{"product_id":"the-christian-past-that-wasnt-debunking-the-christian-nationalist-myths-that-hijack-history","title":"The Christian Past That Wasn't: Debunking the Christian Nationalist Myths That Hijack History","description":"\n\u003ctable align=\"center\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"2\" cellspacing=\"0\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd class=\"productDetailSmallElements\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"[A] robust treatise. . . . Throckmorton effectively marshals historical evidence to support his claims.\" --\u003cem\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"A timely study. . . . Through clear argument, this book illuminates the founders' intention for church-state separation.\" --\u003cem\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Warren Throckmorton's book is not for folks who say, 'My mind's made up--don't bother me with any facts.' For those who do not think that way, it provides careful documentation to test claims that the United States was founded as a special or uniquely Christian nation. Extensive use of primary sources shows where these claims are false or only partially true. In so doing, the book promotes the best kind of evidence-based discussion of Christian faith, the national founding, and the morally checkered course of American history.\" --\u003cstrong\u003eMARK NOLL\u003c\/strong\u003e, author of \u003cem\u003eAmerica's Book: The Rise and Decline of a Bible Civilization, 1794-1911\u003c\/em\u003e, professor emeritus of history at University of Notre Dame\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"With prodigious research and surgical precision, Warren Throckmorton systematically dismantles the misrepresentations, falsehoods, and outright fabrications perpetrated by Christian nationalists.... This is essential reading for anyone who cares about America's best idea: the radical and unprecedented notion that the best way to ensure the integrity of both the faith and the political order lies in keeping the two entities separate.\" --\u003cstrong\u003eRANDALL BALMER\u003c\/strong\u003e, John Phillips Professor in Religion, Dartmouth College, and author of \u003cem\u003eAmerica's Best Idea: The Separation of Church and State\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"With scholarship and panache, Warren Throckmorton deftly skewers the hoary myths of Christian nationalism. \u003cem\u003eThe Christian Past That Wasn't\u003c\/em\u003e is an important book at a critical moment.\" --\u003cstrong\u003eKATHERINE STEWART\u003c\/strong\u003e, author of \u003cem\u003eMoney, Lies, and God \u003c\/em\u003eand \u003cem\u003eThe Power Worshippers \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Throckmorton has long been our most diligent, meticulous debunker of the lies Christian nationalists tell about our country's past--and its present. He brings his well of knowledge to our fraught moment, laying bare the authoritarian aims of historical revisionists. With a flair for detail and storytelling, Throckmorton unmasks the dire threat they pose to a multiracial, pluralistic democracy.\" --\u003cstrong\u003eSARAH POSNER\u003c\/strong\u003e, author of \u003cem\u003eUnholy \u003c\/em\u003eand \u003cem\u003eGod's Profits\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"I hope this work can help put to death the lie of the Christian nation and can instead refocus the people of God on being the people of God.\" --\u003cstrong\u003eMALCOLM FOLEY\u003c\/strong\u003e, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Anti-Greed Gospel: Why the Love of Money Is the Root of Racism and How the Church Can Create a New Way Forward \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Here is a much-needed book for readers who value the truth. Throckmorton engagingly corrects many of the most common exaggerated or simply false claims concerning the roles that Christianity played in the founding of the American nation.\" --\u003cstrong\u003eGEORGE M. MARSDEN\u003c\/strong\u003e, emeritus professor of history, University of Notre Dame, and author of \u003cem\u003eReligion and American Culture \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"In \u003cem\u003eThe Christian Past That Wasn't\u003c\/em\u003e, Throckmorton takes on the whole project of Christian nationalist mythmaking. From exploring why mythic narratives are appealing to showing how damaging they are to democracy, this book couldn't be timelier.\" --\u003cstrong\u003eJULIE INGERSOLL\u003c\/strong\u003e, professor of religious studies, University of North Florida, and author of \u003cem\u003eBuilding God's Kingdom\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"With a clarity of purpose and pen, Throckmorton unveils how the most pernicious lies that perpetuate the myths of Christian nationalism are just that: lies. I know I will refer to this book time and again to quickly and easily remind myself of our collective truth--America's heritage is one of religious liberty, tolerance, and pluralism.\" --\u003cstrong\u003eANDREW WHITEHEAD\u003c\/strong\u003e, professor and author of \u003cem\u003eAmerican Idolatry\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher Marketing\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"[A] robust treatise. . . . Throckmorton effectively marshals historical evidence to support his claims.\" --\u003cem\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"A timely study. . . . Through clear argument, this book illuminates the founders' intention for church-state separation.\"\u003cem\u003e --Library Journal\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAmerica was \u003cem\u003enot \u003c\/em\u003efounded as a Christian nation.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWho gains what from myths about the past? Why are many of us susceptible to their power? And how can the truth about a nation's past prevail? In this lively book, Warren Throckmorton, coauthor of \u003cem\u003eGetting Jefferson Right\u003c\/em\u003e, investigates the gloss that Christian nationalist storytellers put on history and equips readers to debunk seven myths that they propagate.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWorking in the tradition of muckraking journalists, Throckmorton, whose fact-checking of David Barton's book \u003cem\u003eThe Jefferson Lies\u003c\/em\u003e convinced the publisher to pull it from the shelves, picks a fight with fables told about the past by those who are trying to erase the separation of church and state. Did the Puritans actually establish a covenant with God, and were all the founders evangelical Christians? Are the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution based on the Bible, and did delegates at the constitutional convention in Philadelphia actually kneel for daily prayers? With keen attention to primary sources, Throckmorton dismantles the myths, piece by historical piece. And he asks: How are the genocide of Indigenous people and enslavement of millions of Africans not definitive repudiations of some righteous Christian past?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt's never been more important to understand why myths about the past wield so much force--and whom those myths empower. White Christian nationalism thrives on origin stories, and Throckmorton\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003eequips readers to debunk the false ones. The real heritage of America is neither as a Christian state nor pure secularism; it is a more nuanced story, he says, one of religious tolerance and pluralism. To understand Christian nationalism, we must know the power of myth. To counter it, we must know the facts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations:\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/span\u003e 03\/27\/2026 pg. 1 (EAN 9798889835820, Hardcover)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/span\u003e 02\/23\/2026 (EAN 9798889835820, Hardcover)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eContributor Bio:\u003c\/strong\u003eThrockmorton, Warren\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWarren Throckmorton\u003c\/strong\u003e is an author and speaker specializing in psychology and history. Now retired, he worked as a psychology professor at a Christian college and produced, wrote, and hosted the critically acclaimed podcast series \u003cem\u003eTelling Jefferson Lies\u003c\/em\u003e. His writing has appeared in \u003cem\u003eSalon\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eHuffington Post\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Daily Beast\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eChristianity Today\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eReligion Dispatches\u003c\/em\u003e, among others, and he has appeared on CNN, NPR, the \u003cem\u003eHoly Post\u003c\/em\u003e podcast, and more. Throckmorton is the coauthor with Michael Coulter of \u003cem\u003eGetting Jefferson Right: Fact-Checking Claims About Thomas Jefferson\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n","brand":"Broadleaf Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51496051048726,"sku":"9798889835820","price":39.59,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0857\/9910\/8886\/files\/9798889835820.jpg?v=1783051801","url":"https:\/\/lusper.myshopify.com\/products\/the-christian-past-that-wasnt-debunking-the-christian-nationalist-myths-that-hijack-history","provider":"Lusperbooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}