Thanks to Bob Cornwall for a nice review of Was America Founded as a Christian Nation: A Historical Introduction at his blog Ponderings on a Faith Journey. Here is a taste:
Yesterday I posted Martin Marty’s response to David Barton’s attempt to reconstruct a vision of an original Christian America that he wants to resurrect in the present day. In that response to Barton, Martin Marty noted that some of Barton’s biggest critics are evangelical historians, such as Mark Noll and Richard Hughes. Another critic, not named by Marty, is Messiah College historian John Fea, whose book Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?
(WJK, 2011) offers what is to my mind one of the most balanced pictures of this issue that I’ve read (and I’m not quite finished with the book).
(WJK, 2011) offers what is to my mind one of the most balanced pictures of this issue that I’ve read (and I’m not quite finished with the book). In the introduction after offering the reader a look at what a historian aims to do (see my discussion of his five c’s of the historical process), Fea speaks directly to the way in which Barton makes use of the historical record. Fea compares Barton to the way a lawyer forms a case — in fact he notes that Barton himself claims to do his research in “in accordance with the practices of the legal profession.” Now, I have nothing against lawyers and count several as personal friends, but the work of a lawyer isn’t the same as the work of a historian. The same can be said of Philip Johnson’s attempts to undermine the theory of evolution.
Read the rest here.
RECOMMENDED READING
Anyone who wants to believe that Independence Day is a Christian holiday should read Frederick Douglass’s “What to a Slave is the Fourth of July?” David Barton speaks at First Baptist-Dallas. 
In a sermon on “defending truth,” Tim Barton makes multiple false claims 
David Barton spreads blatant falsehoods about the AP US History course, state history standards, and a bunch of other stuff. 
David Barton’s son talks slavery and Black history with sportswriter Jason Whitlock. It is a train wreck.
I'm really excited to read your book, Jon. So far everyone has good thingsnto say about it.
Oops, I meant John. I get you and Jon Rowe confused sometimes.
I hope you enjoy it Brad! No when will my book receive the coveted honor of appearing on American Creation book montage. I hope some day I will be worthy.
John,
Thanks for the pointer! And this is just the tip of the iceberg as I've yet to give it a full review (as I'm not quite finished).
But it is a great book and a necessary read.