“America as a general public has lost its heart and soul,” said Bob Linn, a conservative activist and businessman who supports bringing Bibles into classrooms.
“The thing to save Christianity is not bullying it down people’s throats. It’s letting the love of Jesus do the talking,” countered Rev. Shannon Fleck, executive director of the social justice-oriented Oklahoma Faith Network.
It isn’t surprising that Linn and Fleck would disagree on matters of faith. But now that public schools are required to teach from the Bible, the line between religion and personal beliefs has gotten a lot harder to see.
Perhaps what is surprising is that both see the simmering issue of Bibles in Oklahoma classrooms in bigger terms — nothing less than saving American Christianity. In Linn’s case, it’s saving the church from creeping secularism. In Fleck’s case, it’s saving Christianity from itself.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters issued a state mandate to teach the Bible in Oklahoma public schools during a State Board of Education meeting on June 27. Schools were instructed to use the Bible as they would other literary and historical texts, such as for literary analysis in an English class.
“This approach allows students to appreciate the Bible’s literary craftsmanship without delving into religious doctrine,” a policy letter to schools stated.
Historical Context
There’s no question the Bible has impacted Western civilization more than any other book or artistic work. Its language, lessons, and reasoning can be seen in law, culture, and literature, and the number of biblically inspired works of art and music is uncountable.
From Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle to civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the Bible has had a historical and scientific impact on not just American history, but Western civilization as well.
“It is essential that our kids have an understanding of the Bible in this historical context,” Walters said during the June Board of Education meeting.
The state Department of Education didn’t respond to a request for comment for this article.
About one-third of the Bible contains numerous examples of poetry from the Old Testament. The Gospels are famous for the number of parables and allegories Jesus uses while teaching His ministry.
The Bible has inspired both music compositions and artwork. Popular works include “The Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci, “The Creation of Adam” by Michelangelo, “The Disputation of the Sacrament” by Raphael Sanzio, and “Coronation of the Virgin” by Diego Velázquez. The Bible is still inspiring musicians and artists today.
Separation of Church and State
Concerns have risen over the separation of law and religion. Several families, school districts, faith groups and students say this goes against the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause, which prohibits government-sponsored religion.
A number of the state’s school districts have said they already follow state curriculum requirements and vowed not to comply with Walters’ mandate. In October, a coalition of clergy, parents and civil liberties groups sued to block the mandate.
“Clearly, he’s (Ryan Walters) hitting that right on the head in the sense that he wants to not only provide one religious tradition, but he wants to spend a lot of state dollars to do so,” Fleck said.
It’s precisely this religious tradition that Linn wants to promote. He said it’s so central to the nation’s identity that minimizing it is to ignore history and who Americans are.
“America no longer stands for God’s country,” he said.
Physical Copies
Another potential problem, which the opponents’ lawsuit targets, is the state constitutional prohibition against spending public money on religious activities.
“Bibles are already available widely. I have an app on my phone that’s free,” Fleck said.
“One of the things our youth have lost is the appreciation for physical textbooks,” Linn countered.
We indeed have the internet to quickly look at the Bible through apps and Google searches. However, many people believe that a physical copy is more personal.
“There’s something so personal about it. You use your phone to scroll on social media and you’re basically sharing your beliefs,” said Rylee Byers, a student at Epic Charter Schools.
“Your phone is used for everything, and you want something that’s physical and personal to only your beliefs,” she added.
Linn can understand the draw of a physical book compared to an ephemeral text on a phone or computer screen.
“If you don’t read books, you’re uneducated. You’re not going to educate yourself by reading things on the internet. You have to get a book in your hands and read it in order to be educated,” he said.
Fleck doesn’t have a problem with the Bible being in schools as long as it’s taught appropriately and isn’t the only holy text included.
“I’m supportive of that (the Bible) being in there. I’m supportive of the Quran, the Torah. I’m supportive of all the holy books being in there,” she said.
Fleck tied this back to the law, saying: “Part of holding the line on the First Amendment is making sure that if you want this that bad, then here are all these other holy texts that need to come as well.”
There are hundreds of versions of the Bible. How do we know which is the correct one to teach from?
Walters initially sought a specific edition of the King James Bible, one that also had other requirements. Although widely used, the King James Bible is one of the most debatable and controversial editions.
“I do think multiple translations are useful to teach around one context because one might be completely confusing compared to another. And if you only have one physical Bible with only one translation, it can be very confusing,” Byers said.
Teachers are required to teach from a neutral standpoint. Many parents’ concerns lie with teachers teaching something that goes against their personal beliefs or teachers who are simply not understanding what they are teaching.
“I think the teachers need to be qualified to teach that subject because there is a line between studying it in a scholarly way versus a theological religious way,” Fleck said.
Teachers have a big impact on students already. Will this mandate make it harder to separate their beliefs?
“A teacher can make or break this,“ Byers said.
Can we trust the teachers and educators of Oklahoma to stay neutral? Will putting Bibles back in public schools make America great again?
For Linn, Bibles in schools represent a way to roll back the clock on what he and many others see as a concerted effort to take Christianity out of American institutions.
“The question is are we going to allow that revolution to succeed or are we going to fight for our core foundations and put Bibles back in school,” Linn said.
Fleck prefers religion remain private.
“I would say that we need to keep all religion out of public education. Just like we need to keep religion out of public policy, because it’s personal and intimate, and we have to respect our neighbors enough to let them choose for themselves,” she countered.