A Conversation with David Barton
Why do you feel a sense of urgency about church-state issues?
I don’t know that I feel an urgency; that word probably conveys the wrong tone from my perspective. I don’t feel an urgency, or a pressure, as though I were facing a deadline, or a point of no return, or as if time was running out.
Passion might be a more accurate term for what I sense, for I do feel strongly that all public policies should comport as much as possible with applicable Biblical principles, whether in law, education, economic, social services, etc. I also feel strongly that citizens have been given a stewardship over the nation, and that they will answer to God for what they do with the nation He has placed in their trust. It is therefore unacceptable to me that God’s people should – as did the servant in Matthew 25 and Luke 19 – go and hide themselves, refusing to exercise stewardship over this important trust. I particularly find this unacceptable when there are so many unequivocal Scriptures that so clearly set forth the appropriateness of our involvement in the civil arena.
I also feel passionately about a trans-generational approach. That is, the Bible frequently demonstrates that the prayers of one generation are often answered by God through the succeeding generation. Thus, in the Bible, there was always an emphasis on training up, preparing, teaching, and engaging the next generation. Victories that we gain today must be preserved by the next generation; and we must also lay the groundwork now for additional victories to be gained by subsequent generations. Not only are we to “occupy until He comes” (Luke 19:13), but we must teach the next generation (and every subsequent generation) how to do the same until He does return.
What is the greatest threat that you see facing America concerning church-state issues?
The greatest potential threat that I see is the refusal of God’s people to be involved. Consider some disturbing facts.
National polling shows that 72 percent of Americans support a marriage amendment, but only 48 percent of the Senate voted for such an amendment; 77 percent of the nation supports public displays of the Ten Commandments, but only 57 percent of Congress voted for such displays; 87 percent of the nation wants “under God” preserved in the Pledge, but only 57 percent of Congress voted to protect those words; 75 percent of the nation supports faith-based programs, but only 52 percent of Congress voted for those programs; etc.
Why is Congress often 20 to 30 percent out of step with Americans on cultural and Biblical issue? I believe that President James A. Garfield provided the answer. (By the way, President Garfield was a Christian minister, very active in ministry during the Second Great Awakening; in fact, we have original letters from Garfield setting forth how many services he preached and how many converts he baptized.) Garfield explained: