Stephen C. Webster — ‘Historian’ David Barton’s book on Thomas Jefferson pulled from stores

David Barton, an evangelical activist and writer often cited as a “historian” by conservative political figures like former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, stirred up such a firestorm of controversy with his latest book “The Jefferson Lies” that his publisher now claims to have “lost confidence” in the text, opting Thursday evening to pull it from stores.

The announcement by Christian mega-publisher Thomas Nelson comes after readers of The History News Network at George Mason University elected Barton’s latest work as “the least credible history book in print.” It was also challenged by an assemblage of “10 conservative Christian professors” in the recently released book, “Getting Jefferson Right,” which accuses Barton of grossly misrepresenting the nation’s third president.

The author of “Getting Jefferson Right,” Warren Throckmorton, fact-checked Barton’s book and found a number of basic historical facts that Barton got wrong, like Barton’s claim that Jefferson invested in an American printing of the Bible, when in fact he only bought one copy. Barton also claimed that Jefferson was barred by law from freeing his slaves, but that too is objectively false. Professors sought out by Throckmorton — all of whom believe that America was founded as a Christian nation — said that Barton’s writing seems too eager to depict Jefferson as an adamant Christian, glossing over his less than conventional views of religion and the Christian deity figure.

Raw Story
‘Historian’ David Barton’s book on Thomas Jefferson pulled from stores
Stephen C. Webster

If you haven't been following this, non-historian David Barton books and lectures on the founding Fathers and the establishment of America as "a Christian nation" having been getting big play among fundies. I have been watching it as a rising trend. It is significant that the publisher has decided to pull the book. The push-back has come largely from Christian conservatives too. Apparently, there are some boundaries.