{"id":32306,"date":"2026-06-26T14:31:38","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T18:31:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/?p=32306"},"modified":"2026-06-26T14:31:38","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T18:31:38","slug":"riley-gaines-ben-carson-and-others-vow-to-stop-erasure-of-americas-christian-roots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2026\/06\/riley-gaines-ben-carson-and-others-vow-to-stop-erasure-of-americas-christian-roots","title":{"rendered":"Riley Gaines, Ben Carson and Others Vow to Stop Erasure of America\u2019s Christian Roots"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Gage Skidmore \/ Flickr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As America\u2019s 250th<\/sup> birthday approaches, three conservatives are trying to make sure America\u2019s next generation stays connected with America\u2019s Christian heritage. Dr. Ben Carson, Riley Gaines, and Kirk Cameron have all released books through Brave Books that are meant to fight back against anti-American sentiment being pushed in popular culture, academia, and media. \u201c\u201cRight now, there is a message being drilled into the next generation from every direction: that America is something to be ashamed of. But here is what they are not telling your kids. This is the nation that abolished slavery, toppled tyrannies, liberated millions, and created technology that changed the world,\u201d said Cameron<\/a>. The three books are part of the America Wins\u00a0Bundle<\/a>\u00a0available through Brave books, with signed copies including: \u201cBuilt by the Brave\u201d by Kirk Cameron, \u201cBuilt on Faith\u201d by Dr. Carson and \u201c1, 2, 3, We Are Free!\u201d by Riley Gaines.<\/p>\n

Brave Books recently released a report<\/a> that showed there is a huge gap between positive and negative messaging being pushed by children\u2019s publishing. Of the over 300 books that have been curated to celebrate America\u2019s 250th<\/sup>, none mentioned America\u2019s Christian heritage. \u201cNo books about the Pilgrims as religious refugees. No books about the Great Awakening,\u201d the report noted \u201cNo books about religious liberty as a founding principle. No books about the faith lives of the founders. No books about the Black church’s role in American history, even on lists heavy with Black history content. No books about faith-motivated abolitionists, even on lists featuring abolitionist narratives. No titles from any faith-based publisher.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Carson responded to the report<\/a>, stating that ignoring such a vital part of America\u2019s founding would make younger generations \u201cvulnerable.\u201d \u201cA generation that does not know where their freedoms come from will not know why those freedoms are worth fighting for,” he warned, noting that quote from Ronald Reagan that freedom is \u201cnever more than one generation away from extinction.\u201d \u201cWhen 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,\u201d added Dr. Carson.<\/p>\n

Gaines agreed. \u201cThe problem is that many institutions have become so focused on emphasizing what’s broken, unfinished, or flawed that they’ve stopped teaching kids what makes America the greatest, freest, most prosperous nation in the world. That’s why so many people from all across the world try to live, work, and start a family here through whatever means necessary,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Brave Books CEO Trent Talbot stated that the inclusion of books like Ibram X Kendi\u2019s Stamped for Kids<\/em> and Nikole Hannah-Jones\u2019s Born on the Water<\/em>, books that offer a revisionist view of American history, shows a conscientious effort to bring down America. \u201cWhen 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. What this report confirms is something parents have suspected but couldn’t quantify: the bias isn’t geographic, it’s institutional,\u201d he said. \u201cRed state, blue state\u2026 it doesn’t matter when the gatekeepers are all aligned ideologically and share the same assumptions.\u201d He went after the library systems that promote such books as well. \u201cThe library system, among other institutions, doesn’t have a diversity problem. It has a uniformity problem,\u201d he said. \u201cEvery major institution has quietly agreed on what children should think about America, and faith, patriotism, and earned pride didn’t make the cut.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As America\u2019s 250th birthday approaches, three conservatives are trying to make sure America\u2019s next generation stays connected with America\u2019s Christian heritage. Dr. Ben Carson, Riley Gaines, and Kirk Cameron have all released books through Brave Books that are meant to fight back against anti-American sentiment being pushed in popular culture, academia, and media. \u201c\u201cRight now,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":32309,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32306","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nRiley Gaines, Ben Carson and Others Vow to Stop Erasure of America\u2019s Christian Roots<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ben Carson, Riley Gaines and Kirk Cameron release Brave Books titles promoting America\u2019s Christian heritage before the 250th birthday.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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