Miracle of America

Our Book:
The MIRACLE of AMERICA

The Influence of the Bible on the Founding History and Principles of the United States of America for a People of Every Belief.

by Angela E. Kamrath

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Now, for the first time ever, this revolutionary resource reveals the specific connection between America’s philosophical origins and the Bible.

  • Key excerpts from original documents
  • Key thinkers & events
  • Historical Bible references
  • Review questions & learning activities
  • Over 1000 endnotes


This book reviews what every American needs to know:

  • The United States of America is modern history’s first and greatest experiment in self-government.
  • What principles and ideas shaped the founding of America?
  • Where do they come from?
  • What role does the Bible play in America’s founding principles, ideas and ethics?
  • Do Americans today understand what freedom really means?

Testimonials

“A must-read for people of all faiths or no faith.”

– Dr. Rob Koons, University of Texas

“I cannot recall anything like this. Ever.”

– Dr. Cliff Kelly, Liberty University

“Until now, there has not been a systematic analysis of the relationship between core American political principles and religious principles.”

– Dr. Donald S. Lutz, University of Houston

Book Review

America is a country founded on ideas. Yet studies show that Americans today are largely ignorant about the key principles and ideas that have shaped our nation. As a result, we have become more fragmented as a nation and unclear and divided about what our nation stands for and where it is headed–or where it should be heading. Without citizens’ learning of America’s founding principles and values, the American idea is rapidly weakening. America’s heritage is at risk in our society, culture, institutions, and education today.

…an in-depth look at previously unexplored subject matter


Even fewer Americans understand or agree that the United States is founded on principles largely rooted in Bible-based or Judeo-Christian thought. Some call ours a Christian nation, yet we have no national religion and uphold religious freedom for all. Others call it a secular society, yet we pledge “one nation under God.” This seeming contradiction is often misundersood and misrepresented. What is the American ethic? Where does it come from?

The Miracle of America (Xulon Press, 2014) is an in-depth look at previously unexplored subject matter—America’s philosophical origins and its relation to the Bible. This educational resource explains how our nation’s founding principles and values are rooted in Bible-based or Judeo-Christian thought. Ultimately, the book shows how the Bible and Judeo-Christian thought are arguably the nation’s most significant foundational root and its enduring source of strength. This essential resource includes facilitator ideas, review/research questions, activities, and learning exercises for educational use.

Miracle of America has received endorsements from leading historians and educators and has been recognized as an unprecedented study on the connection between key American political-moral principles and Judeo-Christian principles.

The Miracle of America is recommended reading for all citizens and families, teachers and students (higher education and upper high school) to whom the American Founders have entrusted our self-governing republic. Americans must learn, teach, defend, and preserve American principles for our families and our nation so that it may endure. This book is for people of all nations who endeavor to preserve and promote Freedom, Unity, Progress, and Responsibility (FUPR™) in America and the world.

Reviewed and endorsed by leading historians and educators, Miracle of America is an unprecedented study on the connection between American political-moral principles and Bible-based principles. See Miracle of America Endorsements.

HBU-AHEF Professional Development Teacher Workshop, “Exploring the Influence of Judeo-Christian Ideas on the American Founding,” October 25, 2014, hosted by Center for Law & Liberty at Houston Baptist University (HBU), HBU School of Education, and AHEF.


Audience:
*
American citizens, teachers, and students (secondary, college, adult)
* People of all nations who endeavor to preserve freedom in the world

Features:
*
Key thinkers, founding principles, & historical events
* Key excerpts from original historical documents
* Historical Bible references
* Relevant scholarship and over 1000 endnotes
* Review/research/study questions & exercises

Educational Uses:
* College – History, Government/Political Science, Western Civilization, Philosophy, Bible Studies
* High School unit or course – History, Government/Political Science, Western Civilization, Bible Studies, Special Topics in Social Studies/Humanities (teacher ref, select rdg)
* Teacher/Student Educational Resource
* Independent Reading & Study
* Small Groups

