In fall 2025, social media buzzed with a claim that Oklahoma’s Department of Education, then led by former Superintendent Ryan Walters, sent teachers Bibles containing an incomplete version of the U.S. Constitution.
According to online posts, these “God Bless the USA” Bibles omitted amendments 11 through 27. At first, the claim seemed far-fetched — until fact-checkers confirmed it.
Confirmed by Investigation
Snopes purchased a copy of the Bible and verified that the version of the Constitution inside indeed stopped at the Bill of Rights.
While technically accurate as a reproduction of the original 1789 document, the Bible offered no indication that it excluded later amendments, leaving many readers unaware that key civil rights and protections were missing.
An Omission With Major Implications
The missing amendments include landmark provisions such as the abolition of slavery, women’s suffrage, birthright citizenship, and due process rights.
Their absence means the edition reproduces the original “three-fifths compromise,” which counted enslaved individuals as three-fifths of a person for congressional representation — a clause nullified after the Civil War.
Publisher Defends Its Choice
In response to inquiries, the publisher of the “God Bless the USA” Bible, which shares its name with the product, defended the exclusion.
“The Bible includes the ORIGINAL founding father documents,” the company said, emphasizing that later amendments were added after 1789.
However, the edition offered no note or historical context acknowledging that reality — a point critics say misleads readers about U.S. history.
Bibles and Politics in Oklahoma
Former Superintendent Walters had long championed efforts to promote Christian texts in public schools. In June 2024, he announced his intent to mandate Bibles in every Oklahoma classroom.
That October, the Department of Education opened bids to purchase 55,000 copies. Specifications reportedly matched Bibles endorsed by former President Donald Trump, including the “God Bless the USA” edition.
From Controversy to Classroom
By November 2024, Walters publicly announced the purchase of “more than 500 Bibles for use in AP Government classrooms.” In a video posted to X, he held up the same “God Bless the USA” Bible and said it would appear in classrooms statewide.
News outlets including The Associated Press and ABC News confirmed the edition matched the one under scrutiny.
Legal Pushback and Policy Reversal
Walters’ Bible initiative soon faced roadblocks. State legislators denied his $3 million funding request for additional copies, and multiple legal challenges followed. On March 10, 2025, Oklahoma’s Supreme Court paused the directive requiring Bibles in classrooms.
After Walters resigned that September to lead the conservative Teacher Freedom Alliance, his successor, Lindel Fields, announced the department would halt Bible distribution altogether.
Inside the “God Bless the USA” Bible
The Bibles distributed to teachers included the original Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Pledge of Allegiance, and an image of country singer Lee Greenwood’s handwritten “God Bless the U.S.A.” lyrics.
Greenwood, an outspoken Trump supporter, helped market the Bible, which was sold online for $59.99, with premium editions priced up to $1,000.
A Teacher Speaks Out
Aaron Baker, an Advanced Placement U.S. government teacher in Oklahoma City, told Snopes he received two copies of the Bible directly from the state’s Department of Education. He said they arrived without guidance on how to use them in class.
“If it’s going to be in my classroom,” Baker said, “then so are the Quran, the Bhagavad Gita, and other texts.”
Comparing Versions of “Faith and Freedom”
Baker pointed out what he viewed as inconsistencies in the publisher’s defense of using “original” documents. For example, the Pledge of Allegiance printed in the Bible includes the phrase “under God” — a line added in 1954, long after the founding era. “Their argument that it’s all original doesn’t hold true,” Baker said.
Fact-Checking the Facts
After reviewing both Baker’s copy and one purchased independently, Snopes confirmed they were identical. The Bibles contained only the Constitution’s seven articles and first 10 amendments.
Despite claims from some online commentators, there was no evidence the editions were forged or edited maliciously; rather, they represented the unamended 1789 version — but without crucial explanatory notes.
Broader Questions About Church and State
The episode reignited debate over the separation of church and state in education. Critics argued that distributing religious materials through a state agency violated constitutional principles.
Supporters claimed the Bibles represented America’s Christian heritage. The controversy underscored how deeply divided public opinion remains over faith’s role in public education.
A Final Word
As of October 2025, Oklahoma’s Department of Education confirmed it had stopped distributing the “God Bless the USA” Bibles. Still, many educators — like Baker — continue grappling with how to balance faith, history, and civic education.
The Bible’s omissions may have been factual, but the broader lesson is unmistakable: context matters when teaching the Constitution.
