A new report from conservative publisher Brave Books alleges that Christianity is being erased from the story of what made America, as public libraries, children’s publishers, and other institutions prepare young readers for the 250th anniversary of the United States.
The study titled The America 250 Faith Gap reviewed more than 300 books across 25 reading lists tied to the nation’s upcoming semiquincentennial.
According to Brave Books, not one title directly addressed faith, religious liberty, or Christianity’s role in the founding of the nation.
AMERICA’S CHRISTIAN HISTORY ABSENT FROM READING LISTS FOR 250TH ANNIVERSARY
The report said books on the Great Awakening, the faith lives of the Founders, and the Black Church’s role in American history were absent.
Meanwhile, several lists included progressive titles, some of which focused on historical transgender activism, including material aimed at young children.
Brave Books also said the lists promoted a History Smashers series, which claims to expose “myths, lies, and secrets” in American history.
The study found that the most common themes were the American Revolution, minority perspectives, Black history, civil rights, and women’s history.
Books focused on American symbols, the Founders, civics, and the nation’s religious heritage made up a much smaller share of the recommendations.
“FAITH IS A FOUNDATION OF AMERICAN HISTORY, NOT A FOOTNOTE”
Former US Cabinet Secretary Dr. Ben Carson, a Brave Books author, said children cannot understand American freedom without understanding its spiritual foundation.
“Faith is not a footnote in the American story. It is the foundation of it,” he told Fox News Digital.
“The Declaration of Independence says our rights come from our Creator.”
“Benjamin Franklin called the Constitutional Convention to prayer before they produced a document that has stood for 250 years.”
“George Washington survived battle after battle in ways that defied all human explanation.”
“These men knew where their strength came from.”
“FREEDOM IS ONE GENERATION AWAY FROM EXTINCTION”
Dr. Carson warned that young Americans who are never taught where their freedoms come from, may not understand why those freedoms are worth defending.
“A generation that does not know where their freedoms come from will not know why those freedoms are worth fighting for,” he continued.
“Ronald Reagan said freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.”
“He was not exaggerating. He was being precise.”
“When you raise children on a version of history that calls America complicated and unfinished and never once tell them that this country was founded by men of extraordinary faith and courage who believed they were accountable to God for what they built, you are not educating them.”
“You are making them vulnerable.”
FOCUS ON FLAWS, NOT FREEDOM AND PROSPERITY
Fox sports website OutKick’s host Riley Gaines, also a Brave Books author, said children should learn about America’s flaws, but not at the expense of the nation’s achievements.
“The problem is that many institutions have become so focused on emphasising what’s broken, unfinished, or flawed that they’ve stopped teaching kids what makes America the greatest, freest, most prosperous nation in the world,” she said.
“As we celebrate America’s 250th birthday, kids deserve more than a story about what’s wrong with America.”
“They deserve to know why generations of people around the world have looked to America as a beacon of hope, opportunity, and freedom.”
“That’s not indoctrination. That’s telling the whole story.”
EXCLUSION OF CHRISTIANITY FROM BOOKS “DELIBERATE”
Brave Books CEO Trent Talbot said the exclusion of Christianity from America 250 reading lists was deliberate.
“When reading lists for America’s 250th anniversary don’t include a single book acknowledging Christianity’s role, that’s not an oversight. That’s a choice,” he asserted.
“What this report confirms is something parents have suspected but couldn’t quantify: the bias isn’t geographic, it’s institutional.”
“Red state, blue state, it doesn’t matter when the gatekeepers are all aligned ideologically and share the same assumptions.”
AN ALTERNATIVE CHRISTIAN BOOK CAMPAIGN
In response, Brave Books has launched its own America 250 book campaign, including Carson’s “Built on Faith,” Gaines’s “One Two Three We Are Free,” and Kirk Cameron’s “Built by the Brave.”
Worthy Christian News writes: “As America approaches its 250th birthday, the debate over children’s reading lists is becoming a larger battle over whether the next generation will be taught to see the nation’s freedoms as rooted in faith, sacrifice, and the conviction that rights come from God — or merely as a flawed political experiment.”
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