One need only peruse the subject matter of my posts to know that I have enormous disdain for the Christian Nationalist agenda. A fundamental objective of that agenda is to put the Christian Bible into America’s classrooms. And while I scorn the nationalist’s rationale for doing so, I cannot dismiss the notion that the Bible should be a component of public education in this country. Four reasons:

#1: The Bible Is Foundational

The reality is that our legal system – as well as our definition of what constitutes moral behavior – derives from the Bible. This cannot be denied. Taught within this context, Christian scripture – without judgment – merits a place in our classrooms. Doing so, however, should be framed as education – not indoctrination.

2 Timothy 3:16 tells us:

”All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”

I concur. But whether or not one agrees with the Apostle Paul that the Bible is “God-breathed,” it cannot be denied that its contents are indeed “useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training righteousness” – where righteous behavior is characterized as upright, moral and virtuous. Understanding the origins of righteousness is vital to the youth of a civilized society.

#2: The Bible as Literature

It is also undeniable that the Bible is the most published, most read and most influential “literature” of all time. However, at no point in my school years – as long ago as they might have been – was I required to read it. I was, however, required to read other literary works such as Homer’s Odyssey, Twain’s Tom Sawyer, Orwell’s 1984 and several other novels about which I can remember little of the plot and even less of the moral precepts. And while each of these works doubtlessly proved beneficial to my education and personal development, none are as impactful as the Christian Bible.

#3: The Bible as Prophecy

It is ultimately the purpose of one’s education to shape the future – both that of the individual and the collective future of the community, the country and the world. That purpose is fulfilled through discussion, debate and negotiation around various future scenarios.

Among those scenarios is one which the Christian church accepts as inevitable. It can certainly be argued that the biblical narrative on the end times is the singularly most accepted theory of the planet’s ultimate demise. As such it merits a prominent place in the debate and, thus, recognition in the classroom where the debate is fomented.

The Bible Is History

In Utah, state legislators have designated the Ten Commandments as a historic document, thereby endorsing its posting in classrooms. Philosophically, this is an approach that is largely consistent with my sentiments on the matter – certainly more so than those states endeavoring to mandate Bibles in the classroom as a means of programming students into the Christian faith. Indoctrination must be the realm of home and church.

I believe that the entirety of scripture is historical – not just the Ten Commandments. It is ingrained into the fabric of this country’s moral, ethical and legal precepts. It holds a dominant place in the history of the world regardless of one’s acceptance of its veracity. Thus, the failure to include it as a fundamental element of school curriculum is the very definition of educational malpractice.