Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters has been in the news lately for his plan to require Bible-based instruction in the state’s public schools. Many Oklahomans have protested this clear violation of the Constitution’s establishment clause, and some school districts have vowed to resist. Walters has been chased off stage by angry parents who wished to confront him and, so far, he has only spoken with sympathetic right-wing news sources.

            Last week, his office issued a document intended to provide “guidance” to school districts that, Walters said, must comply with the new policy. He offered “guidelines for teachers on how to approach implementation [of the Bible] in a manner that emphasizes only its historical, literary, and secular benefits ensuring compliance with legal standards and precedents.”

            Under the heading “historical context,” for instance, teachers “must focus on how biblical principles have shaped the fundamental aspects of Western societies, such as concepts of justice, human rights, and the rule of law.” Teachers “must highlight key historical moments where the Bible played a role,” including the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, and speeches delivered by Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King. Teachers must also emphasize the “literary significance” of the Bible as “a primary source of allusions, themes, and archetypes in Western literature.”  Students in Oklahoma schools will also be taught about how the Bible “has inspired numerous works of art throughout history” and “influenced many musical compositions.”

            The “guidance” concludes that “incorporation of the Bible as an instructional support into the curriculum provides an invaluable opportunity to deepen students’ understanding of historical and cultural developments.” Walters’ guidelines, he claims, require educators “to approach the subject matter thoughtfully and inclusively, fostering an educational environment that is both informative and respectful.”

            Who, the “guidance” implies, could possibly object?  “The focus remains firmly on the educational and secular benefits of literacy and background knowledge rather than religious indoctrination.” All Walters wants, he claims, is to expose students to a text that has had enormous influence on western civilization. His approach will always be inclusive, “informative and respectful.”

            Walters wants to assuage the fears of Oklahomans who worry that teachers will be required to proselytize. But with a Bible in every classroom and the Ten Commandments on display, there are legitimate grounds for concern.  Especially when Walters, in frank moments, tells his right-wing audiences what he truly believes. Educators who refuse to follow the guidelines will be punished, he said, through banishment to the pagan wilds of California where, Walters implies, not a Christian can be found.  When he first announced his biblical crusade, Walters boldly announced that “we are ending the era of woke indoctrination, hatred for our country, and a deliberate attempt to warp kids’ minds.” He wanted to end the days when there is “a bigger concern to keep Gender Queer and Flamer in schools rather than the U.S. Constitution, the Bible, and the Ten Commandments.”

            Walter, waging a bigot’s holy war, told the Washington Examiner that “the radical leftist mob has tried to rewrite the history of Oklahoma.” “It stops today,” Walters said, and Oklahoma schools will “refocus our kids’ education so that they know the value of the Bible in its historical context. The woke radicals will not like it. They will not believe it. However, they will teach it in Oklahoma.”

            Walters, who clearly has a lot going on inside his head, claims to welcome a fight with those who find his bigotry distasteful.  Yet he refuses to meaningfully engage with those who see his intolerance as a menace, and he is easily frightened by parents who wish to call him to account. He is a racist and a bigot who, when asked about the Tulsa Massacre, said “let’s not tie it to skin color and say that skin color determined that,” though he later changed his tune. He has accused librarians of promoting pornography. His denunciations of one school district led to bomb threats phoned in by his supporters. He has already faced, and deflected, efforts to impeach him. 

            All it would take is for a handful of private colleges and universities to announce that they will no longer recognize Oklahoma diplomas for parents in the state to chase Walters back to his tiny hometown. He comes across as a shit-stirrer more than a policy-maker, a zealot who craves attention when offered on terms he can control, and an unlikable Christo-fascist.  A huge minority of Oklahomans despise him.  Yet he is part of a larger and very disturbing national trend, where Talibangelical Christians are testing the limits of long-established Supreme Court precedents, hoping to bring their close-minded crusade before a tribunal that has long since squandered its last shred of legitimacy.