ANDREA HOPKINS: Reading, Writing And Bible Study For Tennessee High Schoolers?

By Andrea Hopkins
Opinion Editor / Bristol Herald Courier
Published: May 25, 2008

Tennessee high school students might be adding another text to their backpacks next year – the Bible.
If studied in a purely academic context, this is a positive development. A familiarity with the Bible is essential to understand much of American and European art, literature and history.
For instance, Nobel- and Pulitzer-Prize winning novelist John Steinbeck’s “East of Eden” draws heavily from the biblical story of rivalrous brothers Cain and Abel. Even the title is a biblical reference.
“AND CAIN went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden,” Genesis 4:16 (King James version).
Young American literature students unfamiliar with the parallels between Steinbeck’s tale and the story of Cain and Abel would be at a disadvantage as they read, let alone analyze, the work. Giving these students the background to understand this and other important works of literature makes sense.
But it isn’t entirely clear that creating more literate, college-ready grads is the only (or even the primary) goal of the Tennessee lawmakers who voted to allow high school students to take a Bible elective. Some are aiming to proselytize, not just educate.
A PRESS release from the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Roy Herron, D-Dresden, inadvertently exposes the pitfalls of the legislation. Herron glides effortlessly from a discussion of art appreciation to his constituents’ desire to “put God back in the school” and his own dismay that government can no longer “lead prayer in school.”
Herron, a lawyer and former Methodist minister, appears to have crafted a bill that passes constitutional muster, but his motives are suspect. He appears to seek a backdoor way to bring religious instruction – not just Bible literacy – into the public school system.
Herron’s motives aside, the bill makes it clear that the class must be “non-religious” and non-sectarian.” It cannot be devotional, and students cannot be taught that the Bible is true or that it is false. A state attorney general’s opinion reinforces this important distinction between the sectarian and the secular. The latter approach is constitutional; the former is not.
IF SCHOOL districts stick to the letter of the law, then the course has the potential to enhance students’ education without crossing the line into religious instruction. Public schools shouldn’t be a religion-free zone, but they aren’t a proper venue for Christian formation or any other sort of religious training. That important task rightly falls to parents, churches and other religious organizations.
Herron’s bill is awaiting the signature of Gov. Phil Bredesen, a Democrat. Bredesen hasn’t said what action he will take. If the bill is signed into law, the next step is to adopt a curriculum.
State lawmakers and local school districts would do well to consider “The Bible and Its Influence,” a text which is endorsed by a wide variety of religious and secular groups. The text is the work of The Bible Literacy Project, a group of scholars that set out to create a Bible curriculum that would pass constitutional muster while treating the Bible in a respectful, but not devotional, fashion.
THE TEXT has drawn criticism from the extremes of the secular left and the ultra-religious right, but for different reasons. The far left wants to eliminate all mention of Christianity from the public schools – an impossibility given its links to art, literature and history and a rather inappropriate goal. Schools should respect religion, not seek to stamp it out, but they must not endorse one faith over another.
At the other extreme, a few evangelical leaders have taken a stand against the text because it doesn’t teach their interpretation of the Bible. Evangelical minister John Hagee, known for his anti-Catholic rhetoric and his support for Republican presidential hopeful John McCain, is one of those who opposes the text. He calls it a “masterful deception.” McCain rejected Hagee’s endorsement Friday after some particularly egregious remarks about Hitler and the Holocaust emerged.
Back to the crux of the matter – the textbook. Opposition from the secular and religious extremes is a reasonably good indication that this curriculum is appropriate for a high school classroom. That is to say, it respects Christianity and teaches about its influence without preaching.
If Tennessee lawmakers were being genuine when they expressed a desire to mold well-rounded students by heightening Bible literacy, then this law will be a positive. If it’s a backdoor attempt to bring sectarian, religious instruction into the schools, it deserves to be challenged in court.
The concept is fine. Let’s see how it works in practice.

Andrea Hopkins is opinion editor of the Bristol Herald Courier. She may be reached at or (276) 645-2534.