Interviews & Reviews:
Miracle of America Endorsements
– “Angela E. Kamrath Speaks with Fox About the Bible’s Influence on America’s Founding” – Fox & Friends, Fox News Channel, 4-15-14 
“American History’s Entwined Relationship with the Bible, An Interview with Angela Kamrath,” Jonathan Petersen, Bible Gateway, 5-6-14
“Kamrath’s Book Emphasizes Historical American Ethic,” University Model Schools Journal, Dec 2013
“The Miracle of America.” Kirkus Reviews, 12-18-13
“Books: This and That,” Marvin Olasky, WORLD Magazine, 3-22-14
– “Our Founding Principles,” Part 1 & Part 2. Kevin Price, Price of Business Show, 1110 AM Houston, 7-17-15
The Old Schoolhouse Curriculum Review of Miracle of America HS Teacher Course Guide, Brandy Brockhausen, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, 2016, 2017


“Angela E. Kamrath Speaks with Fox About the Bible’s Influence on America’s Founding” – Fox & Friends, Fox News Channel, April 15, 2014 (3.41)


Educators / Librarians:
Miracle of America – Bookstore/Library Order Info
Miracle of America – Text Adoption/Acquisition Notice
Need & Legal Right to Teach Religious History in Public Schools

Also available: The Miracle of America High School TEACHER COURSE GUIDE (Supplemental Units)!

Snapshots/Summaries available: Snapshots/summaries of some key principles from The Miracle of America are available in a free download in the Member Resources section of this site. They are also found in the “Supporting Resources” section of The Miracle of America High School Teacher Course Guide and in the “Teacher Resources” section of America’s Heritage: An Experiment in Self-Government.


Miracle of America High School Teacher Course Guide / Supplemental Educational Units

The Miracle of America High School Teacher Course Guide (American Heritage, 2016) is designed to be used with The Miracle of America text (Second Edition, 2015) mentioned above.  This educational resource serves as a guide for teaching a secondary-level, semester-long special topics course in social studies/humanities (eligible for state elective credit) or as supplemental units for teaching existing courses such as U. S. Government, U. S. history, Western Civilization, Bible and Social Studies.

The Miracle of America Teacher Course Guide allows teachers and students to study the principles that shaped our nation’s founding and that appear in our founding documents.  Lesson plans examine important historical events and original documents including the Bible, Mayflower Compact, Declaration of Independence, U. S. Constitution, and U. S. Bill of Rights.

Through its unit lessons, questions and activities, the guide leads and challenges students to think, analyze, discuss, debate, and ask questions about America’s history, political philosophy, life, society, culture, and civil government.  It encourages students to understand and draw their own conclusions about America’s founding principles and values, what has made America successful, our rights and responsibilities, what it means to be an American, and why it matters.

This unit resource correlates with TEKS, AP, IB, CC, and NCSS standards and can be used with any public, private, or homeschool curriculum.  It is supplemental and elective and so does not require (public) school board approval.

The guide complements the text/reference, The Miracle of America: The Influence of the Bible on the Founding History and Principles of the United States of America for a People of Every Belief, Second Edition, by Angela E. Kamrath (American Heritage, 2015).

To access the Miracle of America High School Teacher Course Guide in digital PDF, sign up as a member educator (no cost or obligation) to access our Member Resources page. The binder format can be purchased at our bookstore.

Review:
The Old Schoolhouse Review of Miracle of America Text & HS Teacher Course Guide, 2016, 2017.

“Omitting study about religions gives students the impression that religions have not been, and are not now, part of the human experience. … Since the purpose of social studies is to provide students with a knowledge of the world… studying about religions should be an essential part of the social studies curriculum.” –National Council for the Social Studies, Study on Religions in Social Studies Curriculum

“Public schools may not provide religious instruction, but they may teach about religion, including the Bible or other scripture: the history of religion, comparative religion, the Bible (or other scripture)-as-literature, and the role of religion in the history of the United States and other countries all are permissible public school subjects.” –U. S. Dept of Education Legal Guidelines on Religious Expression in Public Schools

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About the Author

What the Experts Are Saying

We certainly stand at a critical moment now. It is a moment at which significant voices have called deeply into question principles, both political and moral, that have been foundational to our civilization: marriage and the family, sanctity of human life, Rule of Law, true democratic participation, the market economy, limited government.  Those principles have been radically called into question as never before in our country. Now which way are we going to go?  Are we going to abandon those principles? To my mind, that would be such a tragedy, such a loss to the dignity of the human being that is supported by those principles.  Or will we defend those principles?  Will we reaffirm those principles?  If we do that, we make the right choice, and this country will be a greater country than it has ever been.

