December 27, 2009 2:01 AM
The Bible in public schools - yes we can!
Dear Barbara,
I was greatly encouraged when I recently learned about you and your website via The Glenn Beck Program. As a stay-at-home Mom of three--ages 5 ½, 4, and 2 ½--I share your concern over the current state of affairs in our country, and I was thrilled to hear about the proactive steps you are taking to bring about change. To that end, I thought you might be interested to learn about an organization with which I have been blessed to assist for the last eight years, the National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools (NCBCPS).
The NCBCPS has a project underway to have a Bible course in public schools nationwide. The Bible is taught in high schools and middle schools, on campus, as an elective, for credit, during school hours, with the Bible as the student textbook. The curriculum is comprised of a 300-page hard cover text and a 150-page teacher's companion guide called The Bible in History and Literature.
As is noted on the organization's website, www.bibleinschools.net, "The curriculum for the program shows a concern to convey the content of the Bible as compared to literature and history. The program is concerned with education rather than indoctrination of students. The central approach of the class is simply to study the Bible as a foundation document of society, and that approach is altogether appropriate in a comprehensive program of secular education."
Currently, this Bible curriculum is being used in 2,015 high schools in 38 states, and over 360,000 students have already taken this course nationwide. Among the individuals who have endorsed this program are Dr. Bill Bright and Dr. D. James Kennedy, before they passed away, Chuck Norris and his wife Gena, Dean Jones (actor) and Joyce Meyer.
I would like to ask you to visit www.bibleinschools.net to learn more about this exciting project. And, please let me know if you think you would like to partner with us to promote this curriculum to the public schools of America. Thank you for your time and consideration, and thank you for the great work you are also undertaking to restore the foundations of our country.
Sincerely,
Whitney Yarborough
Myrtle Beach, SC
Posted in Inclusion, Public schools | Permalink
Comments
Why should there be a Bible course in a public school? What makes the Bible any more important than any other book? Would Christians be OK with a course on the Koran? Why not push a comparative religion course, instead of a Bible course--might add some credibility to the whole thing!
Posted by: Nate Sheets | December 27, 2009 4:28 AM
National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools ?
not unless your advocating for it being taught as myth and include other books like the Koran , The manuscripts kept out of the bible like The Gnostic Gospels , The Tibetan Book of the Dead , The Hindu vedas and other similar books.
that's being fair. being a real American.
this country was not founded on Christianity but the freedom of and from religion. the bulk that founded this country were Deists.
Posted by: Michele | December 27, 2009 7:41 AM
Nate and Michele -
You must not have studied Shakespeare or literature very much. The reason for Bible in the schools is to help students understand the many allusions in literature and the arts.
I'm all for a comparative religions course too. That has its place in the development of a scholar. But the Bible is too much a part of our cultural heritage to be ignored. When it is, the knowledge base and comprehension of students suffers.
And btw, you are grasping at straws with the old Deist argument. This country was founded by Christians and was based on freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. It still is a majority Christian and the fact remains that it is part of our history and cultural heritage.
Why are the same people that fight for multiculturalism so intent on expunging (a la Orwell's 1984) any traces of Christianity from our culture? What are you afraid of? In the marketplace of ideas, the truth will triumph.
And before anyone goes off on any rants, please keep in mind that I feel no compunction to publish all comments. Keep it brief, on point and no ad hominem attacks, contempt, patronizing or condescension.
Posted by: barbara | December 27, 2009 8:34 AM
Barbara: I am being respectful. I'm a fellow pro-lifer, sent here via ProLifeBlogs, so I'm just engaging in discussion.
I guess I don't see why we need to push a Bible class in the public school when Biblical concepts can be taught along the way as needed. And while I understand that the Bible is part of the culture, I can't really say I trust the Christians pushing this as simply being a tool to help kids understand Biblical symbols in arts and literature--they want it because they are Christians and they think that people should be exposed to Christianity.
The younger generation is becoming less and less religious. So just because we were founded on Christian principles doesn't mean that, if that is changing, we need to freak out about it (though, I guess I can understand the Christian's desire to perpetuate their beliefs in salvation through Christ). I guess I just don't believe that the courses on the Bible pushed by Christians would be objective rather than meant to instill Biblical values in children.
Posted by: Nate Sheets | December 27, 2009 5:59 PM
