NOTE: This piece was originally published at our Substack newsletter A Public Witness.
On Thursday (Feb. 27), the Oklahoma State Board of Education voted 5-1 to approve new academic standards that require public schools to teach more about Jesus and the Bible. The new social studies standards, pushed by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters, also require instruction about Christian Nationalistic symbols like “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance and “In God We Trust” as the national motto.
The new standards, which now head to the state legislature for consideration, already drew opposition from Christian and interfaith leaders opposed to the Christian Nationalistic agenda of Walters. A letter released ahead of the vote from various clergy members, congregations, religious organizations, and church-state separation groups complains that the proposed standards create a representation of the nation that “improperly and erroneously privileges Christianity.”
“This favoring of one faith tradition in public education violates Oklahomans’ right to religious freedom, which is protected by both the U.S. and Oklahoma Constitutions,” the letter adds. “The standards promote Christianity not only by inaccurately overemphasizing its influence on the Founding but also by failing to acknowledge that many diverse religious, spiritual, and ethical traditions have played a role in the founding and flourishing of our nation.”
Among the letter’s signers are the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Oklahoma, Interfaith Alliance, Sikh Coalition, American Atheists, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, Americans United for Separation of Church and State (where I serve on the national board), and individual Jewish, Sikh, Baptist, Disciples of Christ, United Church of Christ, and Unitarian congregations in the Sooner State.
In their letter, they noted specific social studies standards they deemed inaccurate or lacking in scope. They also criticized the standards as “just another attempt” by Walters “to disproportionately emphasize Christianity, and more specifically, the Christian Bible.” For those not paying attention, the letter lists some of Walters’s actions as the elected head of public schools in the state, including him wanting to spend millions to buy 55,000 Bibles for school classrooms and him filming himself praying and then demanding that schools play that video to students. He’s also used his office to promote the Donald Trump-endorsed “God Bless the USA Bible” and to argue for the creation of a publicly funded sectarian school (which should be an obvious oxymoron but which will actually be considered by the U.S. Supreme Court next month).
Ryan Walters, Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction (right), bows his head in prayer along with other members of the state’s Board of Education during an official meeting on April 12, 2023. (Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press)
With the new standards opposed by leaders of Jewish, Sikh, and atheist groups along with Christians who believe in actual religious liberty for all people and oppose Christian Nationalism, it should surprise no one that Oklahoma is moving ahead with the Bible-infused curriculum requirements. After all, the state has been, as an Oklahoma high school social studies teacher recently put it, a “testing ground for Project 2025.” So this issue of A Public Witness cracks opens the books to study the problems with the new social studies standards where the wind comes sweepin’ down the plain.
Nonstandard Standards
Walters unveiled the proposed changes to the state’s social studies curriculum standards in December. He heralded the edits as a way of increasing the Christian and patriotic content in classrooms.
“Oklahoma is putting the Bible and the historical impact of Christianity back in school,” he declared at the time. “We are demanding that our children learn the full and true context of our nation’s founding and of the principles that made and continue to make America great and exceptional.”
“As we rolled out our Bible initiatives earlier in the year, this strengthens them by providing over 50 references to the Bible and Christianity,” he added. “Our previous standards only had two references, so we have included the Bible and Christianity more in our history standards in the state of Oklahoma than any other state in the country.”
Among the various religious requirements in the proposed standards are:
- For 1st grade: “Explain the purpose and meaning of The Pledge of Allegiance and the significance of the phrase ‘under God.’”
- For 1st grade: “Explain how we celebrate our nation and its history through patriotic songs (e.g., ‘My Country, ‘Tis of Thee,’ ‘God Bless America’).
- For 1st grade: “Identify and explain the meaning of the United States’ official motto, ‘In God We Trust,’ including the importance of religion to American people.”
- For 2nd grade: “Identify stories from Christianity that influenced the American colonists, Founders, and culture, including the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth (e.g., the ‘Golden Rule,’ the Sermon on the Mount).”
- For 5th grade: “Explain how the Framers based the Constitution on ‘the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God,’ as expressed in the Declaration of Independence and on biblical principles, as reflected in the writings of the Founders.”
- For 8th grade: “Evaluate the role of Judeo-Christian ideals in supporting colonial demands for independence, as exemplified by the Bible being a frequently cited authority by America’s Founders.”
- For grades 9-12: “Describe how the Constitution of the United States was influenced by religion, morality, and the Bible as a frequently cited authority by America’s founders.”
Some of those standards seem more like something you would find in a Christian Nationalistic presentation by pseudo-historian David Barton than in a history textbook. Perhaps that’s because Walters had previously put Barton on the Executive Review Committee that created the overhaul of the standards! Walters also put other conservatives known for pushing Christian Nationalism and myths about U.S. history, including Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts (whose group created “Project 2025”), the former president of a Christian college and an adjunct professor at another Christian school, an editor for a pro-Trump Catholic publication, and talk show hosts Dennis Prager, Steve Deuce, and Stacy Washington. No Oklahoma public school teachers or administrators were on the committee.
With a committee like that, no wonder the new standards are so bad! Yet, the state’s Board of Education backed the changes even as people rallied at the Capitol to protest the inaccurate, Christian Nationalistic content.
“I want to learn accurate history, not some watered-down version” Shawnee Middle School eighth grader Jade Valentine said at a Public Schools Day rally last week. “Social studies is supposed to teach us about history and government, but lately it feels like a Bible study class instead.”
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Challenging Bad Faith History
With the Board of Education approving the new standards, Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons of Interfaith Alliance noted that the debate now heads to state lawmakers: “The legislature has to decide, is it going to vote for religious freedom by not approving these standards or is it going to say the government should be leading Bible study and taking that away from the proper role of churches in promoting one religion.” Even if we expect the lawmakers to vote for transforming public schools into Sunday Schools, it’s still important for Christians and others to speak out against the proposed standards. We cannot let Christian Nationalism win by forfeit.
Fortunately, there are many Christians in the Sooner State who are challenging Christian Nationalism. I met some of them last fall when I spoke at several events at a Presbyterian church in Tulsa. I started one lecture by joking about how it was nice to talk about Christian Nationalism “in the home state of Ryan Walters.” They laughed, but they are also organizing and speaking out.
Interestingly, during my time in Tulsa last year, I actually talked about many of the issues Walters, Barton, and the others behind the new standards want taught to children. Like the meaning of “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance, which proves how undemocratic Christian Nationalism really is. And I discussed the fight for true religious liberty during the colonial era in addition to the problematic Christian Nationalism with “In God We Trust” as the national motto and with patriotic hymns like “My Country, ’Tis of Thee” and “God Bless America.” Beau Underwood and I unpacked those ideas in Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism — which actually topped the nonfiction bestseller list in the home state of Ryan Walters thanks to that Presbyterian church in Tulsa!
Instead of Bibles in every classroom, it would be great if schools would order copies of Baptizing America. Or maybe it’s time for a children’s book version of Baptizing America! Would definitely beat the fairy tales Walters and Barton are selling.
As a public witness,
Brian Kaylor
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