas Republican Party and has acted as a political consultantPolitical consulting
Political consulting, beyond the self-evident definition of consulting in political matters, refers to a specific management consulting industry which has grown up around advising and assisting political campaigns. This article deals primarily with the development and nature of political consulting...
to the Republican National Committee
Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee is an American political committee that provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. It is...
on outreach to evangelicals.
He serves on the Board of Advisors of the National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools
National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools
The National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools is a nonprofit organization that promotes the use of its 300-page Bible curriculum, The Bible in History and Literature, in schools throughout the United States...
, publisher of a controversial Bible curriculum for use in public schools (not to be confused with The Bible and Its Influence
The Bible and Its Influence
The Bible and Its Influence is a textbook first published in 2005 to facilitate teaching about the Bible in American public high schools. Its publishers, the Bible Literacy Project, say the textbook allows schools to study the Bible academically while fully respecting the Establishment Clause of...
curriculum). This curriculum contains direct quotations from Barton's books, recommends the resources published by WallBuilders, and advocates showing that group's video, Foundations of American Government, at the beginning of the course.
One of the WallBuilders speakers is Rick Green
Rick Green (Texas politician)
Richard Arlin Green, known as Rick Green , is an attorney and politician from Dripping Springs in Hays County, Texas, who is a former Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives...
, a former Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
and a failed candidate for the Texas Supreme Court
Texas Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Texas is the court of last resort for non-criminal matters in the state of Texas. A different court, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, is the court of last resort for criminal matters.The Court is composed of a Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices...
in an April, 2010 runoff election.
Barton serves on the Board of Advisors of the Providence Foundation. According to its website, the Providence Foundation is a nonprofit Christian educational organization whose mission is to spread liberty, justice, and prosperity among nations by instructing individuals in a Biblical worldview. Emphasis is said to be upon educating in principles, rather than issues, drawing upon examples in history for illustration. In an article discussing Barton, The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
described the Providence Foundation as "a Christian Reconstructionist
Christian Reconstructionism
Christian Reconstructionism is a religious and theological movement within Evangelical Christianity that calls for Christians to put their faith into action in all areas of life, within the private sphere of life and the public and political sphere as well...
group that promotes the idea that biblical law should be instituted in America."
In Barton’s book The Myth of Separation, the author states his belief that Christians were the ones who were intended to hold public office and that Jews and members of other sects were not. According to Skipp Porteous of the Massachusetts-based Institute for First Amendment Studies, Barton was listed in promotional literature as a "new and special speaker" at a 1991 summer retreat in Colorado sponsored by Scriptures for America, a far-right Christian Identity
Christian Identity
Christian Identity is a label applied to a wide variety of loosely affiliated believers and churches with a racialized theology. Many promote a Eurocentric interpretation of Christianity.According to Chester L...
ministry headed by Pastor Pete Peters
LaPorte Church of Christ
LaPorte Church of Christ is an independent church in Laporte, Colorado, led until 2011 by Pastor Peter J. Peters, who proclaimed that Europeans comprise the ten lost tribes of Israel and that contemporary Jews are satanic impostors and the descendants of the Biblical Esau -- the brother and...
, which has been linked to neo-Nazi groups. However, Barton said he was unaware of the group's anti-Semitic and racist views at the time. In September, 2011, Barton sued two former Texas State Board of Education candidates for posting a video on YouTube that stated that he was "known for speaking at white supremacist rallies".
Barton is a lecturer for Glenn Beck's online Beck University
Beck University
Beck University is a web-based education program launched in July 2010 by American radio and television host Glenn Beck's Mercury Radio Arts. Beck University offers online classes in subjects such as religion, American history, and economics...
.
Media
Barton received two Angel Awards (awarded to "people in any form of the media who have successfully contributed to the advancement of quality in life without the unnecessary need for violence, profanity and sexual content to sell to their audience") from the group Excellence in Media. He has appeared in Time magazine, and has been a guest on Trinity Broadcasting NetworkTrinity Broadcasting Network
The Trinity Broadcasting Network is a major American Christian television network. TBN is based in Costa Mesa, California, with auxiliary studio facilities in Irving, Texas; Hendersonville, Tennessee; Gadsden, Alabama; Decatur, Georgia; Miami, Florida; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Orlando, Florida; and New...
, The 700 Club
The 700 Club
The 700 Club is the flagship news talk show of the Christian Broadcasting Network, airing in syndication throughout the United States and Canada. In production since 1966, it is currently hosted by Pat Robertson, Terry Meeuwsen, Kristi Watts, and Gordon P. Robertson, two of whom will host on any...
, Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
, ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, The Daily Show
The Daily Show
The Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
, and National Public Radio.
Support
Barton has been praised by U.S. conservatives such as Mike HuckabeeMike Huckabee
Michael "Mike" Dale Huckabee is an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in both popular vote and number of states won . He won...
, Newt Gingrich
Newt Gingrich
Newton Leroy "Newt" Gingrich is a U.S. Republican Party politician who served as the House Minority Whip from 1989 to 1995 and as the 58th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999....
, Michele Bachmann
Michele Bachmann
Michele Marie Bachmann is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing , a post she has held since 2007. The district includes several of the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities, such as Woodbury, and Blaine as well as Stillwater and St. Cloud.She is currently a...
and Senator Sam Brownback
Sam Brownback
Samuel Dale "Sam" Brownback is the 46th and current Governor of Kansas. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a U.S. Senator from Kansas from 1996 to 2011, and as a U.S. Representative for Kansas's 2nd congressional district from 1995 to 1996...
