Saturday, March 5, 2016

George Marsden on the Modern State of "Christian America"

Throckmorton has the details here. Bottom line -- and it's point I've made for years -- fundamentalists and evangelicals who are sympathetic to the "Christian America" view of history have strict standards for what it means to be a "real Christian." Certainly not self professing "Christians" like President Obama qualify. (They argue over whether traditional Roman Catholics qualify.)

Well most of the notable Founding Fathers probably wouldn't qualify as "real Christians" either, accordingly no matter how much these forces want to claim them.

If they aren't "real Christians" then what were they? During the Founding era the "religiously correct" orthodox forces would write off those who didn't make the cut as "deists." That's one way that "the founders were deists" meme started.

5 comments:

Tom Van Dyke said...

Throckmorton has the details here. Bottom line -- and it's point I've made for years -- fundamentalists and evangelicals who are sympathetic to the "Christian America" view of history have strict standards for what it means to be a "real Christian."

Well, that's bullshit, Jon, and so is psychology teacher [not historian or anything relevant to his doctorate] Warren Throckmorton.

Neither you or Dr. Warren Throckmorton actually have ever put forth a single direct quote to attack. You and Warren got to put up or shut up

fundamentalists and evangelicals who are sympathetic to the "Christian America" view of history

with direct quotes. Cut the vague crap, por favor. Let's get down to business. Man up.


Tom Van Dyke said...

Well most of the notable Founding Fathers probably wouldn't qualify as "real Christians" either

Vague 'notable' Founders BS as usual. Who are the Founding Fathers? Only 5? Or 100? 500?

You never disclose who are 'notable" And even if they are not 'notable' 200+ years later, does that make them not worthy of 'note?'

Jesus Christ, man. Do you ever actually read this blog?

http://www.amazon.com/Roger-Sherman-Creation-American-Republic/dp/019992984X



Jonathan Rowe said...

Well here is a quote from the Throckmorton piece:

"Thomas Kidd called George Marsden 'the greatest historian of American religion of the past generation.'"

And here is a THE quote from Marsden that I attempted to paraphrase:

http://wp.production.patheos.com/blogs/warrenthrockmorton/files/2016/02/Marsden-Barton2.png

Now read that and tell me if there is anything different in what I was attempting to say and what Marsden in fact said.

jimmiraybob said...

"[not historian or anything relevant to his doctorate]"

And your doctorate specialty is?

Tom Van Dyke said...

Direct quotes, please.

And Barton thinks Mormons (Glenn Beck) are Christian, so this 'strict' business is more amorphous crap.