Oklahoma Public Instruction Superintendent Ryan Walters has joined forces with country music singer Lee Greenwood to send Trump-sanctioned God Bless the USA Bibles into classrooms throughout the state. The limited edition Bible, based on Greenwood’s patriotic song, features the King James Version of the Bible, as well as the US Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and other documents.
The campaign comes after then-President Donald Trump’s promotion of the Bible during his 2024 campaign. Trump recently urged his followers on Truth Social to buy copies, saying, “You have to have it, for your heart, for your soul.” In a Holy Week post, he asked Americans to turn to faith, writing, “Let’s Make America Pray Again,” and posting a link to a site offering the Bibles for $59.99.
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Interviewing with Fox News Digital, Walters, a Republican, said that the funding for distributing these Bibles is coming from private donations, not costing the state anything. He spoke to the Judeo-Christian legacy in American history, saying, “We’ve got to understand the Judeo-Christian values that were so crucial in American history … and I think a big part of that is getting the Bible back in the classroom.”
More than 500 copies, Walters said, have already been given to schools in Oklahoma. He presented the campaign as a reaction to what he called “state-sponsored atheism,” criticising some educators for removing mentions of the Bible from history courses.
The plan has ignited debates regarding the presence of religion in public schools, with proponents perceiving it as a restoration of core values and critics wondering about the constitutional relevance of encouraging religious books in schoolrooms.
