God Bless the U.S.A. Bible
The God Bless the U.S.A. Bible, also known as the Trump Bible, is an edition of the King James Version of the Christian Bible containing additional content specifically relating to the United States. The patriotic compilation was created by country music singer-songwriter Lee Greenwood and first published in 2021. It was later marketed by Donald Trump under his brand name and promoted as part of his 2024 presidential campaign.
History
[edit]In May 2021, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center in New York, Greenwood published a "God Bless the U.S.A." edition of the Bible. It has the U.S. flag on its leather cover and includes the texts of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the chorus of Greenwood's song "God Bless the USA" in Greenwood's handwriting.[1][2] The text of the Bible was intended to be the New International Version,[3] but Zondervan, the division of HarperCollins that owns the rights to the New International Version, withheld them after multiple public complaints, and the King James Version was used, which is in the public domain in the United States.[4]
The book created further controversy in 2024 when former president Donald Trump promoted a new edition of it.[5] In March, Trump began promoting the book at a price point of $60. The website selling the Bible bills it as "the only Bible endorsed by" Trump and that his "name, likeness and image" are being used under paid license from one of Trump's organizations, CIC Ventures LLC.[6][7]
Criticism
[edit]The creation and sale of this version of the Bible has drawn criticism from various quarters due to its incorporation of documents specific to a single country, and assertions that it gives the appearance of an effort to profiteer off of a text of religious significance.[2] Charlotte, North Carolina, evangelical pastor Loran Livingston drew national attention when he gave a sermon denouncing the Trump Bible as "blasphemous" and "disgusting" for tying the Bible to American politics.[8][9] YouTube Bible reviewer Tim Wildsmith's review of the Bible, where he described it as "overpriced," "a money grab," and "a really cheap[ly-made] Bible that did not cost them very much money to make," amassed over 500,000 views.[10] The Trump Bible was noted to be missing amendments 11–27 to the Constitution.[11]
In June 2024, Oklahoma State Superintendent of Schools Ryan Walters issued a memo announcing that all public schools in Oklahoma would be required to teach the Bible, including the Ten Commandments, directing "that every teacher, every classroom in the state will have a Bible in the classroom and will be teaching from the Bible in the classroom."[12][13] In September 2024, Walters opened bids to supply the Oklahoma Department of Education with 55,000 Bibles. The bid documents required that "Bibles must be the King James Version; must contain the Old and New Testaments; must include copies of the Pledge of Allegiance, Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights; and must be bound in leather or leather-like material."[14] Under these conditions, this Bible and another endorsed by Donald Trump Jr. are the only versions eligible.[14] The two versions are sold for $60 and $90; free or far cheaper versions of the Bible are readily accessible.[14][15] Multiple state legislators and a state school board member criticized Walters' proposal on legal and constitutional grounds.[16] Former Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson said that the request for proposals was not genuinely competitive and thus might violate state law.[14] Democratic state senator Mary Boren criticized Walters' RFP as a flagrant violation of the separation of church and state (as guaranteed by the state Constitution), and for favoring the KJV over other Bible translations (such as the Latin Catholic Bible, New International Version, or English Standard Version).[16]
References
[edit]- ^ "God Bless the USA Bible". God Bless the USA Bible. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ a b Willingham, A. J. (March 28, 2024). "Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible". CNN.
- ^ Holly Meyer. "Lee Greenwood's hit song inspires new 'God Bless the USA Bible' including America's founding documents". Nashville Tennessean.
- ^ Olmstead, Molly (September 15, 2021). "The Uproar over the "Ultimate American Bible"". Slate. The Slate Group. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ Treisman, Rachel (March 27, 2024). "Cash-strapped Trump is now selling $60 Bibles, U.S. Constitution included". NPR. National Public Radio. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ Gold, Michael; Haberman, Maggie (March 26, 2024). "Trump's Newest Venture? A $60 Bible". The New York Times. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ Colvin, Jill (March 26, 2024). "Trump is selling 'God Bless the USA' Bibles for $59.99 as he faces mounting legal bills". Associated Press. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ Marusak, Joe (April 27, 2024). "Charlotte evangelical pastor in national spotlight, called Trump Bible 'disgusting'". The Charlotte Observer.
- ^ Foley, Ryan (April 26, 2024). "North Carolina pastor calls Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible 'blasphemous' in viral sermon". The Christian Post.
- ^ Wildsmith, Tim. "God Bless the USA Bible 🇺🇸 An Honest Review of the Bible Endorsed by Donald Trump". YouTube. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
- ^ Patrice, Joe. "$60 Trump Bibles Include U.S. Constitution... Minus All The 'Equal Protection' Or 'Presidential Term Limits' Stuff". Above the Law. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
- ^ Mervosh, Sarah; Dias, Elizabeth (June 27, 2024). "Oklahoma's State Superintendent Requires Public Schools to Teach the Bible". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 28, 2024. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
- ^ Salam, Erum (June 27, 2024). "Oklahoma state superintendent orders public schools to teach the Bible". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on June 28, 2024. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Palmer, Jennifer; Monies, Paul; Warlick, Heather (October 4, 2024). "'Trump Bible' one of few that meet Walters' criteria for Oklahoma classrooms". The Oklahoman.
- ^ Ed Kilgore, Oklahoma Wants a Trump Bible in Every Public School Classroom, New York (October 4, 2024).
- ^ a b Spencer Humphrey, State school board member, lawmakers raise legal concerns over Walters' proposed Bible purchases, KFOR (September 27, 2024).