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September 29, 2005

Secular Bible?

The Bible Literacy Project, a nonpartisan, nonprofit group in Fairfax, Va., has spent five years developing the first high school text on the Bible in 30 years. But they had to craft a textbook which would pass constitutional muster.

Why bother? Apparently a survey last spring found that 90% of English teachers believe that Biblical knowledge is necessary for a good education. Not sectarian knowledge, though. Rather, they point to a wide range of subjects ranging from Shakespeare's 1,300 biblical references to how the Bible shaped President Lincoln's perspective as President to the historical African-American experience and musical traditions as reasons why students need to have at least some academic grasp of what is in the Bible.

Interestingly enough, Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, thinks this textbook is constitutional.

Posted by Kevin at September 29, 2005 12:21 PM