Alabama Bill To Permit Teaching About Bible

In Alabama, House Majority Leader Ken Guin has pre-filed HB 58 that, if enacted, will authorize public school systems to offer an elective course in grades 9-12 on the Bible's influence on history, arts and literature, according to Saturday's Montgomery Advertiser. The bill, however, has been criticized by some state school board members because it takes the unusual step of specifying the precise textbook that must be used in the elective course. It is The Bible and Its Influence, published by the Bible Literacy Project. (See prior posting.) The text book has been endorsed by advocates of church-state separation and by a wide spectrum of religious leaders. Nevertheless, some local school boards feel that their autonomy is threatened by the legislative imposition of particular books by title.