Even as federal judges seek to censor out of the education system the words “under God” and the Pledge of Allegiance with it, the Bible is actually making a comeback in public schools, aided by celebrities like Chuck Norris and the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Norris admits he has become a more devout Christian under the influence of his wife—Gena O’ Kelly. The film and TV star sees Bible studies as an attractive alternative to gang membership for disaffected youth. Alveda King sees the course as a possible solution to a problem plaguing the Black community—illiteracy.
Norris and King have endorsed The Bible In History and Literature, a textbook and course published and created by the National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools (NCBPS). More than 90 percent of the schools that have been offered this curriculum have accepted it, according to the NCBPS. This program is already taught in 312 school districts in 37 states.
As the textbook title indicates, the NCBPS curriculum is a secular program designed to encourage the appreciation of the influence of the Bible. For example:
Shakespeare racked up 1,300 biblical references in 30-something plays, averaging out at 40 allusions per production.
The Founding Fathers cited Biblical text more frequently than they did philosophers of the Enlightenment, according to one study cited in the text. In a study of 15,000 documents published between 1760 and 1805, 34 percent of the references were from the Bible compared to 22 percent taken from the Enlightenment.
The inscription on the Liberty Bell comes from Leviticus 25:10. That inscription reads, “Proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.”
Robert Zapesochny is a fellow at the American Journalism Center, a joint program of Accuracy in Media and Accuracy in Academia.