The American experiment in republican liberty is truly a miracle.  In her informative and well-written book, Angela Kamrath helps to explain why. I warmly commend it, especially to younger readers who will inherit the noble responsibility for sustaining the miracle of America.

Dr. Robert P. George
McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence
Director, James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions Princeton University

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Until now, there has not been a systematic analysis of the relationship between core American political principles and religious principles. Angela Kamrath’s clearly written work, The Miracle of America, links these two sets of principles in a non-denominational presentation. The many references to the Bible are apt, well-explicated, and thorough. References to the scholarly literature are sensible and unusually free of academic jargon. The result is a highly informative analysis that is a page-turner.

Dr. Donald S. Lutz
Professor Emeritus, Political Philosophy
University of Houston

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The Miracle of America is the most important book I have ever read, outside of the Bible.  I have been in the Christian ministry since 1968, and I wish I had read this book back then.  ...  It is the very best resource for the study of America's Christian Heritage I have read, and it is worth a college semester of studies.

Pastor Billy Falling
U. S. Army Veteran, Pastor, and Author

***************

I have very much enjoyed delving into The Miracle of America and think Angela Kamrath has done a fantastic job on it.  Well done.

Jonathan Sandys
Great-Grandson of Sir Winston Churchill
Speaker & Author, God & Churchill

***************

Well what can I say. I have spent just a few hours perusing Miracle of America and have been left fairly speechless.  I cannot recall anything like this. Ever.  If all young people in America could read this, I think we’d have a Second American Revolution and/or a Third Great Awakening.

...The only real solution to the American crisis (of widespread ignorance among the people of America's founding and history) resides squarely in our ability to restore a Biblical worldview to our people.  Now that is a daunting, exhaustive prospect, but it's where this book and others like it come to the fore.  If we cannot restore that view, that heart, that vision, the republic may well fail.

Dr. Cliff Kelly
Online Professor of Communication
Liberty University

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Miracle of America provides all the background on which Russell Kirk based his work. Super documentation. Very thorough research.  All factual, historical.

...A wonderful book which will not permit us to forget the essential Biblical roots underlying our American consensus.  American Protestant Christian theology and belief inform all the thinking that underlay the foundation of our Republic.

Rev. Donald Nesti
Director, Center for Faith and Culture
University of St. Thomas

***************

The Miracle of America is a ground-breaking, foundational work.  Angela Kamrath's research and work is magnificent in helping to build the case that this was a Christian nation at birth and should remain so.  It is important, IMPORTANT, to bringing a new understanding of why America's history and heritage are fundamentally relevant to our nation's continued success.  The book shows not only history but evidence of God's Providence, and it should help awaken this nation to our need for God, Christianity, and the Bible as a nation.

Mark K. Vogl
U. S. Army Veteran, Educator, and Author
Columnist, The Nolan Chart

***************

Angela Kamrath has provided a well-researched contribution for the study of the foundations of American Government, especially detailing from primary source material the various philosophical and religious perspectives that helped promote revolution and shape those foundations.  The Miracle of America provides much historic detail of argumentation that was adapted by our country’s founders from both reformation and radical reformation ideals and experiences.  …An excellent history source book that includes helpful student learning exercises, and both research and review questions with each chapter.

Dr. Brian H. Wagner
Instructor of History, Theology, and Biblical Languages
Virginia Baptist College

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A counter to a conventional teaching is Angela Kamrath's The Miracle of America, which shows how biblical understanding influenced the founding of the United States.  Homeschooling parents will find it a valuable reference.

Dr. Marvin Olasky
Editor, World Magazine
Professor of Journalism
The University of Texas at Austin

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Very original is Angela Kamrath’s linking of political and philosophical concepts to specific Biblical passages. She is to be congratulated on taking on such an ambitious project, reading the enormous body of literature, and coming up with a well-reasoned argument that historians, students, and citizens need to hear.

