Georgia State Board To Offer Minimal Guidance On Bible Courses

Earlier this year, the Georgia legislature enacted a law requiring the State Board of Education to create two optional courses on the history and literature of the Old and New Testament. (See prior posting.) Today's Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that the plan that will likely be adopted by the state board next month will offer little specific guidance to schools in designing the courses. It will provide that the goals of the half-semester courses will be to teach the origins and literary styles of the Bible, its major narratives, its influence on contemporary culture, and the development of translations. Courses can cover the history of the kingdom of Israel, the poetry of the Old Testament, the life and parables of Jesus, life and travels of the Apostle Paul and the influence of the Scriptures on literature, art, music, law and current events. The state board will not provide specific lesson plans or suggest reading materials other than the Bible which the law requires to be the basic text.