It’s already the 100th anniversary for Gideon Bibles.
It’s also the 15th anniversary for Mooresville High School’s Bible class.
How did that class begin at a public school?
Approaching the Mooresville Graded School District Board of Education with the idea that individuals “need some knowledge of the Bible to become culturally literate,” [teacher Kathy] Black said the program was approved as “MABTA agreed to fund the teachers and the MGSD agreed to furnish the room.”
With the community’s monetary help through donations and fundraisers – MABTA pays the school district for the teachers’ annual salary and benefits — Black said the course has grown each year, welcoming more and more students as word of mouth piques an interest in the program.
Reader ungullible is skeptical about this program:
I’m curious how your readers might react to this if it were their local high school. Personally, I’m tentatively OK with it and may even encourage my kids to take it when they reach high school age, *IF* the article’s description of the class is accurate.
The reasons I am OK with it when I otherwise might not be are: (1) it is reported to be privately funded, and (2) according to the teacher, it focuses on “history, geography, literature, culture, art” and not on the Bible as “an object of faith or worship.”
However, I must admit some skepticism towards their claims. The article’s description is of a class that sounds genuinely academic, but the source and history of the funds makes me wonder. And the article only states that the teachers’ salaries and benefits are covered by private funds, without mentioning the classroom space itself, utilities, supplies, etc…
If this type of program began in your community, how would you handle it?
Even if you were ok with an academic study of the Bible, how would you make sure the class remained proselytization-free? (Or would you leave that issue to the district?)