Bible to return to classrooms across Oklahoma, thanks to MAGA-friendly state superintendent



Many classrooms across Oklahoma will soon be furnished with a Bible, thanks to the work of state Superintendent Ryan Walters.

In a video posted to X on Thursday, Walters announced that more than 500 Bibles had been purchased to be placed in Advanced Placement government classrooms across his state.

"The Bible is back in Oklahomas [sic] classrooms," read the message attending the video. "We are getting our kids back on track."

Walters also hopes to expand the program and eventually place a Bible in every classroom. "We will not stop until we've brought the Bible back to every classroom in the state," he averred.

— (@)

Ever since Walters mentioned this summer the idea of incorporating the Bible back into the classroom, liberals have been howling and stomping their feet, insisting that doing so would violate the so-called "separation of church and state" in America.

Though opponents have denounced putting Bibles in schools as some kind of civil rights violation, the state of Oklahoma is overwhelmingly Christian.

"The separation of church and state guarantees that families and students – not politicians – get to decide if, when and how to engage with religion," said Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United.

"As a Christian, I’m appalled by the use of the Bible — a sacred text — for Superintendent Walters’ political grandstanding," railed Rev. Mitch Randall, a Baptist pastor in Oklahoma.

"This Bible mandate is a blatant power grab that violates state law and tramples the separation of church and state," added Daniel Mach, director of the ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief.

Last month, dozens of Oklahomans — backed by leftist groups like the ACLU, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation — even filed a lawsuit against Walters for allegedly using "tax dollars for religious instruction" that "would violate the important constitutional principle of church–state separation."

Not only is that phrase found nowhere in any of the country's founding documents, but Walters noted in his announcement Thursday that the Bible has had critical influence on American history and that keeping it out of classrooms on account of its religious content would deprive students of a well-rounded education.

To demonstrate the Bible's place among other key documents, Walters' office promised to provide a Bible as well as a copy of "the Pledge of Allegiance, the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution for every classroom in Oklahoma" as part of an ongoing effort to give students a complete understanding of their nation's history, KOCO reported.

Thus far, the 500 Bibles have cost the state about $25,000, according to Walters' spokesperson, Dan Isett. In all, Walters is willing to spend as much as $6 million to make sure that each classroom is outfitted with its own Bible, the Oklahoman reported.

Though opponents have denounced putting Bibles in schools as some kind of civil rights violation, the state of Oklahoma is overwhelmingly Christian. According to the Pew Research Center, fully 79% of residents living there identify as Christian.

The Oklahoman noted that Walters' call for Bibles in classrooms has been "legally-challenged" and repeatedly emphasized Walters' support for President-elect Donald Trump. Such support, however, is in keeping with the state he serves since every Oklahoma county voted for Trump in 2024.

Walters' name has been mentioned as a possible education secretary in Trump's second term.

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Public high school football players get baptized on school field, sparking First Amendment debate



Florida public high school football players got baptized on a school field last month, which has sparked a First Amendment debate on freedom of religion and the separation of church and state.

Brevard Public Schools said the baptisms took place July 18 after an off-season football conditioning session at Astronaut High School in Titusville, Florida Today reported. Titusville is just under an hour east of Orlando and a few miles west of the John F. Kennedy Space Center.

'I could not be more proud that 25 young adults gave their lives to Christ and the kingdom grows! ... The community is overwhelmingly rejoicing with these young adults! God will use it for good!'

Video of one of the baptisms shows a player sitting in a metal tank filled with water. A man tells the player he's going to baptize him "in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit." The man then dips the player's head backward into the water, and pulls his head back up again as he tells the player, "Risen in new life." The crowd around the tank then applauds.

The caption of the Instagram post containing the video indicated that 25 players were baptized. The post drew a number of comments as well; one commenter asked, "Why is religion making its way into schools? This isn’t a religion school ... Hmm. I don’t like this." Another commenter declared, "That is awesome. Praise God!"

Brevard Public Schools didn't know about the baptisms until Monday, Florida Today reported, citing district spokesperson Janet Murnaghan.

"The event was not a school sponsored activity," Murnaghan said. "It’s our understanding that it was student driven."

The post's caption also said Brevard School Board chair Megan Wright's church performed the baptisms, and that 25 players took the plunge.

Florida Today said Wright didn't respond to its request for comment but noted that she said on her personal Facebook page that while she had "no part" in the baptisms, the moment was a happy one.

Megan WrightImage source: Brevard (Fla.) School Board website

"I could not be more proud that 25 young adults gave their lives to Christ and the kingdom grows!" Wright wrote, according the paper. "... The community is overwhelmingly rejoicing with these young adults! God will use it for good!"

Florida Today said Astronaut High Athletic Director Matthew Ahlstedt declined to comment.

More from Florida Today:

Students, teachers and other employees at a school can engage in private religious expression within the school, according to the U.S. Department of Education. However, public school employees can't lead activities like prayers or devotionals, and they can't try to persuade students to participate in, or not participate in, religious activities, according to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Students, on the other hand, can engage in religious activities with their peers and try to convince other students to join them.

