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    Teaching the Bible in Public Schools Is a Bad Idea—For Christians

    If many evangelicals don’t trust public schools to teach their children about sex or science, why would they want those schools teaching scripture?
    by Jonathan Merritt Jan 30, 2019 6 minutes
    Source: Brian Snyder / Reuters

    Shortly after Fox & Friends aired a segment about proposed legislation to incorporate Bible classes into public schools on Monday morning, President Donald Trump cheered these efforts on Twitter. “Numerous states introducing Bible Literacy classes, giving students the option of studying the Bible. Starting to make a turn back? Great!” Trump wrote.

    The segment followed a USA Today report on January 23 that conservative Christian lawmakers in at least six states have proposed legislation that would “require or encourage public schools to offer elective classes on the Bible’s literary and historical significance.” These kinds of proposals are supported by some prominent evangelicals, including Family Research Council president Tony Perkins, the Texas mega-church pastor John Hagee, and even the actor Chuck Norris. They argue that such laws are justified by the Bible’s undeniable influence on U.S. history and Western civilization.  

    If conservative Christians don’t trust public schools to teach their children about sex or science, though, why would they want

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