Biblical illiteracy is not just a religious problem. It is a civic problem with political consequences. How can citizens participate in biblically inflected debates on abortion, capital punishment or the environment without knowing something about the Bible? Because they lack biblical literacy, Americans are easily swayed by demagogues on the left or the right who claim — often incorrectly — that the Bible says this about war or that about homosexuality.
One solution to this civic problem is to teach Bible classes in public schools. By Bible classes I do not mean classes in which teachers tell students that Jesus loves them or that the Bible is the inerrant word of God, but academic courses that study the Bible's characters and stories as well as the afterlife of the Bible in literature and history. Last week, the Georgia Board of Education gave preliminary approval to two elective Bible courses designed to teach religion rather than preach religion. As long as teachers stick to the curriculum, this is a big step in the right direction.
He concludes with a more concrete proposal:
What makes sense is one Bible course for every public high school student in the U.S. This is not a Christian proposal. It does not serve the political left or the political right. It serves our young people and our public life.
What is perhaps the most striking is that the author of this particular story thinks the only people who would be alarmed about public schools teaching their kids about the Bible are people who are not particularly religious. It is in public schools more than universities that it makes a difference whether or not you agree with a teacher's stance on an issue, because that teacher has some genuine authority over you, including the capability to give you detention or get you suspended. If you were to present the Gordon Tullock line that you have a better chance of dying on your way to the voting booth than for your vote to actually make a difference in a high school civics class, that would not go over so well. Conservatives already have a hard enough time with schools teaching macroevolution and global warming, so if you contradict what they believe about the Bible, they'll certainly not take it lightly.
What would conservative Christians argue about if the Bible was taught in schools? Well, try David's relationship with Jonathan; it's been argued that the two had a homosexual relationship, particularly in light of 2 Samuel 1:25-26. will the curriculum mention that Jonathan's willingness to risk his life for David was what he was referring to, as Jesus said "Greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13)? Or for that matter, will it mention the cultural differences in showing affection?
Further, if an entire course is taught on the Bible, that can certainly cover a lot of ground. It's not inconceivable that a student could read the entire Bible during a full-year course. Were the course to mandate that, then it would certainly be difficult to impartially teach the Bible, particularly with such verses as, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (2 Tim 3:16, ESV) among others.
Frankly I don't think this will ever happen (and incidentally, doesn't this just look like a ploy to find jobs for religion majors?). I would favor it only for one reason: because it's so divisive and personal an issue, it will likely make an excellent conversation starter for parents to take interest in what their kids are learning, and that is one of the most important keys to success for kids who aren't already motivated enough. For the most part, though, I'm pretty sure it won't happen, and I'm not disapointed at all by that.
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