The FFRF Action Fund’s “Secularist of the Week” is Kevin Bolling for his compelling op-ed in The Oklahoman warning about the push for Christian nationalism in the state’s public schools.
Bolling is the executive director of the Secular Student Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating high school and college students about the value of scientific reason and the intellectual basis of secularism. His piece, titled “Christian nationalism is being forced into OK schools. It’s a war on reality,” covers the Christian nationalist movement’s growing momentum in Oklahoma’s school system.
He opens: “Oklahoma Republicans are staging a war on reality in their public schools, and every American who cares about religious freedom and democracy should be ashamed.” “State officials are trying to force the Bible and the Christian nationalist ‘1776 Commission’ report into public classrooms, turning education into religious and political indoctrination,” Bolling writes, referring to a Trump-led report that was released two days before Trump left office in 2021.
In response to critical race theory and in-depth studies of slavery, the “1776 Commission” report was created to give a distorted retelling of the birth of the nation. Sections of the report argue that Christianity was fundamental to the nation’s founding and early successes and that the religion has only ever been a force for good. President Trump indicated that the commission was a move toward “patriotic education.” Last year, Oklahoma Superintendent Ryan Walters announced the creation of the Office of Religious Liberty and Patriotism at the state’s Department of Education.
Bolling continues: “I work daily with young Americans who believe deeply in the separation of church and state. The percentage of Americans who identify as secular grows by the day, and they understand what is at stake when politicians attempt to impose a single religious worldview through government power.”
Bolling asserts that “forcing a Christian religious framework into public education sends a dangerous message,” making nonreligious students or students of other faiths feel like they must conform to Christian standards to be fully accepted by their schools and their country.
“This attack is disguised as patriotism, but in reality is pure propaganda,” Bolling writes. “It is a deliberate effort to rewrite history, erase injustice and glorify a narrow, exclusionary vision of America.”
He underscores: “The Christian nationalism being pushed in Oklahoma is not about faith. It is about power and privilege.” Bolling argues that Oklahoma is working to “elevate one set of beliefs over all others and silencing the growing generation of Americans who believe that government must remain neutral on matters of religion.”
Bolling is correct, and we must continue to fight for our secular public school system in Oklahoma and the rest of the country.
Bolling has led the Secular Student Alliance since 2017. He has advanced the organization’s mission in supporting secular students across the country, empowering students to create secular communities and advocate for their values on college campuses.
FFRF Action Fund thanks Bolling for his column — and for his work in protecting the rights of secular students across the nation. (Read Bolling’s full opinion piece here.)
FFRF Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) organization that develops and advocates for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church. It also advocates for the rights and views of nonbelievers, endorses candidates for political office, and publicizes the views of elected officials concerning religious liberty issues.