Dr. Peter H. Gibbon
Senior Research Fellow
Boston University

***************

In an age of historical amnesia, spiritual apathy, and political correctness, Miracle of America is a sigh of relief and a breath of fresh air.  It allows students and educators alike to appreciate and to understand America as an idea.  It is a profound work, at once a model of intellectual, religious, and political history.  The primary research is diligent.  Moreover, the activities and supplementary resources included at the end of each chapter reinforce major themes and should stimulate productive classroom discussions.

Dr. Brian M. Jordan
Doctoral Student of History
Yale University

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Angela Kamrath gets the main ideas right.  Many prominent scholars think that notions such as the importance of consent, the right to revolt, natural rights, and limited government sprang from the head of a secularized John Locke, with seemingly no recognition that these ideas had long been a part of Christian (particularly Reformed) communities. I also like many of the exercises at the end of each chapter.  A beautiful book.

Dr. Mark David Hall
Herbert Hoover Distinguished Professor of Politics
George Fox University

***************

Angela Kamrath provides a powerful demonstration of the strength of our republic’s Judeo-Christian roots.

Dr. Stephen H. Balch
Director, Texas Tech Institute for the Study of Western Civilization
Former President, National Association of Scholars

***************

The idea that we are all created equal with inherent, God-given dignity was a radical idea and came primarily from our Judeo-Christian background, not from the Enlightenment. Angela Kamrath’s incredible work documents basic American ideas and ideals in a way that has not been accomplished before.  It is a must-read for people of all faiths or no faith.

Dr. Robert C. Koons
Professor of Philosophy
Founding Director, Program in Western Civilization and American Institutions
The University of Texas at Austin

***************

I am impressed with the amount of work that Angela Kamrath has done in assembling this material and in documenting the importance of the Bible and the Christian tradition in the thinking of the Founders, from the Puritans to the Framers of the Constitution. I agree that today’s students should be aware of this important history and, regrettably, that most are not. I am happy to have this impressive work.

Dr. Bill Martin
Senior Fellow for Religion and Public Policy
Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University

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Miracle of America is excellently arranged for its argument. I’ve learned a lot unquestionably from reading this book. There was research, content, and philosophers in it that were new to me. ...  The work is neutral and balanced.  It puts truth on the table. The truth will shine.  ... This book would be a great resource in an American political thought class.

Dr. Michael Bordelon
Professor of Government
Houston Baptist University

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Angela Kamrath’s Miracle of America is rich in documenting the importance of biblical ideals, not only on America’s founding generation and the Great Awakening that occurred before the War of Independence, but at the very beginning of the European settlements in America at the time of the New England Puritans.  It used to be that in courses on American history and American political philosophy, students would begin with the Puritans and their wider influence on American culture that Tocqueville and so many other foreign observers noted.  Angela has done everyone a great service in trying to restore knowledge of these early beginnings.

Dr. Russell Nieli
Senior Preceptor and Lecturer
James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions
Princeton University   

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Miracle of America is a book with a point, a point it makes no attempt to hide and for which it makes no apologies. That point is that the founding principles of the United States of America are strongly and unequivocally based on Biblical ideals.  The ideals leading to those founding principles can be traced to their sources and identified through the actions and communications of the founding members of the culture.  The task of this book is to provide evidence supporting this central point.  The book accomplishes this task substantially enough to be persuasive to those who respect the power of original documents to establish such facts. The support is expansive enough to meet the test of validity.

This book traces the lineage of governmental institutions in the United States to Christian principles and specifically to Biblical underpinnings.  The lineage is undeniable.  The work basically creates a documentary family-tree that shows us clearly how many of these founding concepts were carried torch-like from generation to generation. Just about anyone can benefit from reading this book, including high school students.

Dr. Matthew Melton
Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
Lee University

Dr. Danilo Petranovich is an Advising Scholar for AHEF.  Dr. Petranovich is the Director of the Abigail Adams Institute at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA. Previously, he taught political science at Duke University and Yale University.  His scholarly expertise is in nineteenth-century European and American political and social thought, with a special emphasis on American culture and Abraham Lincoln.  He has authored a number of articles on Lincoln and is currently writing a book on nationalism and the North in antebellum America.  He is a member of Harvard’s Kirkland House.  He holds a B. A. from Harvard and a Ph. D. in Political Science from Yale University.

