Original Intent

a review by Adam Pohlman

In Original Intent, David Barton systematically explains the Founders' original intentions in setting up the government as a Constitutional Republic. By citing hundreds of original sources, including private letters, official court documents, and minutes from congressional debates, Barton shows that America was intended to be a Christian country founded for the purpose of spreading the gospel. He says the founders felt that the only way a country could truly be free was to have Christian principles at its foundation.

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

The Founding Fathers had no intention of divorcing public policy from their sincerely held religious beliefs. Yet that is what politicians and historians today would like us to believe by stating the often quoted "separation of church and state" clause. However, this phrase is nowhere to be found in the Constitution nor in any historical legal case up until the last fifty years.

George Washington stated in his Farewell Address, "Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports." He thought, along with the majority of the founders, that all rights come from God (See the Declaration of Independence) and that government was instituted to protect those rights.

Barton goes on to show how in the last century, the courts slowly began to turn away from the Biblical foundation of the country and ignore the intent of the Constitution. The Supreme Court declares unconstitutional some of the very things that the creators of this country fought for; prayer and biblical instruction in public school, public profession of faith (especially in politics), making laws against sinful acts such as abortion, homosexuality, and even public blasphemy! From chronological graphs, Barton shows how since Biblical Natural Law has been rejected by the courts, premarital sex has increased, violent crimes have skyrocketed, sexually transmitted diseases have become epidemic, and SAT scores have plummeted. Signer of the Declaration John Witherspoon quoted Matthew 7 in determining whether a government had a positive impact by "examining its fruits," and it is obvious by the "fruits" of this country that we have abandoned the original intent established by our Founding Fathers.

The book is quite long, as it contains hundreds of original quotes, from recent history and from the founding period. Reading about solid faith of men like Patrick Henry, George Washington, and Benjamin Rush, should inspire people to stand up for their own faith and do something to change this country for the glory of God and to yearn for a deeper understanding of God in their own lives.

David Barton cites a well known figure today who said, "I spent three years getting my law degree at Yale Law School. From the moment I enrolled, I was assigned huge, leather-bound editions of legal cases to study and discuss. I read what lawyers and judges, professors and historians said about the Constitution. But never once was I assigned the task of reading the Constitution itself... Over the last decade, however, I have become a student of the Constitution, searching each line for its meaning and intent... It is amazing how much more you will learn when you quit studying about it and pick it up to read it for yourself."

"Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:" (1 Peter 3:15).

Christians need to be more educated and involved in the culture, including influencing our national policies. Original Intent will guide you to a better understanding and appreciation for the freedoms you were born with in America, and push you further into God's Word to stand up against the "principalities and powers" of this world and "give a reason for the hope within you."

David Barton finishes the book with this challenge: "Remember that where citizen complacency rules, wrong principles and policies will abound; and when it comes to sound government, the enemy is seldom "them"; it is generally citizen apathy."