Oklahoma superintendent buys Bibles for schools, urges prayer in bold move 

Ryan Walters is making good on his promise to put Bibles in Oklahoma classrooms, but it’s not without pushback. 

Walters, the state’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, announced Thursday the purchase of more than 500 “God Bless the USA” Bibles, The Oklahoman reported.

The specialty Bibles, which include the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, and were endorsed by Donald Trump, will be available in Advanced Placement government classes, The Oklahoman reported. 

But Walters, who is reportedly angling to become Trump’s Secretary of Education, aroused further left-wing ire by issuing a video of him praying for Trump and U.S. leaders and asking that it be shown in schools. He doesn’t specifically ask students to pray, but that they listen while he prays. 

The video announces the founding of the Department of Religious Freedom and Patriotism within the state Department of Education, and was sent to the state’s local superintendents with instructions it be shown to all students and sent to parents. 

But shortly after it was sent, the email was reportedly retracted. 

Several superintendents have said they won’t show the video, and the state attorney general’s office said Walters didn’t have authority to order it be shown or shared with parents, the AP reported. 

The Bibles reportedly cost $25,000. Their purchase was separate from a request for proposals for 55,000 Bibles for state classrooms. That request was withdrawn, but the Education Department expects to reissue a modified version soon, The Oklahoman reported. 

Walters, who enthusiastically agrees with Trump’s stated intent to close the U.S. Department of Education and with other Trump policies, is facing opposition – including an impeachment petition on the internet with nearly 17,000 signatures. 

Even some members of his own party have questioned his moves.  

Rep. Mark McBride, the outgoing chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Education, said Walters is merely seeking attention from Trump. 

“I find it amusing that, not even 48 hours after Trump’s election, Walters is already talking about what the Trump administration is going to do,” said McBride. “Personally, I will wait until the adults in the room – that is, President Trump and his team – decide before I get excited.” 

But Walters, a staunch advocate for religious freedom and restoring the Christian roots of America, hailed “the first in the nation Bible purchase explicitly for use in schools as an academic and literary resource,” and he described the purchase as “the first step toward providing Bibles for every classroom in the state,” the Oklahoman reported.