School leader’s legally questionable plan to boost Bible would do the opposite

Oklahoman would turn text many see as sacred into another political prop

Photo by Aaron Burden; licensed by Unsplash.

When Ryan Walters, the Oklahoma superintendent of education, issued a mandate¹ last week requiring use of the Bible as “instructional support” in classes throughout the state, he undoubtedly was intending to raise the Bible’s profile, making it more important in the lives and culture of everyday Oklahomans.

Instead, his proposal limits the Bible’s value and ultimately would make it less compelling as a book that has inspired millions for centuries.

It should be obvious that Walters’ proposal is an attack on constitutional restraints relating to the government’s role in religion. What is less obvious is the harm that the plan would impose on the Christian faith itself.

A problem with Walters’ plan is that it sees the Bible as just another document that was and can still be used to establish power. In his mind, it may have been the most important such document in the formation of the United States, but it is still just another document. And while he may want to see the Bible as a “cornerstone” for the American government, his view begs the question of whether the Bible also was used (or, more accurately, misused) as a cornerstone for the perpetuation of slavery as well as of laws in most of U.S. history that institutionalized an inferior status for women.

Walters seems to want to use the Bible as a means for perpetuation of a certain vision of American power. But even a cursory reading of the Bible will show that its writers did not see themselves as providing words to be used that way:

• Many of the Old Testament prophets were known for their challenges to power, for their eloquent condemnation of using wealth and political might to keep the poor in their place.

• In speaking to his closest followers, Jesus flips traditional concepts of power on their heads, even declaring that many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.²

• Writing to readers under Roman oppression, Paul never called for a revolution to regain power³ but instead wrote about the type of sacrificial love that could be used to serve others.⁴

It is hard to read the New Testament in particular as having a connection at all with secular power. The promise of the Christianity taught throughout the New Testament is one of transformation, of discovering and living a new life. It simply isn’t about being used as an educational prop for instilling love of country. In fact, it can be argued that the type of Christian nationalism promoted by Walters and others like him is a kind of idolatry, a practice condemned throughout the Bible.

This isn’t to say that the Bible has no place in public education. In fact, the opposite is true: The King James Version of the Bible in particular had a major role in the development of English literature, and it is impossible to understand Western history, including that of the United States, without understanding the role that the Bible, Judaism and Christianity have played, for good and for bad.

But Walters’ plan goes beyond offering students that kind of perspective; it would encourage students to look at the Bible in a certain way, as a political document, rather than as writings, in one sense ancient and in another sense timeless, that have the potential to be life-changing.

Walters may think he’s elevating the Bible, but instead he’s cheapening it.

1. This is the full text of Walters’ memo sent to educators:

“Effective immediately, all Oklahoma schools are required to incorporate the Bible, which includes the Ten Commandments, as an instructional support into the curriculum across specified grade levels, e.g., grades 5 through 12. This directive is in alignment with the educational standards approved on or about May 2019, with which all districts must comply.

“The Bible is one of the most historically significant books and a cornerstone of Western civilization, along with the Ten Commandments. They will be referenced as an appropriate study of history, civilization, ethics, comparative religion, or the like, as well as for their substantial influence on our nation’s founders and the foundational principles of our Constitution. This is not merely an educational directive but a crucial step in ensuring our students grasp the core values and historical context of our country.

“Additionally, the State Department of Education may supply teaching materials for the Bible, as permissible, to ensure uniformity in delivery. Adherence to this mandate is compulsory. Further instructions for monitoring and reporting on this implementation for the 2024/25 school year will be forthcoming.

“Immediate and strict compliance is expected.”

2. See Matthew 19:30.

3. In fact, he called for the opposite in the opening verses of Roman 13.

4. See Galatians 5:13 for one example.