Christian historian David Barton of WallBuilders sat down this week with American Family Radio to reflect on what he considers an epic year at the U.S. Supreme Court. The overturning of Roe v. Wade tops the list; but not far behind, he says, was the decision to allow Coach Joe Kennedy to pray on the field after football games.
"This year at the Supreme Court we won five religious liberty cases," Barton emphasized. "We usually don't win five cases in 20 years at the court."
According to Barton, it's been a good year in local politics as well – even in liberal cities. "The Denver school board was taken by conservatives. Four of the school boards in Colorado Springs are now in hands of conservatives, completely flipped in the election. There were 15 school board seats open in Dallas – and we got all 15 of them," he listed.
But Barton warns conservatives and Christians not to think the work is done … or to quit too soon.
"The court has not made significant changes; they've opened significant doors. [But] if we don't walk through those doors and take it advantage of this, it will mean nothing in the nation," he stated.
"While these are great, great, great, great victories, they're only the beginning of what needs to happen."
Barton says the Church needs to step up to the plate next. Toward that end, he's been asking pastors what they've seen over the past few decades as the greatest threats to the culture and the family.
"The transgender movement, the LGBTQ+ movement, the movement of secularism – they'll go through all these things that have attacked our families and undermined them," Barton described. "I said [to the pastors], 'Okay, I want you to show me the sermons you've preached on [and confronted] all the topics you just mentioned.'"
Sadly, Barton shared, surveys have shown that only 2.8% of American pastors will confront those kinds of issues. Nevertheless, he sees the American Church beginning to wake up.
"I never thought I'd see so many churches get involved in local areas and communities – but now [pastors are] seeing that they need to confront the danger," he added. "It's just phenomenal to see local church pastors getting involved in local issues, and churches and Christians starting to be leaders again."
Listen to the entire David Barton interview with AFR here
