by Kirk W. Johnson

Created on: September 18, 2007

The Bible may be taught as part of a comparative religions, comparative literature, or an ethics course. It is the book that has had the most influence upon the development of Western civilization and to deny its significance would be like trying to teach US history without discussing the Constitution.

Due to the varying interpretations throughout the Christian community, I do not feel that it can be "taught" as one would teach mathematics. The one thing that is readily apparent about the Bible is, there is no agreed upon interpretation of any passage within it. If there were, there would quickly become no need for sermons on Sunday mornings because there would be no need for new interpretations of old text.

Instead, the Bible can be discussed in a historical context. The selection of canonical works can be viewed as to how they formed the worldview of the developing Christian church. It can be speculated on what would have happened if the early church councils chose the Book of Thomas instead of the letters of Paul. How would that have changed the church and thus the worldview of Western civilization?

It can be discussed in a literary context. It was written in Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek. How does the language affect the meanings of the teachings, down to inflections of specific words? Notice the focus of specific authors and tell how they interpret events in a specific manner.

It can also be discussed in an ethical context. Prohibition, abortion, adultery, homosexuality. The Bible is frequently quoted in all of these topics. Students can be engaged in discussions as to whether or not the use of the Bible is appropriate to the discussions. They can study historical context and ethics at the time of its writing. Does the Bible have anything to say about computers or the Internet? Some say yes. The discussion would be enlightening.

Lastly, the Bible can be compared to the teachings of all the other world religions. Similarities can be noted and differences can be discussed. A greater appreciation of all religions can be fostered and maybe misunderstandings reduced.

Most importantly, the religious dogma associated with Biblical interpretation MUST be avoided. How a specific denomination or church wants to view the Bible is best taught in Sunday School and no public school teacher has the right or authority to supercede that.

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