Bible in Georgia Schools? Teach It!

When it comes to biblical literacy, Georgia doesn't want any child left behind.

First the news...From Washingtonpost.com:

Georgia's public schools walk a delicate line as they decide whether to offer the nation's first state-funded Bible classes. . . . The state school board approved curriculum in March for teaching the Bible in Georgia's high schools.

According to the AP article, the implementation of the program is up to each school district and the classes themselves are elective. The guideline - teach it, but don't preach it! Classes are to be taught "in an objective and nondevotional manner with no attempt made to indoctrinate students."

Critics claim the new law will open schools and teachers up to lawsuits for crossing the "Church/State" boundary while others fear that classrooms will become pro-Christian sanctuaries. Another concern is that Georgia's law does not give enough guidance on how to teach the bible since no additional training for teachers is required.

Now my opinion...From Bloggin' Outloud

While these concerns have some merit they aren't any different than what is currently the case in our public (read government run) schools. First, people are lawsuit happy and any perception of a violation of their rights gets some folks' dander up. Second, classes are elective. If Christian students want to turn it into a sanctuary, God bless them. And third, when has there ever been enough guidance on how to teach anything effectively? I say, give it a shot.

The Bible as Literature: Time Magazine's Feature on Bible Literacy Project.