Public Schools Still Wary of Lessons on Bible

Yet in a New Study, Teachers Report Need for Grounding in Biblical Knowledge

Even as Americans wage epic legal battles over religion in public schools—the reference to God in the Pledge of Allegiance, the posting of the Ten Commandments in public buildings, and lessons on alternatives to the theory of evolution—teaching about the Bible remains taboo in many districts across the country.

More than 40 years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court said that “study of the Bible or of religion, when presented objectively as part of a secular program of education,” can pass constitutional muster. But advocates of an academic approach to teaching about religion are still trying to allay misconceptions to the contrary and encourage public school educators to incorporate such content.

Knowledge about the Bible, its stories and figures, they say, is essential if students are to understand the allusions, metaphors, and themes in many classic and modern books, as well as the influences of the ancient tome on the nation’s founding documents and...