So this happened to David Barton yesterday.
Our friends at Right Wing Watch report that the daily radio show of the religious right’s favorite amateur historian was yanked, mid-show, from a Christian radio station in East Texas. The reason given: Barton’s ongoing defense of new Texas resident and former Fox News commentator Glenn Beck.
Here’s the story, via Warren Throckmorton:
An affiliate radio station of the Moody Network in East Texas, KBJS-FM, canceled David Barton’s Wallbuilders Live radio program during the show yesterday while Barton was discussing Glenn Beck’s religious beliefs. Randy Featherstone, KBJS manager, said the show was dropped due to Barton’s failure to distinguish between Mormon theology and Christianity.
“When David Barton said it doesn’t matter whether you are a Mormon or a Baptist or a Methodist, we felt we had to do something,” Featherstone explained.
On the Tuesday program, Barton played audio of Glenn Beck saying that “the Lord Jesus Christ is my Savior and my Redeemer.” Then Barton said he believed that Beck was a Christian based on his statement of belief and “his fruits,” meaning his good deeds. Based on Beck’s statements, Barton then asked co-host Rick Green, “Glenn says he’s Mormon. OK, that’s fine. Based on what you heard, if you heard a Baptist say that or if you heard a Methodist say that…what would you say?” After Green answered that Beck’s testimony indicated a real conversion, Barton responded, “Why is it not a real conversion because of the label he wears?”
Throughout the program, Barton dismissed Beck’s Mormonism, saying at one point, “I don’t care what label Beck wears. I don’t care what Glenn thinks Mormon means.” Barton also asserted that Beck uses the same Bible, but added, “Now he may use the Book of Mormon, we never talked about the Book of Mormon.”
Barton remains on the air on other radio stations and online, but it still has to hurt your ego that they won’t even let you finish out the day before you’re told to hand in your office key and leave the premises.
Of course, when Barton explains it to friends, he’ll probably say it was the original intent of the Founding Fathers that his show not air on KBJS.
