No second-class citizens: Religious leaders oppose Christian Nationalist power grabs in Louisiana and Oklahoma

Religion News Service reporter Jack Jenkins has written an interesting piece looking at how religious leaders are reacting to recent efforts by public officials in Louisiana and Oklahoma to force religion into public schools.

Many faith leaders are making it clear that they oppose a Louisiana law that mandates posting of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms and a move by Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters to require that the Bible be used in lesson plans.

Too often, disputes like this are portrayed as battles of Christians versus non-Christians. That’s a simplistic dichotomy. The real story is much more nuanced.

Oklahoma faith leaders oppose Walters’ plan

In Oklahoma, for example, the Rev. Dr. Shannon Fleck of the Oklahoma Faith Network told KFOR-TV, “When you teach a historical document you take into account the context, the authorship, the audience for which it was written.”

Fleck added, “It’s certainly clear that the state superintendent is not focusing on the things that are really going to make a difference in children’s education here in Oklahoma.”

Bishop James Nunn of the United Methodist Church also spoke out against Walters’ proposal.

“United Methodists believe that the state should not attempt to control the church, nor should the church seek to dominate the state,” Nunn told KOCO-TV. “We endorse public policies that do not create unconstitutional entanglements between church and state.”

Historic commitment to separation

The statements by Fleck and Nunn reflect a historic commitment to separation of church and state shared by many U.S. religious denominations. Leaders from several of these denominations – Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Seventh Day Adventist, Episcopalian and others – were instrumental in the founding of Americans United in 1947.

A moment’s thought demonstrates why: When the government endorses religion, it inevitably sets up a system of winners and losers. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and Oklahoma’s Walters may claim to be endorsing “Judeo-Christian” values, but they’re not; they are elevating one version of religion, usually conservative Christianity, above others.

In Louisiana, the law requires a specific, state-approved version of the Commandments be posted. Religious groups that list the Commandments differently are left out (and, of course, some religious groups and nonreligious people don’t acknowledge the authority of the Commandments at all).

Many believers excluded

As for Walters in Oklahoma, he constantly attacks and belittles people who fail to embrace his Christian Nationalist politics. In light of this, does anyone believe that the version of the Bible he wants to push in Oklahoma’s public schools will be anything but fundamentalist? The approach excludes every Oklahoman who holds to liberal/moderate Christianity as well as the non-Christians.

As far as Christian Nationalists are concerned, the millions of Americans who belong to progressive or moderate Christian denominations aren’t “real” Christians. The Christian Nationalist playbook creates two tiers: the conservative Christians who have the favor and support of government (first class) and everyone else (second class).

That’s just one reason why so many faith leaders are leading the charge against misguided and dangerous Christian Nationalist schemes to undermine church-state separation.