This is What Christian Nationalism Looks Like

In June, Ryan Walters, Oklahoma’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, directed the state’s public schools to teach the Bible, which he calls an “indispensable historical and cultural touchstone.”

Walters is right about one thing. The Bible has played a significant role in American history. But Walters seems to have more in mind than merely exposing students to a major work of Western Civilization.

According to a recent document uncovered by Oklahoma Watch, Walters is in the market for 55,000 Bibles to distribute to his teachers. He will not settle for just any Bibles. He wants “King James Version Bibles” that include printings of the Pledge of Allegiance, Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, and Bill of Rights. The Bibles must also include “study guides,” a “publisher narration,” and “additional commentary.” And to top it all off, they must be bound in leather or “leather-like” material for “durability.”