Dr. Richard J. Gonzalez (1912-1998) is Co-Founder of AHEF.  Dr. Gonzalez served as Chief Economist and a member of the Board of Directors for Humble Oil and Refining Company (later Exxon Mobil) in Houston, Texas, for 28 years.  Later, he served as an economic consultant to various federal agencies and studies including the Department of Defense and the National Energy Study. 

He consulted with the Petroleum Administration for Defense and the Office of Defense Mobilization. In 1970, he was appointed by the U. S. Secretary of the Interior to the National Energy Study.  In addition, Gonzalez chaired and directed many petroleum industry boards and committees.  He served as director of the National Industrial Conference Board, chairman of the Economics Advisory Committee-Interstate Oil Compact Commission, and chairman of the National Petroleum Council Drafting Committee on National Oil Policy.  Gonzalez also held visiting professorships at the University of Texas, University of Houston, University of New Mexico, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.  From 1983-1991, he was a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Texas IC2 Institute (Innovation, Creativity, and Capital).

Gonzalez authored many articles and papers on topics ranging from energy economics to the role of progress in America. His articles include “Economics of the Mineral Industry” (1976), “Energy and the Environment: A Risk Benefit Approach” (1976), “Exploration and Economics of the Petroleum Industry” (1976), “Exploration for U. S. Oil and Gas” (1977), “National Energy Security” (1978), and “How Can U.S. Energy Production Be Increased?” (1979).

Born in San Antonio, Texas, Gonzalez earned his B.A. in Mathematics, M.A. in Economics, and Ph.D. in Economics (Phi Beta Kappa with highest honors) from the University of Texas at Austin.  He was and still is the youngest candidate ever to earn his Ph.D. from UT-Austin at the age of 21 in 1934.

In 1993, Dr. and Mrs. Gonzalez were recognized by the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (NSSAR) with the Bronze Good Citizenship Medals for “Notable Services on Behalf of American Principles.”

Selected Articles:
1. “What Makes America Great? An Address before the Dallas Chapter Society for the Advancement of Management” (1951)
2. “Power for Progress” (1952)
3. “Increasing Importance of Economic Education” (1953)
4. “Federal Spending and Deficits Must Be Controlled to Stop Inflation” (1978)
5. “What Enabled Americans to Achieve Great Progress? Keys to Remarkable Economic Progress of the United States of America” (1989)
6. “The Establishment of the United States of America” (1991)

Eugenie Gonzalez is Co-Founder of AHEF. Mrs. Gonzalez was elected to the Houston Independent School District (HISD) Board of Trustees with Dr. Herman Barnett III and David Lopez from 1972-1976 and was a key designer and advocate for HISD’s Magnet School program.  With HISD and AHEF in 1993, she designed and implemented HISD’s annual American Heritage Month held every November throughout HISD. 

Jeannie was recognized in 1993 by the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (NSSAR) for “Notable Services on Behalf of American Principles” with the Bronze Good Citizenship Medal and in 2011 by the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) for “Outstanding Achievement through Education Pursuits” with the Mary Smith Lockwood Medal.  In 2004, she was honored to receive HISD’s first American Heritage Month Exemplary Citizenship Award.

Jeannie was a volunteer, participant, and supporter of M. D. Anderson Cancer Hospital, St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, Gethsemane United Methodist Church, Houston Grand Jury Association (board member), League of Women Voters, Houston Area Forum, the Mayor’s Charter Study Committee, Vision America, Houston Parks Department, and Houston Tennis Association.  She was instrumental in the founding of the Houston Tennis Association and Houston Tennis Patrons.

In her youth, Jeannie was the leading women’s tennis player in the Midwest Section of the US Lawn Tennis Association and competed at the U. S. National Championships.  She attended by invitation and became the first women’s tennis player at the University of Texas at Austin.  In 1932, 1933, and 1934, Jeannie was women’s finalist at the Houston Invitational Tennis Tournament which became the River Oaks Invitational Tennis Tournament and is now the USTA Clay Court Championships.  She was instrumental in bringing some of the nation’s top amateur tennis players to that event.  Jeannie became the first teaching tennis professional at Houston Country Club and River Oaks Country Club, starting active junior programs at each.  Jeannie and her father, Jack Sampson, were jointly inducted into the Texas Tennis Hall of Fame in 2012.

