For Reference and Further Reading
Ceaser, James W. 2012. “The Origins and Character of American Exceptionalism.” American Political Thought 2 (Spring): 3–28.
Fea, John. 2016. Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?: A Historical Introduction, rev. ed. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.
Gamble, Richard M. 2003. The War for Righteousness: Progressive Christianity, the Great War, and the Rise of the Messianic Nation. Wilmington, DE: ISI Books.
Noll, Mark A. 2012. “‘Wee Shall Be as a Citty upon a Hill’: John Winthrop’s Non-American Exceptionalism.” Review of Faith & International Affairs 10 (Summer): 5–11.
Shalev, Eran. 2013. American Zion: The Old Testament as a Political Test from the Revolution to the Civil War. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Washington, George. 2015 [1793]. “George Washington’s Circular Letter to the States.” Founding Documents of America: Documents Decoded, ed. John R. Vile. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, pp. 127–32.
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American Patriot’s Bible
In today’s market, it is common to find a variety of Bibles aimed at particular audiences. In addition to the wide range of English translations, publishers feature children’s Bibles (often in cartoon form), study Bibles by various pastors and commentators (often with maps and other historical information), Bibles for women, and Bibles for other niche markets. Groups like the Gideons, who regularly engage in evangelism by distributing Bibles, often design special covers for students, nurses, members of the military, or members of other groups.
In 1969, the American Bible Society published its translation of the Bible, Good News for Modern Man: Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Edition with a picture of the president on the back cover and the words, “the Bible is endorsed by the ages. Our civilization is built upon its words. In no other book is there such a collection of inspired wisdom, reality and hope.” Over a hundred thousand individuals purchased copies (Fea 2016, 294).
In 1975, the American Bible Society published portions of Scripture entitled “Faith, Justice, and Repentance” and pitched as “a Bible-based ‘Call to the Nation’” (Fea 2016, 295). In addition to publishing bicentennial editions of the Bible, it also published “‘One Nation Under God,’ a meditation on Psalm 33:6–22 (‘happy is the nation whose God is the Lord’) that connected the Bible to the Pledge of Allegiance; ‘Sing a New Song’ (Psalms 95 through 100), a reminder of the role of the Bible in the culture of Puritan New England; and ‘Plead My cause, O Lord’ (Psalm 35), a portion designed to draw attention to the psalm and prayer that Rev. Jacob Duché prayed at the opening of the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia in September 1774” (Fea 2016, 295). In 1976, the Society followed up with a publication of Isaiah 61:1–4, and its description of the Year of Jubilee, entitled “Proclaim Liberty throughout the Land,” with a photo of the Liberty Bell on the cover, which was distributed at the Independence National Historical Park during July (296).
In 1983, the National Publishing Company published a commemorative edition of the Bible for the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution, which was to be celebrated in 1987. It contained the outline of Independence Hall on the cover and an introductory essay on the “Genesis of the Constitution of the United States of America.” The Masons, who require a belief in God (albeit not in the divinity of Christ), have a special edition of the King James Version of the Bible that they present to new members and that features pictures of Jesus as well as information on American presidents who were Masons.
In 2009, Thomas Nelson published the American Patriot’s Bible, which was edited by Richard Lee, a Southern Baptist minister. Using the Revised King James Version, Lee’s Bible is described on the Amazon.com website as “THE ONE BIBLE THAT SHOWS HOW A LIGHT FROM ABOVE SHAPED OUR NATION.” The description further observes, “Never has a version of the Bible targeted the spiritual needs of those who love our country more than The American Patriot’s Bible. This extremely unique Bible shows how the history of the United States connects the people and events of the Bible to our lives in a modern world. The Story of the United States is wonderfully woven into the teachings of the Bible 31and includes a beautiful full-color family record section, memorable images from our nation’s history and hundreds of enlightening articles which complement the New King James Version Bible text.”
The front cover features pictures of an American flag, various monuments in the nation’s capital, a sketch of the Pilgrims landing in Massachusetts with the Mayflower in the background, and a painting of George Washington praying at Valley Forge against a background of the Declaration of Independence. There is a picture of the Statue of Liberty on the book’s spine, and of the monument of Marines planting the American flag on Iwo Jima on the back cover, which also includes a quotation from President Ronald Reagan. A scan through the Amazon preview reveals insets on “The Right to a God-Centered Education,” “The Abrahamic Covenant,” “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” “The Right to Bear Arms,” “The Barbary Pirates,” and similar entries.
The unnumbered preparatory materials include “The Seven Principles of the Judeo-Christian Ethic.” These themes and their accompanying Scriptures are as follows: “The Dignity of Life” (Exodus 20:13 and Matthew 22:39); “The Traditional Monogamous Family” (Genesis 2:23,24) (a later entry on p. 1116 describes “The Bible and Marriage”); “A National Work Ethic” (2 Thessalonians 3:10); “The Right to a God-Centered Education” (Ephesians 6:4); “The Abrahamic Covenant”; “Common Decency” (Matthew 22:39); and “Our Personal Accountability to God.” Just over halfway through the Bible is a page describing “The Censoring of Religious Activities in Public Schools,” which portrays the U.S. Supreme Court decisions with respect to prayer, Bible reading, and the posting of the Ten Commandments as an unwarranted and unprecedented reading of “separation of church and state” into the First Amendment (2009, 731).
Although the Amazon website has many favorable reader reviews, many commentators are wary of associating Holy Scriptures with a single nation. Others were particularly concerned about the juxtaposition of a military image at the beginning of the gospels, which are more typically associated with peace (Kaylor 2009).
There is certainly a sense in which the American Patriot’s Bible further advances the idea that America is a providential “city upon a hill” with a special mission, but most Christian theologians would see Christianity, rather than America, as the heir of ancient Israel. Moreover, such a Bible could obviously prove troubling either to minority groups within the United States who believe that the government has treated them unjustly or to foreign nations who believe that America has confused its own national interests with the will of God.
The Patriot’s Bible is far from the only specialty publication. Philip L. Barlow has observed, “Both testaments of The Green Bible are printed with soy-based ink on recycled paper within a cotton/linen cover, a green-letter edition highlighting passages that depict God’s care for creation” (“Forum” 2011, 9). Moreover, in 2014, David Barton published The Founders’ Bible, highlighting his view that most of America’s founding fathers were Christians.
See also America as New Israel; City upon a Hill; Conservative Bible Project; Founders’ Bible; Geneva Bible
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For Reference and Further Reading
Boyd, Greg. July 5, 2018. “The Patriot’s Bible—Really?” Re Knew. https://reknew.org/2018/07/the-patriots-bible-really/.