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GRAND PRAIRIE—Southern Baptist pastor J.D. Stewart remembers a time when the Bible was a commonly referenced resource in public schools.
“Now we’ve got a whole generation that has no idea what the Bible is about,” he told the TEXAN, emphasizing his concern at the lack of biblical literacy.
Stewart, who pastors Westridge Baptist Church in Grand Prairie, has served on his local school board since 2008. He said he sees new opportunities to teach today’s students about their religious heritage in a way that is legally protected and even encouraged by Texas lawmakers.
With the passage of state legislation four years ago, Texas public high schools have the option—it is not mandated—of offering an elective English or social studies course on the Bible and its impact on the history and literature of Western civilization. If no Bible course is offered, school districts must “inbed literary and historical references into existing courses,” a guidelines sheet accessible at the Texas Education Agency (TEA) website shows.
What’s clear, according to TEA standards, is that religious literature is now a part of the required enrichment curriculum. Whether biblical allusions are covered when studying Shakespeare or Herman Melville on the one hand, or a Bible class is offered on the other, instruction in “religious literature” including the Hebrew Scripture and the New Testament must be given.
One of Stewart’s lifelong friends is training teachers how to lawfully and appropriately teach about the Bible and the Judeo-Christian tradition across the curricula and in all grade levels. Through the Grand Prairie-based Innovative Solutions for Better Education, Larry Dozier provides online instruction that fulfills continuing professional education requirements for Texas public school educators.
As a former teacher in Arlington and Grand Prairie schools, Dozier said he observed “a lack of acknowledgement in history books and classrooms of the Bible’s influence on anything in America.” In 2006 he coordinated an effort between South Grand Prairie High School and Mountain View Community College to offer the first dual-credit Bible elective in the country.
“The tenacity and perseverance I saw in Larry 40 years ago still comes through in this project,” said Stewart, referring to the online instruction for enrichment and elective courses on the Bible. “If you want to know your heritage, this is where to go,” he added.
Launched in August, the course serves as a practical guide to the influence of the Bible on American culture, featuring 350 pages of cultural and historical documentation including 60 videos, 30 interactive maps, charts, timelines and e-tours, as well as 20 musical selections.
Eric Buehrer, president and founder of Gateways to Better Education, narrates much of the instruction, building a foundation for the importance of religion and moral development. “A lot of people are surprised to find state standards expect students to learn about the Bible, the Judeo-Christian heritage and its influence on civilization,” he explained.
Through an interview with legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, teachers learn to focus on the study, appreciation, information and influence of the Bible as opposed to seeking a commitment to a particular faith. The course also addresses the religious liberties of students and the cultivation of character.
Inclusion strategies are offered to make the Bible applicable to teaching history, language arts, science, mathematics, economics and health. Another session advises how to address the holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Hanukah and Passover.
Teaching students about the importance of the Bible and Judeo-Christian history is appropriate and lawful, Buehrer said, because it is culturally accurate, academically expected and legally supported, as well as being morally imperative.
In addition to helping state certified teachers earn CEU credits, the materials at BibleCultureIt.com are available to private and homeschool teachers looking for resources about the influence of the Bible on American culture.
At least two textbooks are available for public schools offering a Bible course. “The Bible in History and Literature,” published by the National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools, and “The Bible and Its Influence,” published by the Bible Literacy Project.
Both books carry endorsements from conservative evangelicals, with “The Bible in History and Literature” focused more on how the Bible influenced early America, and “The Bible and Its Influence” offering a summary of what the Bible claims about itself from Genesis to Revelation and interspersed with relevant cultural and historical references.
(A review of “The Bible and Its Influence” at BibleCultureIt.com by Bible prophecy teacher Chuck Missler accuses it of having “liberal tendencies.” It gained endorsements from conservatives such as Charles Colson, Vonette Bright and Joseph Stowell, and was co-authored by an evangelical Christian, Chuck Stetson, but it also has been endorsed by some liberal groups.)
More information on “The Bible in History and Literature” is accessible at bibleinschools.net. Information on “The Bible and Its Influence” is available at bibleliteracy.org.