Claudine Kamrath is Outreach Coordinator, Office Manager, and Resource Designer for AHEF. She oversees outreach efforts and office administration. She also collaborates on educational resource formatting and design.  She has served as an Elementary Art Teacher in Texas as well as a Communications and Design Manager for West University United Methodist Church in Houston. She also worked as a childrens’ Camp Counselor at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Houston.  She holds a B.A. in Art and a Bachelor of Fine Art from the University of Texas at Austin as well as Texas Teacher Certification from the University of Houston. She has served in various children’s and student ministries.

Dr. Brian Domitrovic is an Advising Scholar for AHEF.  Dr. Domitrovic is a Senior Associate and the Richard S. Strong Scholar at the Laffer Center for Supply-Side Economics. He is also Department Chair and Professor of History at Same Houston State University.  He teaches American and European History and Economics.  His specialties also include Economic History, Intellectual History, Monetary Policy, and Fiscal Policy.  He has written articles, papers, and books–including Econoclasts–in these subjects.  He is a board member of the Center for Western Civilization, Thought & Policy at the University of Colorado-Boulder and a trustee of the Philadelphia Society.  He has received several awards including the Director’s Award from Intercollegiate Studies Institute and fellowship grants from Earhart Foundation, Krupp Foundation, Princeton, Texas A&M, and SHSU.  He holds a B. A. in History & Mathematics from Columbia University, an M. A. in History from Harvard University, and a Ph. D. in History, with graduate studies in Economics, from Harvard University.

Jack Kamrath is Co-Founder and Vice-President of AHEF.  A Texas state champion and nationally-ranked tennis player during his high school and college years, Kamrath is the Co-Founder and Principal of Tennis Planning Consultants (TPC) in Houston, Texas, since 1970. TPC is the first, oldest, and most prolific tennis facility design and consulting firm in the United States and world.  Mr. Kamrath is also the founder and owner of Kamrath Construction Company and has owned and managed various real estate operating companies.  He worked with Brown and Root in construction and human resources in Vietnam during the Vietnam War from 1966-1970. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin.  He is a member of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Houston.  In 2008, AHEF President Mr. Kamrath and AHEF received the Distinguished Patriot Award from the Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (NSSAR) for leadership in preserving America’s heritage and the teaching of good citizenship principles.

Essays:
1.  1776:  From Oppression to Freedom
2.  FUPR:  The Formula for the American Experiment
2.  In Support of Our Pledge of Allegiance
3.  A Summation of America’s Greatest Ever Threat to Its Survival and Perpetuation
4.  A Brief Overview:  The Moral Dimension of Rule of Law in the U. S. Constitution (editor)

Dr. Michael Owens is Director of Education of AHEF. He has served as a Presenter/Trainer of AHEF teacher training workshops. Owens has taken on a number of administration leadership roles in Texas public education throughout his career–including Superintendent in Dripping Springs ISD, Assistant Superintendent in Friendswood ISD, and Associate Executive Director of Instruction Services for Region IV Education Service Center. He has also served as Director of Exemplary Programs for the Texas Education Agency, Director of Curriculum and Instruction for College Station ISD, and Director of Elementary and Secondary Education for College Station ISD. Owens has led many professional development worships for the Texas School Boards Association, Texas Assessment, Texas Education Agency, and others. He has specialization in educational technology systems and educational assessments, and has Texas teaching experience. He currently serves as Texas Technology Engineering Literacy (TEL) test administrator for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for part of Texas. He holds a B.S. and a M.Ed. from Stephen F. Austin State University and a Ed.D. from the University of North Texas.  He retired in 2021.

