Tennessee sheriff uses web site to peddle 'Christian nation' view.

The sheriff of Bradley County, Tenn., has been using his official government Web site to promote an essay arguing that the United States was founded to be a "Christian nation."

Sheriff Tim Gobble's essay, posted at www.bradleysheriff.com in January, reads in part, "Anyone who questions whether the U.S. has a rich Christian heritage can take a quick look at the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, most all state constitutions, most all inaugural addresses, speeches of our founding fathers, national symbols, and even Washington D.C. architecture. They all stand as testaments to our Christian heritage."

Americans United took issue with Gobble's claims on its blog "The Wall of Separation." Assistant Director of Communications Rob Boston asserted that Gobble has misread American history.

"The Declaration of Independence, Gobble points out, says our people are 'endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights' and refers to 'the Supreme Judge of the world' and a 'firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence,'" Boston observed. "These are all Deistic references. There's not one word about Jesus Christ or the Christian faith."

Boston also took issue with Gobble's insistence that our national symbols reflect Christianity.

"You mean like that pyramid with the eyeball above it on the dollar bill or the eagle clutching olive branches and arrows?" Boston wrote. "They're not Christian, either. In fact, some scholars believe the 'all-seeing eye' is a Masonic nod to Egyptian paganism! Given that many of the Founders were into Masonry, I wouldn't be surprised."

Boston concluded, "My advice to Sheriff Gobble is simple: Don't quit your day job of arresting bad guys. You'll never make it as a historian."

Gobble was unrepentant. In interviews with local newspapers, he attacked both Boston and Peter Irons, a First Amendment scholar who had also taken issue with his claims.

Speaking of Irons, who teaches at the University of California, San Diego, Gobble told the Chattanooga Times Free Press, "I'm not sure we need to get overly concerned about what some extreme left-wing liberal guy out in California has to say about us here in Tennessee."

Gobble later said something similar about AU's Boston, telling the Cleveland (Tenn.) Daily Banner, "I don't think we need to get too concerned about what some extreme, left-wing liberal in Washington, Boston or California thinks about what we do here in Tennessee."

Gobble encourages religious groups to work with prisoners at the county jail. Americans United pointed out that such programs can't be used to advance religion and should be open to all religious and secular groups.