Many Agree: Bible is Not Just a Good Book -- It's a Good Education
by Jenni Parker and Jim Brown
April 29, 2005
(AgapePress) - Much to the chagrin of groups like the American Civil Liberties Union and People for the American Way, Bible curriculum classes are being taught in more than a thousand public high schools across the United States.
It is a controversial idea in much of postmodern America -- public schools teaching young people about the Judeo-Christian Bible. Associated Press reports that in Odessa, Texas, hundreds of people recently crowded into a school board meeting venue to weigh in on whether their district would add a Bible class to its high school curriculum. More than 6,000 residents had signed a petition in favor of the class, but others warned that the district would be flirting with litigation if it approved the addition.
The Odessa School Board voted unanimously to adopt the Bible class. Barring obstacles, the class could be added in 2006 and taught as a history or a literature course. A similar proposal in Frankenmuth, Michigan, developed into a year-long debate before that school board voted last January not to add the Bible class to its course offerings.
Some school districts are frightened off by the specter of lawsuits; nevertheless, Bible curriculum classes are now being taught in some 1,100 high schools in 300 school districts in 35 states across the nation -- and this is going on during school hours, for credit, with the Bible as the textbook. That is because those 300 school districts are currently offering a course called "The Bible as History and Literature," a course curriculum from the National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools (NCBCPS).
According to data gathered by Christian researcher George Barna's organization, 50 percent of Americans agree that kids are not well prepared for life intellectually, and 75 percent of adults say kids are not well prepared for life morally. Many parents and educators are concerned about the future of these youth and are eager to find ways to make a difference.
And as more and more school officials and communities learn of the existence of the "Bible as History and Literature" course, more and more districts are requesting it in hopes of positively affecting young hearts and minds. The cutting edge curriculum from NCBCPS has been endorsed by a number of illustrious, pro-family celebrities, including actors Chuck Norris and Dean Jones, and sports star Tony Dorsett, and the word has been spreading.
Biblical Education -- A Growing Trend
Council president Elizabeth Ridenour says the Bible classes are growing in popularity in every region of the U.S. "As soon as they find out through their local citizens and the literature that we provide that it is legal to do this -- and the Supreme Court says it is legal to do this -- then they have been jumping on it," she says.
According to Ridenour, 93 percent of the school districts that have been approached with this Bible curriculum to date have voted to adopt it for their use. "And those school districts, by the way, are not just in the Bible Belt," she points out. "They are in Alaska, California, across the board to Pennsylvania, and on down to Florida."
The NCBCPS spokeswoman says schools are recognizing the importance of using the Bible to teach ethical and moral values, as well as how the book has influenced the views of America's founding fathers and the country's education and legal systems. In fact, she adds, many schools view the Bible course as a tool to help reduce campus crime, teenage pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases.
The course has not only proven popular, Ridenour notes, but it has also withstood legal challenges. Some liberal civil liberties groups have argued that teaching "The Bible as History and Literature" is an unconstitutional endorsement of Christianity. However, their complaints have yet to be substantiated in court.
Meanwhile, the Bible curriculum's enthusiastic fan base continues to grow. "We have never in 10 years had one negative comment from any school board, any superintendent, students, teachers, parents, et cetera," Ridenour points out. "Just the opposite. They have been asking if we have even a second year of this course already."
A new poll illustrates one possible reason why so many educators are welcoming the NCBCPS Bible curriculum. A recent Gallup International Association survey found that nearly all high school English teachers -- an overwhelming 98 percent of them -- say understanding the Bible gives students a distinct educational advantage. The instructors agree that knowledge of the Bible is an important component of cultural literacy because so many ideas encountered in literature, the media, and public discourse are derived from scripture.
In an Associated Press report on the Gallup poll, survey researcher Marie Wachlin was quoted as saying that students who lack knowledge of the Bible are "clueless" when it comes to understanding many references that are common in English literature. For instance, the meanings and nuances of phrases like "walk on water," "pearls before swine," "the golden rule," "the last shall be first," "pearl of great price," "30 pieces of silver" and "the widow's mite" are far less accessible to young people who have no familiarity with their biblical context.
Legal Battles Over the Bible in the Classroom
The NCBCPS Bible curriculum is an educational resource that benefits kids on several levels. As such, the Council contends that the course is not only important but also entirely legal. Ridenour says many people have been duped into thinking that when the Bible was removed from public schools in 1963, that in turn meant it could not be used in the classroom in any way. But she insists that is not the case.
And many legal experts agree. Charles Haynes of the First Amendment Center says the Bible can be taught as literature in public schools without violating the Constitution. The U.S. Supreme Court has consistently upheld the teaching of the Bible as literature as long as it is not used for devotional purposes or indoctrination. But Mike Johnson, an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund, says the American Civil Liberties Union tries to intervene whenever a school district considers adding the Bible course.
In an interview with WorldNetDaily, Johnson noted that the ACLU and its cohort, People for the American Way, have cited a 1998 court ruling to dispute the constitutionality of the Bible class. However, he says in that case elements had been added to the NCBCPS curriculum that made it illegal.
The actual "Bible as History and Literature" curriculum, offered as written, examines aspects of the Bible that would not be found in a typical Sunday school class, the ADF attorney explains. It includes such information as how the Bible has influenced Western art, history, music, and literature -- including the work of William Shakespeare and other important contributors.
Nevertheless, Johnson says the ACLU and its allies routinely send out letters to school boards trying to discourage them from adopting the Bible class by implying that the NCBCPS curriculum is unconstitutional. "Of course," he adds, "they know it isn't true."
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