 The usual chorus of separation of church and state people coming out of the woodwork. Of course, there's no such thing as that. Thomas Jefferson's point was that the government should not interfere in the inner workings of the church, not that the church should have no role in government or in public life. The superintendent said the Bible is an indispensable historical and cultural touchstone. Without basic knowledge of it, Oklahoma students are unable to properly contextualize the foundation of our nation.