Review: The Case for America's Christian Heritage from American Vision

In June American Vision was offering a download of their book The Case for America's Christian Heritage by Gary DeMar.

If you wish to read this book at American Vision has the e-book reduced now at $4.95, not a bad price. You actually get the book free when you purchase the two DVDs by the same name.

When I downloaded it and shared it with readers of my blog I said I would write a review and so that it was I am doing :) I apologize now if it is scatter-brained or difficult to understand. I do recommend this book however for personal history reading. It would be beneficial to not only Christians who are looking for proof to solidify the opinion of America's Christian heritage but also skeptics. This book provides much evidence to weigh the matter. In my opinion, and that is exactly what this entire review is- my opinion- the author, Gary DeMar, uses a tone at some points of the book that would seem condescending perhaps. It has been mentioned that this would be a good high school history book and I agree. For high school when the reader is older and able to weigh the facts themselves.

I start my review with the table of contents. Is that an odd place to start? I hope not since it is one of the first pages of the book that is read.

1. "America's Christian Heritage" Fact or Fiction?

2. "By the Providence of Almighty God" Christianity in the Founding Era

3. "Through Divine Goodness" Christianity in the Colonial Constitutions

4. "In the Year of Our Lord" Christianity and the Constitution

5. "To Lay Christ at the Bottom" Christianity in the Colleges

6. "The General Principalities of Christianity" The Enlightenment in America

7. "God Governs in the Affairs of Men" God as a Major Player in America

8. "Choose Just Men Who Will Rule in the Fear of God" The Ten Commandments on Trial

9. "Render Unto God the Things that are God's" The Bible and Separation of Church and State

10. "Render Unto Caesar the Things that are Caesar's" The Constitution and Separation of Church and State

There are only 10 chapters in this 200+ page book. Yet, the chapter titles alone are making powerful statements. From the very first- "America's Christian Heritage: Fact or Fiction? -this book has a very distinct agenda, straight-forward purpose. I don't plan on going through each chapter and reviewing the book that way. Instead I will do an overall review and highlight some key points that shed light on my review.

This book does not begin with the statement made by now current President Barrack Obama in 2006- "Whatever we once were, we're no longer a Christian nation. At least not just. We are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, and a Buddhist nation, and a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers (as quoted on page 3)." But instead DeMar starts with the knowledge held by the founding fathers- "they understood that the 'folly and wickedness of mankind'...and reason alone could never serve as the stable foundation for a nation (page 1)" -to begin to relate the beginnings of the Christian background our nation has. After all, he is talking about the heritage of America, not necessarily the current state.

Although the title and the chapters indicate we are talking about history, the past, reading this book gives the definite feeling of how America's Christian heritage is still being felt and practiced but not as it was. As can be seen from the TOC, the order is fairly methodical: beginning of the country and the Constitution; the formation of state Constitutions; schools and educational institutions being formed; the trial of the Ten Commandments (separation of Church and State issues); and back to study the Constitution more in depth.

There are definitely wonderful passages taken directly from historical documents written by the founding fathers or others who held the same mind-set but also those of a more current time that are opposed to the idea of America's Christian heritage. For example, DeMar brings out Rob Thomas' remarks: "I also believe that anyone who says that this is a 'Christian nation' has...revisionist history syndrome and doesn't realize that most of our founding fathers were either atheist or at least could see...religion was the cause of so much persecution that they needed to put into their brand new constitution a separation of church and state so that the ideals of a group of people could never be forced onto the whole (as quoted on page 5)." If you don't care to listen to the views of the lead person of a band then DeMar also gives us Brooke Allen's view "that America 'was founded not on Christian principles but on Enlightenment ones (page 105),'" in chapter 6. DeMar quotes her again in chapter 7, where she says that God was a "very minor player" in the history of the founding of America (page 125). You can read her article Our Godless Constitution at The Nation.

Not surprisingly, DeMar can counter the arguments with historically accurate documents that prove that indeed America was founded on Christian principles. For instance, John Winthrop in 1630 wrote out his sermon given aboard the Arabella which specifically identifies those traveling as "a Company professing ourselves fellow members of Christ...(as quoted on page 11)." Or there is Alexis de Tocqueville's words after traveling through the United States in the 1800's: "...all the sects of the United States are comprised within the great unity of Christianity, and Christian morality is everywhere the same...[T]here is no country in the world where the Christian religion retains greater influence over the souls of men than in America (as quoted on page 12)."

In chapter 5, DeMar paints a picture of how the schools in the US began from Christian principles, although some (such as Harvard) fell to the 'secularists' eventually. On page 91 we are presented with a table that lists the Colonial colleges and their religious affiliations. Back when the colleges and universities were beginning it was very important to those enrolling to know what denomination the college professed to be. From Harvard in 1636- Puritan affiliation- to Dartmouth in 1769- Congregational affiliation- it is easy to see how religion had a major impact on the founding of America.

DeMar points out the identifying phrases that were penned by the founding fathers to help prove the accuracy of the argument that Christianity did indeed play a major role in the founding of America. The Declaration of Independence itself is our most visible and ever present reminder with statements that refer to God: "Nature's God"; "Creator"; "Divine Providence"; and "Supreme Judge of the World" (page 125). We are also presented with the correlation of the Ten Commandments and America's laws in the same chapter. Natural Law and Higher Law are also discussed with opinions from Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Senator Joseph Biden and former President Harry S. Truman.

The final chapters pertain to separation of Church and State but those I will leave to you to read, if you choose. I've not come to a conclusion on these. This is a part of history that I did not pay much attention to in school (and now I'm a history major in college!) so it is a little unclear at times the inferences that are drawn.

Overall, this is a good book. I wouldn't say it is 'easy' reading but it is not terribly dry. I especially appreciate all the primary sources that are provided. It is always best to hear about history from those who actually lived it. There are typos in the book but (unless you are OCD) there are not too many to detract from the book (unless you are OCD!).

And this concludes my review of The Case for America's Christian Heritage by Gary DeMar. Please feel free to leave a comment, whether you've read the book or not :)

*Disclaimer: I downloaded this ebook from American Vision when they were offering it free from their site. I have not been compensated in any way to review this book. The opinions presented in this review are strictly my own. See Disclosure/Policy*