Florida law generally aligns with federal law, saying that students may organize religious activities. School personnel can participate in religious activities on school grounds, as long as these activities are initiated by students before or after the school day, if the activities are voluntary and if they don't conflict with school personnels' responsibilities.School districts are also required to give religious groups the same access to their facilities that they would give to secular groups without discrimination based on the group's religion.

Anything else?

July's baptisms were far from the first time such an event took place:

  • When two student-athletes were baptized on a Tennessee public high school football field in August 2019, a "concerned area resident" got in touch with the Freedom From Religion Foundation, which in turn fired off a letter demanding the district "stop promoting and endorsing religion to students."
  • A few months prior, the FFRF objected after a video depicted "several football players" being baptized on Alabama public school property.
  • The FFRF prevailed in September 2015 when a Georgia school district acknowledged that an event during which more than a dozen football players were baptized on public school property violated official policy.

(H/T: OutKick)

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If American Institutions Were Morally Neutral, Harrison Butker Wouldn’t Have Struck A Nerve

[rebelmouse-proxy-image https://thefederalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-20-at-9.16.25 AM-1200x675.png crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//thefederalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-20-at-9.16.25%5Cu202fAM-1200x675.png%22%7D" expand=1]The backlash to Harrison Butker's commencement speech makes it abundantly clear that neutrality within a given political order is a myth.

Leftists Don’t Mind NYC Mayor Eric Adams’ Religious Talk Because He Puts Politics First

Adams' faith raises important questions about reconciling different political opinions that both claim to derive from religious truths.

Eric Adams Says He Doesn’t Believe In ‘Separation Of Church And State’

Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams stood firm in his faith Tuesday, with a top adviser saying the mayor does not believe in separation of church and state, a statement Adams himself later echoed. Adams’ chief adviser, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, introduced the mayor during an interfaith breakfast at the New York Public Library, saying that […]

Adam Kinzinger calls out 'Christian Taliban,' says Lauren Boebert being 'tired' of church-state separation is what real Taliban believes



Republican U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (Ill.) called out the "Christian Taliban" in a Wednesday tweet, insisting there's "no difference" between Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (Colo.) being "tired" of the separation of church and state and what the real Taliban believes.

"I say this as a Christian," Kinzinger added.

\u201cThere is no difference between this and the Taliban. We must opposed the Christian Taliban. I say this as a Christian \n\n https://t.co/zt8mFKc3Jt\u201d
— Adam Kinzinger\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\u270c\ufe0f (@Adam Kinzinger\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\u270c\ufe0f) 1656504229

The tweet from Kinzinger — a member of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot — links to an article by The Hill noting Boebert's words to the Cornerstone Christian Center in Basalt, Colo., on Sunday: “I’m tired of this separation of church and state junk — that’s not in the Constitution." She also said that “the church is supposed to direct the government," The Hill added.

How are folks reacting to Kinzinger's 'Christian Taliban' tweet?

While it appears the majority of reactions to Kinzinger's tweet support his sentiments, a number of Twitter users hit back at him:

  • Conservative commentator Kurt Schlichter replied "shut up you idiot."
  • Conservative speaker Ian Haworth told the congressman, "Pretty sure the 8 year-old girls being raped by the Taliban right now would disagree."
  • Beth Baumann, formerly of TheBlaze, asked Kinzinger, "And when have Christians beheaded others?"
  • The Washington Times tweeted, "CHUMLEY Adam Kinzinger stupidly calls out ‘Christian Taliban’ - https://go.shr.lc/3NrKSXW - @washtimes This is a manufactured lie from the left and now, RINO-ey Kinzinger, that ultimately, egregiously and stupidly skews America’s history."

Others were just as annoyed:

  • "When did you convert to Christianity?" another user quipped. "I must have missed it."
  • "She's more American than you are. I say this as an American," another commenter said. "You're out of line; you know damn well what the Taliban does."
  • "Adam, you can call yourself anything you want, but calling yourself a bird doesn't mean you can fly. Calling yourself a Christian doesn't make you one, either. That truth applies to everyone," another user wrote.
  • "If you weren't so extreme about it, some of us agnostic conservatives would agree with you," another commenter declared. "But when you cement yourself as radical left wing by saying 'Christian Taliban' and comparing law-abiding citizens to actual mass-murdering terrorists, you lose us.Big swing and miss."

Anything else?

Kinzinger appeared to double down on his perspective in at least one instance. Replying to the above Washington Times tweet, Kinzinger shot back: "It’s interesting. When the Taliban rose, we kept saying the 'moderate Muslims' need to speak out (I'm sure you did, too). I believe normal Christians need to call out Christian nationalism and the Christian Taliban. I can’t find anywhere [that] Jesus said that the [government] matters to him."

Churches Starting to Worship Social Justice (Pt. 3) | Samuel Rodriguez | SPIRITUALITY | Rubin Report

Churches Starting to Worship Social Justice (Pt. 3) | Samuel Rodriguez | SPIRITUALITY | Rubin Report

It’s Not Nancy Pelosi’s Job To Tell Christians What They Are Allowed To Believe

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