Today, Religion Dispatches published a review of Getting Jefferson Right by history professor Paul Harvey. Harvey is also blogmeister at Religion in American History blog.
While Harvey is skeptical that our book will change many minds of those committed to Barton’s faux history, I see it differently. I am encouraged that exposure of these issues will make some difference.
I generally agree with ken. It’s the ‘waverers’ one is usually after, although when someone ‘of the lunatic fringe’ suddenly realizes they’ve been ‘had’, the effects can be quite dramatic. We’ve seen this in the context of the Bahati Bill situation (certain apparently anti-gay ‘diehards’ suddenly realizing that they have been lied to and switching sides). We know one or two such people, don’t we Warren?!
Hell hath no fury as the deceived ideologue …
While Harvey is right that the extreme lunatic fringe will only hear what they want, that doesn’t describe all of Barton’s followers, and more importantly, all who have been influenced (even indirectly) by Barton’s claims. So I think it is quite valuable to have documentation of Barton’s misrepresentations and falsehoods.
I generally agree with ken. It’s the ‘waverers’ one is usually after, although when someone ‘of the lunatic fringe’ suddenly realizes they’ve been ‘had’, the effects can be quite dramatic. We’ve seen this in the context of the Bahati Bill situation (certain apparently anti-gay ‘diehards’ suddenly realizing that they have been lied to and switching sides). We know one or two such people, don’t we Warren?!
Hell hath no fury as the deceived ideologue …
While Harvey is right that the extreme lunatic fringe will only hear what they want, that doesn’t describe all of Barton’s followers, and more importantly, all who have been influenced (even indirectly) by Barton’s claims. So I think it is quite valuable to have documentation of Barton’s misrepresentations and falsehoods.