COLUMBUS — The Charlie Kirk American Heritage Act, which passed the Ohio House and is now in the Senate, would permit the teaching of the positive impact of 'Judeo-Christian' values in U.S. history. The bill lists two dozen examples of such influence, including appeals to divine power in the Declaration of Independence, the religious backgrounds of its signers, and the impact of evangelical preacher Billy Graham.

Republican state representative Gary Click of northern Ohio, a three-term legislator and Baptist pastor, sponsored the bill and named it after conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. “One of the reasons that people hated Charlie, I think, is because he was advancing Christian principles. The Christian history of our nation. And people didn't like that. They hated that. They rejected that. And I think that's what took his life. And so I think people need a better education.” Click said referencing biblical principles in legislation does not equate to imposing religion. “The Bible says 'Thou shalt not kill.' Now, am I legislating the Bible if I support laws against murder? No, I'm not. Says 'Thou shalt not steal.' If we have laws against theft, and actually, I have a burglary bill right now, am I legislating my religion?” He also said, “That is a dog whistle. That's a crisis language in order to scare people and take them back to this idea of you're forcing your religion on us.”

Sarah Kaka, President of the Ohio Council for the Social Studies, said she has never heard of a single teacher in Ohio who is afraid to teach any of the content included in the bill. “It is such a skewed perspective on history, right? It's not balanced by any means, and our organization as a whole, we are very much proponents of historical inquiry, right? Teaching students not what to think, but how to think.”

Democratic state representative Sean Brennan, a Catholic who voted against the bill in the House, challenged its historical framing. “Just look at the history of our nation. You didn't hear George Washington invoking Jesus.” He added, “We don't need to sow more seeds of division in our country. We've evolved, we're more inclusive, and I think that makes our state and our nation stronger.”