When I attended Washington and Lee, one of the best courses I took was "The Bible as English Literature". As a pretty lukewarm Christian (searching for faith, but bordering on agnosticism), I came to see the beauty of the Good Book -- and found my faith. But I came to understand that text in a different way as well, as a literary and historical document that may be read on many different levels. And quite honestly, I'd love to teach such a course on the high school level.

But I do not believe that the state of Texas should mandate that such a course should be offered by every school district as an elective.

STATE Rep. Warren Chisum, R-Pampa, has proposed a bill that would require all Texas public school districts to offer high school students an elective course in the history and literature of the Old and New Testaments. Chisum, who heads the budget-writing House Appropriations Committee, arguably the most powerful committee in either chamber, insists that the Bible would be used as "the basic textbook" for such courses, "not a worship document." The bill would require districts to make a Bible course available if at least 15 students signed up for it.

Terrific — on its face. The Bible has had a tremendous influence on Western civilization, and Texas students could benefit from studying its impact on all areas of American life, laws and culture. But given the record of most schools that already have such programs, the lack of resources available and the apparent motivation of the bill's author, the courses would wind up being oriented toward a particular branch of Christianity and therefore discriminatory, opening the way for court challenges.

The Chronicle then continues with a shameful attack on the religious beliefs of the bill's author -- but a cogent problem with the Bible-related courses taught in a handful of schools around the state. And it is those problems that lead me to object to this bill -- the lack of standards, materials, and safe-guards in place to keep these courses from becoming "religious education" classes.

But more important from my point of view is this -- the reality that many districts lack the resources to add this elective course, and too many of my colleagues around the state lack the training to teach this class as it should be taught -- an objective study of a beautiful text, not a devotional study of a work of faith. And as such, i think the bill must be defeated as well-intended but unwise.

Posted by: Greg at 11:01 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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