(RNS) — The state of Oklahoma is in the market for some Bibles.
They might get some help from Donald Trump.
The state’s education department is on the hunt for 55,000 copies of the Scriptures, bound in leather or a similar material and including a mix of religious and historic documents like the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence.
While the Bible remains one of the most popular books for sale, few versions fit Oklahoma’s requirements, according to Oklahoma Watch, which contacted Mardell, a major Christian retailer where none of the 2,900 Bibles on sale reportedly fit the bid criteria.
One Bible that might fit is country singer Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” Bible, which President Trump endorses. That Bible has the right translation and historic documents and is available in leather for about $60.
“The supplier must provide only the King James Version Bible for historical accuracy and contain both the Old and New Testaments,” according to a bid description for the Bibles, published by Oklahoma Watch, a nonprofit investigative publication. “The supplier’s Bible must include copies of The United States Pledge of Allegiance, The U.S. Declaration of Independence, The U.S. Constitution, and The U.S. Bill of Rights.”
Ryan Walters, Oklahoma’s state superintendent of public instruction, has championed teaching the Bible in public schools and has mandated that it be taught in grades 5-12. That mandate seems to have prompted the quest to buy the Bibles.
The bid description does not mention the Apocrypha — a group of texts found in Catholic Bibles — but does ban any “study guides, publisher narration, or additional commentary.”
The “We the People Bible,” endorsed by Donald Trump Jr., might also fit the bill. That Bible is available in packs of 10 for about $500 online and has the state education department’s desired documents.
Other patriotic versions of the Bible might not qualify for the bid. The “American Patriot’s Bible” — which is available online — has the King James Version and patriotic images but does not appear to have the Constitution or Declaration of Independence.
The “Founder’s Bible,” from controversial conservative author David Barton, has the wrong translation and about 1,000 pages of commentary about the Bible and America’s history. It also does not appear to have the founding documents.
