Dr. Warren Throckmorton Christian Blog and Commentary

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Citing historical errors, FRC removes David Barton's Capitol Tour video from You Tube

Yesterday, I learned that Kenyn Cureton, VP at Family Research Council, removed from view David Barton’s Capitol Tour video. The YouTube video was made private on Dr. Cureton’s You Tube account which means that it will not show up in search results or via link. The video advertised the Watchman Pastors aspect of FRC’s work and had over 4 million views. The video had been a source of contention here and among thirty-three Christian historians who recently made FRC aware of their concerns.

I commend Dr. Cureton and FRC for removing the video which contained several clear errors in a short span of time. On that video, Barton said that Congress printed the first English Bible in America for the use of public schools and repeated his contention that Jefferson sent missionaries to evangelize the Kaskaskia Indians. Barton repeated his frequent claims that 29 out the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence had Bible school or seminary degrees. There were no Bible schools at the time and the word seminary meant any educational institution. The word was not associated with theological education as it is today.

In the past, Barton has argued that those who find fault with his facts are either liberals or misguided. It will be much harder to argue these points in reference to the Family Research Council. Many evangelicals worry about religious liberty but there is no virtue in defending religious liberty with error. In this context, the words of Thomas Jefferson seem appropriate:

Ignorance is preferable to error, and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing than he who believes what is wrong.