After years of trying, Republican lawmakers found a way to make the Bible an official state book

For nearly a decade now, Tennessee Republicans have been trying to make the Bible the “official state book.”

They finally figured out how to pull it off.

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A quick recap: In 2015, State Rep. Jerry Sexton filed a bill to make the Holy Bible the official state book. It didn’t work. While the bill passed in the House, the Senate did nothing with it, in part because even Attorney General Herbert Slatery said it was unconstitutional.

In 2016, Sexton got a bit closer when his Bible bill was vetoed by Gov. Bill Haslam because of the obvious legal concerns. (A veto override fell short in the State House.)

A 2021 attempt was similarly defeated, in part because Lt. Gov. Randy McNally said the resolution “trivialized” the Bible by placing it alongside the other state symbols.

Sexton has since retired, but a new bill just accomplished what he never could. That’s mainly because HB 1828, sponsored by State Rep. Gino Bulso and its companion bill sponsored by State Sen. Paul Rose, lists 10 “official state books”… and the Bible is just one of them.

Today, Gov. Bill Lee signed it into law.

Some of those make sense, especially books by authors with strong connections to the state, like Alex Haley and Robert Penn Warren. As beloved as Dolly Parton is, let’s all admit that book isn’t consequential; it’s only there to hurt politicians who might have voted against the bill. (How dare you go against Dolly?!) It’s weird that Tennessee writers like Cormac McCarthy didn’t make the cut. It’s troubling that Andrew Jackson’s papers are treated as if they’re worth honoring. It’s notable (and revealing) that there’s only a single woman and a single person of color on the list. Some of the “books” on the list aren’t even books.

Basically, this is a padded list to legally protect the only item Republicans care about.

So why the Bible? Why this Bible? Seriously, what the hell is the Aitken Bible?

Here’s the justification as explained in the bill itself:

WHEREAS, on September 12, 1782, the Congress of the United States approved the printing of the first American Bible (Journals of Congress, Sept. 18, 1782). When the American Revolution began, America stopped trade with Britain, cutting off our country's supply of bibles and causing the printer for the Journals of Congress, Robert Aitken, to publish the first American Bible, also known as the "Aitken Bible"; and

WHEREAS, Tennessee is home of the largest publisher of authentic reproductions of the Aitken Bible: The Aitken Bible Historical Foundation. Tennessee is also home to three of the five privately owned original first American Bibles remaining in the world today; and 

The connection to the state is there… but the history is wildly distorted.

The Aitken Bible is one of those props that Christian pseudo-historian David Barton has been using in his presentation for years. In his telling of the story, the Aitken Bible was printed by Congress and intended for use in public schools. Researcher Chris Rodda has previously explained that Barton uses this as “proof that the founders never intended a separation between church and state.”

That’s not true, though.

Aitken himself, not Congress, wrote the note that said it was for use in schools. Furthermore, Congress didn’t endorse his Bible; they merely said government chaplains confirmed it was an accurate representation of the Bible and could be published. Congress didn’t buy copies of it. They didn’t print it themselves. They didn’t pay for it to be published.

But because Barton has spent years promoting the Aitken Bible as evidence that we live in a so-called “Christian Nation,” it’s practically canon in the world of Christian revisionists. That’s why this version of the Bible made its way into a Tennessee bill and why the Aitken Bible is now one Tennessee’s “official state books.”

Its inclusion is a slap in the face to the other deserving authors and books on the list. But because its inclusion is cloaked in secular (albeit misleading) language and because it’s one of many other books on the list, there won’t be any lawsuits over this.

Meanwhile, alongside this resolution is another Christian Nationalist bill awaiting the governor’s signature, designating November as “Christian Heritage Month” and urging citizens to “learn more about Christian heritage in this state." Lee is expected to sign that one, too.

If anything, Tennessee doesn’t need a stronger connection to Christianity. It needs far less of it.

(Portions of this article were published earlier)