(RNS) — Ryan Walters is looking for 55,000 Bibles, and he is seeking $60 donations for each of them.
Walters, who is Oklahoma’s state superintendent of public instruction, has made national headlines for his efforts to get Bibles into the hands of public school kids in his state.
After state officials earlier this week rejected his request for $3 million to buy the Bibles, Walters launched a fundraising campaign to buy copies endorsed by President Donald Trump, with the help of country singer Lee Greenwood.
“We faced opposition from left-wing activists in the state, left-wing legal groups, and frankly, we’ve had some Republicans that haven’t wanted to step up for the initiative,” Walters said in a phone interview, adding that he is grateful to Greenwood for stepping up and lending a hand.
Walters and Greenwood teamed up to launch a “Bibles for Oklahoma” campaign to purchase copies of Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA Bible,” which will then be donated to schools. The “God Bless the USA Bible” includes within it the King James Version along with patriotic documents like the Constitution and Declaration of Independence.
“The goal of this campaign is to provide copies of the God Bless the USA Bible to as many schools within the State of Oklahoma Department of Education as possible,” according to the campaign’s website.
The “God Bless the USA Bible” website “Bibles for Oklahoma” campaign page. (Screen grab)
Each copy of the patriotic Bible costs $60, the same retail price Greenwood’s website lists.
Last year, the Oklahoma Department of Education paid $25,000 for 500 copies of the Christian scriptures — or $50 each, according to the Oklahoma Voice. Those 500 Bibles were bought for use in Advanced Placement government classes.
Online Bible retailers offer less expensive Bibles that include just the religious text. Christianbook.com, for example, sells a case of 24 King James Versions with imitation leather covers for $155.76 — or $6.49 each. Churchsource.com, run by the Christian publisher Thomas Nelson, offers a 58% discount when purchasing more than 25 cases of Bibles.
A spokesman for the God Bless the USA Bible said a bulk discount wasn’t available for the donation programs since donors will buy one Bible at a time. If all 55,000 Bibles Walters hopes to buy were ordered at the same time, that would be different, the spokesperson said.
Walters said his push to get the Bibles into the classroom came in response to requests from parents and grandparents who were upset that their kids didn’t understand the role the Bible played in American history.
“I think it’s so important that our kids understand what made America great,” he said. “What were those key documents and key beliefs that individuals held throughout our history that made America the greatest country in the history of the world?”
Walters also said he believes it is important to have the Bible and documents like the Constitution and Declaration of Independence in the same resource so kids can look at them side by side. He also said the state requires students to understand both the Bible and patriotic documents, so having them within the same resource makes it easier for students to learn about them.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt answers a question while taking part in a panel discussion during a Republican Governors Association conference, Nov. 16, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)
Oklahoma officials have been less than enthusiastic about Walters’ plans for the Bible. In explaining why the funding request was rejected, Democratic Oklahoma state Sen. Mary Boren told an Oklahoma City television station legislators wanted to avoid “legal complications” while working on the budget, as well as focusing on reading and math in school.
“You can tell that was a big priority,” she told KOCO, an ABC station.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said in a press conference this week that he believes in the importance of religious liberty but does not support the idea of spending $3 million of tax dollars on Bibles. Stitt, who has supported a state-funded Christian charter school, also said there are easier ways to get the Bible to school kids. He pointed to the YouVersion Bible app, which is run by an Oklahoma megachurch and has been downloaded hundreds of millions of times.
“I’m sure most kids have the Bible app on their phones,” he said.
Walters rejected the governor’s criticism of his efforts.
“Unfortunately, our governor has been coming out against a bunch of President Trump’s initiatives,” Walters said.
University of Oklahoma sociology professor Sam Perry said teaching about the Bible in schools can be appropriate — especially for understanding the culture, history and laws of the United States.
“To understand American history and culture, I think it is necessary to have some measure of religious literacy,” said Perry, who studies Christian nationalism, or the idea that America was founded by and belongs to Christians.
Perry said the God Bless the USA Bible isn’t the only version to include patriotic documents, and including such documents influences how people read the Bible and can have political overtones.
“We have this narrative of America being founded on Judeo-Christian biblical principles,” he said. “And if you want to emphasize that, you stick those documents in your Bible.”
Walters defended the pricing of the God Bless the USA Bible, saying it has a high-quality binding and will stand up to daily use in the classroom. He also dismissed the idea of purchasing separate Bibles and copies of patriotic documents, saying the point was to get all the resources in the same place.
While phone apps can be helpful, he said, textbooks still matter. Walters also said he has been criticized for trying to push religion on students, which he rejects. Instead, Walters said, he’s trying to get schools back to teaching the basics.
“What we’re doing is making sure kids understand the role that it played in America and American society,” he said. “Until the 1960s, this wouldn’t have even been controversial. There was a Bible in every classroom. We’ve got to get back to that so kids understand the historical relevance there.”
