The Bible as Literature

The LA Times has an Guest Column today suggesting that "the great secularist tide that swept the Bible out of public schools is about to turn."

It's a bit of a weird editorial. The author, David Gelernter (I've never heard of him either), first tells us that Bible Literacy classes are legal, and then tells us that the Bible is about to be swept back into public schools, and this is a good thing.

The Bible was never taken out of public schools when taught as literature, though. So, it's a bit weird to say that it's about to retake schools. Unless, of course, Bible Literacy courses are code for religious indoctrination.

I don't think they are, or at least that they don't have to be. And I generally agree with his point in the editorial. Mr. Gelernter is arguing that a full understanding of American culture requires understanding the Bible. I think that's true, but I think he also overstates the case.

It is simply not true that "you can't begin to understand English literature or American history" without having some knowledge of the Bible.

The question I have is whether Bible as literature courses are necessary. Surely a high school teacher can't teach you to understand the bible in the way your pastor, preach or priest would. The fact is that most people in the US grow up in Protestant Christian households and probably will have some general knowledge of Biblical stories. My point is simply that extracurricular sources of knowledge about the Bible exist and most Americans are exposed to them. They're a little thing called church.

He cites a study, however, that shows that students don't understand the Bible. The study was commissioned by the Bible Literacy Project. And if you can't tell by the name, they aren't a disinterested party. According to their website, they are an "endeavor to encourage and facilitate the academic study of the Bible in public schools." They may not be pushing religion in public schools, but they could certainly be suffering from confirmation bias.

Furthermore, the study was funded by the John Templeton Foundation. This foundation seems to support cross-disciplinary studies of issues like "Science and Religion," "Spirituality and Health" and "Free Enterprise." In short, probably not a disinterested party either.

So, what is really going on here? If it's not necessary, why create a bible as literature class? How much do you need to know about St. Paul and the Road to Damascus in order to understand English Literature and American History?