Support parents and teachersOppose Christian nationalism in public schools

Posted: Oct. 20, 2023

Religious freedom for all is one of the most important American values -- yet this fall, Oklahoma's state superintendent is ramping up his campaign to force public schools to spread his brand of conservative Christianity.

After a school in Skiatook, OK, took down Bible verses at the request of community members, Superintendent Ryan Walters sent a vaguely threatening letter to the state's teachers on October 12, promising: "I do not want to see Oklahoma school districts become complicit in promoting atheism, and I intend to pay close attention to schools that simply surrender to such demands."

Walters has also wrongly called the separation of church and state a "myth," unconstitutionally shared sample prayers for teachers to lead, and promised Tony Perkins's anti-LGBTQ hate-group's summit that he will put God and prayer in schools. It's a zero-sum mentality where if schools are not purposefully indoctrinating students into Christianity, then they are actively fighting a war on our faith.

Here's the truth: Walters's radical Christian-nationalist agenda insults parents, harms children, and disrespects God. Forcing Christianity on others doesn't spread our faith or bolster education -- it undermines and corrupts both.

God doesn't need the government's protection, but the American tradition of religious freedom for all does. As Walters's fellow Christians, let's stand up to his Christian-nationalist bullying by thanking Oklahoma teachers for their hard work and urging them to support true liberty.

Sign the petition:

[This petition text will be delivered to all Oklahoma public-school principals.]

As members of the Christian organization Faithful America, we support the values of public education, family, and religious liberty for all. To Oklahoma's public-school teachers, administrators, and staff, we offer our thanks for the invaluable hard work you do to educate our country's children despite an increasingly hostile atmosphere -- and we reject the hypocritical, bullying behavior of State Superintendent Ryan Walters.

We ask that you as educators ignore the menacing letters and sample prayers that Walters writes. His political project of overturning religious freedom for non-Christian Oklahoma families and forcing religion on Oklahomans whether they want it or not represents neither our Christian faith nor the teachings of Jesus Christ.

State and local governments are not vessels for spreading personal religion, and public schools are not the place to post Bible verses or lead students in prayer. This is anti-freedom behavior that hurts both our churches and our schools alike. There are better ways to talk about Jesus, and better ways to educate.

Thank you.

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