For-credit Bible Study Back in Tenn. Public Schools

Eleven Hamilton County, Tennessee churches have joined hands to provide for teaching of the Bible as an academic elective in 20 middle and high schools, all in accord with a U.S. District Court decision.

“President Andrew Jackson said the Bible ‘is the rock on which our Republic rests.’ No one is truly educated without a knowledge of Scripture.”
-- Ron Phillips, pastor of Abba’s House

For background, read Tennessee Board of Education Approves Bible Teaching in Schools and also read Idaho School Takes Bible to Supreme Court as well as Texas Schools Must Teach 'Bible as History & Literature'



-- From "11 Churches Unite To Support Bible History Classes At Hixson Middle And High Schools" posted at The Chattanoogan 9/4/12

The “Hixson Gathering,” scheduled for Sept. 16, from 6-7:30 p.m., will feature a community meal, prayer service and fund-raiser at the Hixson Middle School gymnasium, 5681 Old Hixson Pike.

Organizers hope to raise enough money to fund the cost of two full-time Bible history teachers at Hixson Middle and High schools. Proceeds will be directed to the schools through Bible in the Schools, a local nonprofit organization.

“I would love to say ‘thank you’ to the Hixson community for helping us to offer such a wonderful program in our schools,” said Hixson Middle School Principal LeAngela Rogers. “The teen years are a time of unprecedented growth socially, physically, emotionally and morally. Bible history classes contribute not only to their academic achievement but also to character education, as students develop into their own person,” Rogers said.

“The Bible is the most influential book ever written. It has shaped and transformed lives across several millennia, and it must surely be a valuable part of any well-rounded education,” said Robert Johnson, senior pastor of Hixson Presbyterian Church, another sponsoring church.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Churches band together for model program that has court approval" by Drew Zahn, World Net Daily 9/8/12

[Hamilton County] has found a way to keep biblical instruction in its public schools – with the blessing of a court decision, the support of the community and in keeping with a tradition that began in 1922.

With the help of an organization called Bible in the Schools, area residents, like those at the Hixson Gathering, are able to reimburse the Hamilton County Department of Education for certified Bible teachers – hired at no cost to the taxpayers – while dodging the legal tactics of groups like the American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State.

The program, which Bible in the Schools told WND it hopes can serve as a model for communities all across the U.S., began in 1922, when local resident Dr. J. Park McCallie first proposed a unique plan in which private citizens in the community would pay for teachers – who would, in turn, be subject to the board of education in scholarship and discipline – to instruct students in the history and language of the Bible. Doctrinal questions, however, would be directed back to the students’ pastors or priests.

The program was accepted and practiced until a court decision in 1979 temporarily stopped it.

On appeal, however, a U.S. District Court decision laid down guidelines for how the program could be reinstated with the court’s blessing and without violating the constitutional concerns that prompted the earlier decision.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read City Permit Required for Bible Study in California as well as Phoenix Christian Jailed for Home Worship Gatherings