Ga. Schools Cautious on Bible Classes
Do you think schools will be able to walk the fine line between preaching and teaching?
FOX-ATLANTA — Georgia’s public schools walk a delicate line as they decide whether to offer the nation’s first state-funded Bible classes _ measuring the difference between preaching and teaching with the likelihood of costly lawsuits looming for those that miss the mark.
The state school board approved curriculum in March for teaching the Bible in Georgia’s high schools, but there hasn’t been a rush of schools to start up the classes. Only a handful of the state’s 180 school districts have agreed to offer the elective classes so far.
“It has been a very thoughtful, healthy process,” said Robin Pennock, deputy schools superintendent of Muscogee County, where the school board decided to offer the Old Testament and New Testament classes next fall. “Most people do realize that this is an area that many people can feel very passionate about.”
It’s difficult to confirm how many school boards have adopted or are considering the classes. However, Muscogee _ which borders Alabama and includes the city of Columbus and the Army’s Fort Benning _ is one of the state’s largest districts to have done so.
“It’s important to understand religion; it’s something we’ve gotten too far away from,” said Jan Pease, whose 15-year-old daughter attends Northside High School in Columbus.
No.
Is it an elective course? Of course, this is probably opening a can of worms just like all the other church/state fusions.
I have no problem with private religious based schools teaching Christianity but There’s going to be a lot of drawbacks to this one.
And I wonder what denomination is at the forefront with this stuff.
OMG!
The question is not whether the schools can handle the subject matter! The quesiton is CAN THE STUDENTS HANDLE IT!?
I wonder what denomination is at the forefront with this stuff.
That is a good question! Are they going to teach from the KJV or the NIV?
Or textbooks?
What about the GENEVA BIBLE!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_Bible
James
What do you mean “CAN THE STUDENTS HANDLE IT”!?
Can the students take the class and remain impartial, impassioned educationally yet emotionally unattached from the subject matter?
It’s like asking someone to read Hamlet and not be moved by the death of Ophelia or be twisted inside over the tragic irony of the play’s poisonous ending.
Will there be non-christian students who take the class and remain neutral on the subject matter? It has been written in the bible that Jesus is the word. Some say the word is a vehicle of the Holy Spirit. Can they continue to shut out God after he knocks on the door?
I thought we were trying to raise SAT scores. Maybe they could incorporate a special prayer into the course. I would hope they could put it in the New testament class so’s we can close the gap with test scores.
And here’s a video depicting the origin of man. I’m thinking old testament.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=s_PPWqpakI8