Angela E. Kamrath is President and Editorial Director of AHEF.  She is the author of the critically-acclaimed The Miracle of America: The Influence of the Bible on the Founding History and Principles of the United States of America for a People of Every Belief. She is editor and co-contributor of AHEF’s widely-distributed teacher resources, America’s Heritage: An Adventure in LibertyAmerica’s Heritage: An Experiment in Self-Government, and The Miracle of America High School Teacher Course Guide. In addition, she is editor and contributor for The Founding Blog and AHEF websites. Kamrath has taught, tutored, and consulted in writing and research at the University of Houston, Belhaven College, and Houston Christian University.  She also served as a Secondary English Teacher in Texas and as a Communications Assistant for St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Houston.  She served as a Research Assistant intern in the Office of National Service during the George H. W. Bush administration.  She holds a B.A. in Government from the University of Texas at Austin, a M.A. in Journalism from Regent University, and a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction as well as Texas Teacher Certification from the University of Houston.  She has served in various children’s and student ministries.

Dr. Steve Balch is an Advising Scholar for AHEF.  Dr. Balch is the Principal Founder and former President of the National Association of Scholars (NAS). He served as a Professor of Government at City University of New York from 1974-1987.  Dr. Balch has co-authored several NAS studies on education curriculum evolution and problems including The Dissolution of General Education:  1914-1993The Dissolution of the Curriculum 1914-1996, and The Vanishing West.  He is the author of Economic and Political Change After Crisis:  Prospects for Government, Liberty and Rule of Law and numerous articles relating to issues in academia.  Dr. Balch has also founded and/or led many education organizations including the Institute for the Study of Western Civilization at Texas Tech University, Alexander Hamilton Institute for the Study of Western Civilization, Association for the Study of Free Institutions, American Academy for Liberal Education, Philadelphia Society, Historical Society, and Association of Literary Scholars.  He has also served on the National Advisory Board of the U. S. Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE), Educational Excellence Network, and New Jersey State Advisory Committee to the U. S. Commission on Civil Rights.  Dr. Balch was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President George W. Bush in 2007, and the Jeanne Jordan Kirkpatrick Academic Freedom Award by the Bradley Foundation and American Conservative Union Foundation in 2009.  He holds a B. A. in Political Science from City University of New York and a M. A. and Ph. D. in Political Science from the University of California-Berkeley.

Dr. Rob Koons is an Advising Scholar for AHEF.  Dr. Koons is a Professor of Philosophy and Co-Founder of The Western Civilization and American Institutions Program at The University of Texas at Austin. He teaches ancient, medieval, contemporary Christian, and political philosophy as well as philosophy of religion.  He has authored/co-authored countless articles and several books including Realism RegainedThe Atlas of Reality, Fundamentals of Metaphysics, and Neo-Aristotelian Perspectives on Contemporary Science.  He has been awarded numerous fellowships and is a member of the American Philosophical Association, Society of Christian Philosophers, and American Catholic Philosophical Association.  He holds a B. A. in Philosophy from Michigan State University, an M. A. in Philosophy and Theology from Oxford University, and a Ph. D. in Philosophy from the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA).

Dr. Mark David Hall is an Advising Scholar for AHEF.  Dr. Hall is a Professor of Political Science in the Robertson School of Government at Regent University and a Senior Research Fellow in the Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy at First Liberty Institute.  He is also a Distinguished Scholar of Christianity & Public Life at George Fox University, Associate Faculty in the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University, and Senior Fellow in the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University. His teaching interests include American Political Theory, Religion and Politics, Constitutional Law, and Great Books.  Dr. Hall is a nationally recognized expert on religious freedom and has written or edited a dozen books on religion and politics in America including Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land:  How Christianity Has Advanced Freedom and Equality for All AmericansDid America Have a Christian Founding? Separating Modern Myth from Historical TruthGreat Christian Jurists in American HistoryAmerica’s Wars: A Just War PerspectiveFaith and the Founders of the American RepublicThe Sacred Rights of ConscienceThe Founders on God and Government, and The Political and Legal Philosophy of James Wilson.  He writes for the online publications Law & Liberty and Intercollegiate Studies Review and has appeared regularly on a number of radio shows, including Jerry Newcomb’s Truth in Action, Tim Wildman’s Today’s Issues, the Janet Mefferd Show, and the Michael Medved Show.  He has been awarded numerous fellowships and the Freedom Project Award by the John Templeton Foundation in 1999 and 2000.  He holds a B. A. in Political Science from Wheaton College and a Ph. D. in Government from the University of Virginia.