New Bible that includes Constitution creates controversy before it even hits market

A new Bible that includes the U.S. Constitution and the Pledge of Allegiance is generating controversy before it has even hit the market.

The “God Bless the USA Bible” is expected to go on sale in September, in time to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, according to a Nashville-based marketer who will distribute the book.

It has already prompted cries of blasphemy and concerns that the book will promote Christian nationalism, the idea that America is and should remain a Christian nation.

The Bible will also include lyrics from singer Lee Greenwood’s hit song “God Bless the USA,” which topped pop charts after Sept. 11, 2001. Using the historic King James Version, the “God Bless the USA Bible” has about 600 preorders for $49.99 and will ship in September, said Hugh Kirkpatrick, who said he wanted to inspire unity in the country.

People in 30 of the 50 states have preordered the Bible, with higher concentration of preorders coming from Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Florida and Texas, said Kirkpatrick, who leads a Nashville company called Elite Source Pro and is in the process of choosing a printer. Kirkpatrick said the Bible is not a response to any movement in particular, including nationwide debates over how the country should talk about its historical founding, such as former president Donald Trump’s panning of the New York Times’ “1619 Project” and an academic movement known as critical race theory.

“What we’re trying to do is show children who aren’t being taught about these things, how these things came together,” Kirkpatrick said. “At the bottom line, it was just to let future generations know how this thing called America started. Why did they lean on it? What influence did they have at that time?”

The Bible and government documents have often been weaponized in important debates over America’s history, said Anthea Butler, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania with a new book called “White Evangelical Racism.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2021/05/28/new-bible-constitution-christian-nationalism/