Teaching the Bible in Public Schools, a Cirriculum Discussion Guide

There's been a lot of talk recently about certain states wanting to introduce the Bible into school cirriculums.  I grew up in Oklahoma, and the state superintendent of schools has decreed that Bibles (originally the New King James Bible, endorsed by none other than the current President-Election and also including the Constitution and Declaration of Independence) be placed in classrooms and instruction be offered about said Bibles.  This has caused a lot of angst amongst those in our increasingly post-Christendom world because of the demand for separation of church and state; it's also brought angst amongst even many Christians because what happens if little Timmy is told by his atheist teacher that everything in the Bible is just a pious fairy tale?  

I've never taught in schools and have no idea how to organize a cirriculum program, but as one who has two graduate degrees in religion as well as almost 30 years of church ministry, I thought I'd take a shot in putting together a discussion guide for schools about various topics on a middle-to-high school level.  It's not all-inclusive, of course, but there's a few Biblical items that demand discussion and I'm certain wouldn't cause any problem for my more conservative friends.  

Wealth and Prosperity.  

-Jesus of Nazareth tells a rich man to sell all he has and give to the poor (cf. Mark 10:21, Luke 18:22, Matthew 19:21).  Questions for class discussion: If we think of ourselves as a Christian nation, how best do we enact this as government policy?  What is the proper upper wage to begin mandatory enforcement of this Biblical rule? 

Foreigners

-The laws of the Old Testament continually speak of the need to love the sojourners (foreigners).  They must not be oppressed (Exodus 22:21), they must be loved (Deuteronomy 10:19), and as workers they must be fairly treated (Deuteronomy 24:14).  Questions for class discussion: How do we properly respond to political leaders who call all sojourners amongst us 'vermin', demand their deportation, and spread rumors about how they eat common house pets?  

Divorce

-Marriage and divorce are common social problems today, and were known by Jesus and his disciples.  Jesus was very strict about divoce, going so far as to say that to divorce a spouse and remarry is adultery (cf. Mark 10:11-12).  Questions for class discussion: What should we do with political leaders who have broken these commands?  Would it be possible to remove them from public office, especially if they have broken these commands multiple times?  

Sexual Assault (for high school honors classes only!)

-Deuteronomy 22:25-29 speaks to two instances of sexual assault; one outcome has the rapist put to death, while the other has the rapist responsible for the financial and social well-being of his victim the rest of his life.  Questions for class discussion: Given that many of our national leaders have been proven in court or in ethics investigations to be pedophiles, guilty of sexual assault, or simply horrible past behavior, how best should we follow clear Biblical teaching about them?  Should we kill them publicly as an example of our righteousness?  Or should it be more privately done to reduce their families' guilt?  Give clear reasoning for your answer.  

------

I have no doubt that the God-honoring, Bible thumping conservatives in our country will be all in favor of my cirriculum, so once it begins being implemented I'll work on the other topics.  But for now this should keep everyone busy...

Why Trump Won

Donald Trump is returning to the White House.  As I write this he is about 4 million ahead in the popular vote, and in the electoral college he won every swing state.  The Senate will have the GOP with a decent-sized margin, and the House looks like it might be red as well.  

A lot of us are stunned and angry.  A lot have created negative answers about the losers in this race: 'The Democrats are incompetent.'  Yep.  'People are tired of liberal wokeness'.  Ok.  'Joe Biden waited too long to not run.'  Agreed.  'Kamala Harris was a bad candidate.'  Not sure about that, but I can see how some think it.  'America won't vote for a woman.'  Likely.  'Inflation and housing costs have made Americans mad.'  Sure, but Biden inherited Trump's Trainwreck of an economy and was fixing it.  'Nations around the world in recent elections have been casting out the incumbents.'  Absolutely.  'Josh Shapiro should have been VP instead of Tim Walz.'  Whatever.

I won't get into the positive answers some are spouting about the greatness of Donald Trump and how he is rightfully coming back to his proper throne, because I don't want to break my computer.  I'm guessing that many people voted for him for that reason, even as many more were simply anti-democrat, anti-incumbent, anti-Harris and voted for him while holding their nose.  

But most of the talk I have heard has not gotten to the real point: the United States of America is a morally and spiritually bankrupt country.  The leaders for whom we vote are in many ways expressions of who we are.  If we vote for a person who is corrupt, immoral, and idolatrous, what does that say about us as a nation?  

This summer I finished 25 years of full-time preaching.  I have become increasingly convinced that one of the primary themes of Scripture is the Kingdom of God.  I'm not the first person who knows this, of course, but I do think that the church has become increasingly heretical by forgetting about the Kingdom.  We have a God who reigns, and we are his subjects.  And if we know that Jesus is Lord, what does that demand about us as his people?  In recent weeks I have seen a lot of 'Jesus is my King, and Trump is my president' flags.  I really want to ask the people who fly them what they mean by that, because Donald Trump is the antithesis of Jesus Christ.  If Jesus is his king, I'm guessing that Donald Trump is not his wingman. 

Of course, there's one other point that may be more troubling than anything.  What if God is returning Donald Trump as a punishment upon us?  We talk of being one nation under God, and Donald Trump has loudly boasted to his supporters that 'I am your retribution.'  What if this is true, that God is choosing to punish us as a nation by giving us such a wicked and immoral man as a leader?  What if he really is the object through which God is bringing about retribution, even as he doesn't even know this?

I have no hope that the next four years are going to go well for our country or the bigger world around us.  Likely NATO will crumble, and Ukraine (and other eastern European countries) will fall because we abandon them.  The middle east will continue to be a fiasco.  RFK Jr. in charge of health means that public health programs will be greatly hindered.  Raising tariffs and lopping off the bottom of the workforce through mass deportations (who do you think builds houses, works in slaughterhouses, and picks labor-intensive crops?) will drive up prices to the point that we will crave 2022 inflation.  Our hatred of migrants will be a dark stain upon us for generations as the best and brightest will no longer feel safe in coming here.  

I said during his first presidency that it might take a decade or more to undo the damage he does to our country, even with good leadership.  I'm not sure that we will recover from his return this time.  Could it be that God has finally lost patience with us?  For years I have heard his supporters think of Trump as a new 'Cyrus', God's chosen instrument (cf. Isaiah 44:23-45:1).  On the one hand I was happy to see that they recognized him as the pagan that he is.  But I think that their Biblical identification of Trump is wrong.  He is much more likely Belshazzar, the foolish king who partied hearty and found destruction the next day (cf. Daniel 5).    

I have seen signs all over for years that speaks of America's need to repent.  While I would likely disagree with the ones putting up as to the reasons we need to repent, I do think that turning back to the God of the Bible and the Jesus of the gospels is our only hope.  Only if we live in the ways of his goodness will we find a way to get out of the black hole we are finding ourselves entering into.