I read two articles today (Time and Fox News) dealing with teaching the Bible in public school settings.
Two non-Christian students enrolled in one of these classes in Texas gave great reasons for taking the class (from the Time article):
“Some of my friends are Christian,” she said, shrugging, “and they would argue about, like, whether you can be a Christian and believe in evolution, and I’m like, Okaaaay … clueless.” Williams signed up for a similar reason. “If somebody is going to carry on a sophisticated conversation with me, I would rather know what they’re talking about than look like a moron or fight my way through it,” she says.
It’s important to note that we aren’t talking about church classes here. These classes don’t teach you that the hand of God came down and wrote the Bible with a special pen on special paper. But they do give you a working knowledge of what is contained within the pages of the Bible.
The Bible so pervades Western culture, it says, that it’s hard to call anyone educated who hasn’t at least given thought to its key passages.
This is true!
But wait! Isn’t this going blatantly against the separation of church and state? No!
Meanwhile, two privately produced curriculums crafted specifically to pass church-state muster are competing for use in individual schools nationwide. Combined, they are employed in 460 districts in at least 37 states. The numbers are modest, but their publishers expect them to soar.
There has been some criticism of this kind of curriculum from the extreme right, but I love what Chuck Colson said here:
“Would I prefer a more explicitly biblical Christian teaching?” he asks. “Of course. But you can’t do that in public education. What you can do is introduce the Bible so that people are aware of its impact on people and in history and then let God speak through it as he will.”
One of the textbooks being used is called The Bible and its Influence, and I want this book!
Meant to be read alongside a Bible, the book’s 373 oversize pages provide a clearly written–if selective–theme-and-style analysis of key passages in most of the biblical books. Its sidebars–”Cultural Connections,” “Historical Connections”–do much of the heavy lifting in transforming a Bible commentary into a textbook.
And the last line of the article is a great one:
But in the end, what is required in teaching about the Bible in our public schools is patriotism: a belief that we live in a nation that understands the wisdom of its Constitution clearly enough to allow the most important book in its history to remain vibrantly accessible for everyone.
The article from Fox also looks at why these classes are beginning to gain popularity:
But let’s focus on the Bible — why would it be so important for a nation that prides itself on diversity to teach the Holy Scriptures of the Judeo-Christian heritage in public schools? One answer is because the Old and New Testaments provide the foundation of the American system of government.
[...]
Essentially, the Bible is an integral part in America’s heritage, now in its laws, and in the dignity it strives to attain for every person. Yes, America was never, and is not, perfect. The institution of slavery and the inadequate distribution of wealth are two blots on America’s history. We are still striving to overcome vestiges of those ugly times, but the ideals of freedom and the pursuit of happiness for all people come from the Bible’s understanding that we all have dignity, and that no one is above the law, not a king or a president.
It also explores reasons not to teach these classes:
The Bible, as Christians believe, is God’s word — God revealing himself to his people. This book is meant to convert. The narrative tells of man’s fallen nature, and God working to redeem us. Without that knowledge, the Bible is simply some nice poetry and literature. In a public school setting, the Bible could never be used as devotion. Therefore, its very intention is suppressed for the sake of a diverse system. Many people have read the Bible and come away with no influence at all; others believing that it’s the revealed word of God will see a totally different meaning in all its passages.
This is a good point, but I will redirect you to Chuck Colson’s quote above.
Overall, I still think this is a great idea. There are probably some kinks to work out in the system, but every high school in the nation teaches a class on world religion to sophomores–without converting anyone to any of those religions. Adding classes on the most influential book in history seems like a good move.