.
Criticism
He has received criticism from J. Brent Walker of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious LibertyBaptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty
The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty is an education and advocacy association in the United States with a number of Baptist denominations. It states that it seeks to promote religious liberty for all and to uphold the principle of church-state separation...
, Rob Boston
Rob Boston
Robert Boston has been Assistant Director of Communications for Americans United for Separation of Church and State and Assistant Editor of Church & State magazine since 1987. Boston is an advocate of separation of church and state and has authored three books on the subject. He frequently...
of Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Americans United for Separation of Church and State is a group that advocates separation of church and state, a legal doctrine interpreted by AU as being enshrined in the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.-Mission:The guiding principle of Americans...
, Gordon College
Gordon College (Massachusetts)
Gordon College is a liberal arts college located on the former Princemere estate in Wenham, Massachusetts, northeast of Beverly. Founded by Baptist minister A. J...
History professor Stephen Phillips
Stephen Phillips
Stephen Phillips was a highly famed English poet and dramatist, who enjoyed considerable popularity in his lifetime....
, Republican Senator Arlen Specter
Arlen Specter
Arlen Specter is a former United States Senator from Pennsylvania. Specter is a Democrat, but was a Republican from 1965 until switching to the Democratic Party in 2009...
, the Anti-Defamation League
Anti-Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation League is an international non-governmental organization based in the United States. Describing itself as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency", the ADL states that it "fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects...
, Senior Research Director for the Military Religious Freedom Foundation
Military Religious Freedom Foundation
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation is a watchdog / advocacy group and civil rights organization whose stated goals are to ensure that members of the United States Armed Forces receive the Constitutional guarantee of religious freedom to which they are entitled by virtue of the Establishment...
Chris Rodda
Chris Rodda
Chris Rodda is an author, blogger, and religious freedom activist. Specifically, she is the Senior Research Director for the Military Religious Freedom Foundation , and the author of Liars For Jesus: The Religious Right's Alternate Version of American History, in addition to writing the blog "This...
, John Fea, and Baylor University
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
historian Barry Hankins.
First Muslim Congressman statement
In 2007, Barton published an article suggesting that founding-era Senator John Randolph of RoanokeJohn Randolph of Roanoke
John Randolph , known as John Randolph of Roanoke, was a planter and a Congressman from Virginia, serving in the House of Representatives , the Senate , and also as Minister to Russia...
of Virginia was actually the first Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
member of Congress in reaction to the recent election of Keith Ellison
Keith Ellison (politician)
Keith Maurice Ellison is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. The district centers on Minneapolis. He was re-elected in 2010. Ellison is a co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.He is the first Muslim to be elected to the...
(D-MN), a practicing Muslim. Barton's statement garnered widespread coverage in the evangelical Christian media at the time, but appears to have been based on a misinterpretation of a passage in which Randolph reported a youthful flirtation with agnosticism and professed sympathy for the Muslim Arabs during the crusades. Randolph was a practicing Episcopalian
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
for most of his life, and biographer William Cabell Bruce
William Cabell Bruce
William Cabell Bruce was an American politician and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer who represented the State of Maryland in the United States Senate from 1923 to 1929....
considered Randolph's self-described "absurd prejudice in favor of Mohammedanism" a vagary that soon passed.
"Unconfirmed Quotations"
In an article titled "Unconfirmed Quotations", Barton conceded that he has not located primary sources for eleven alleged quotes from James MadisonJames Madison
James Madison, Jr. was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and at first an opponent of, and then a key author of the United...
, Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
, Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
, and U.S. Supreme Court decisions (hence, the title of the article), but maintained that the quotes were "completely consistent" with the views of the Founders. This drew criticism from Rob Boston of Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Americans United for Separation of Church and State is a group that advocates separation of church and state, a legal doctrine interpreted by AU as being enshrined in the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.-Mission:The guiding principle of Americans...
, who accused Barton of "shoddy workmanship", and said that despite these and other corrections, Barton's work "remains rife with distortions of history and court rulings". WallBuilders responded to its critics by saying that Barton followed "common practice in the academic community" in citing secondary sources, and that in publishing "Unconfirmed Quotations", Barton's intent was to raise the academic bar in historical debates pertinent to public policy.
The Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Austin, Texas. Texas Monthly is published by Emmis Publishing, L.P. and was founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy, Texas Monthly chronicles life in contemporary Texas, writing on politics, the environment, industry, and education...
noted that Barton has denied saying that in his famous letter to Danbury Baptists "Jefferson referred to the wall of separation between church and state as 'one-directional'—that is, it was meant to restrain government from infringing on the church's domain but not the other way around. There is no such language in the letter." The article goes on to note that this denial is contradicted by a 1990 version of Barton's video America's Godly Heritage in which Barton states:
Barton was also criticized for speaking at two functions organized by the ministry of Christian Identity
Christian Identity
Christian Identity is a label applied to a wide variety of loosely affiliated believers and churches with a racialized theology. Many promote a Eurocentric interpretation of Christianity.According to Chester L...
adherent and Holocaust denier Pete Peters. He later stated that he "didn't know they (the groups he spoke at) were part of the Nazi movement".
Barton's legitimacy was reported to be growing in 2006, due largely to his first work which was not self-published, a 2003 article in the Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics and Public Policy, (Volume XVII Issue No. 2, 2003, p. 399), a "rather tame survey" on Jefferson’s writings about the First Amendment.