It's almost impossible to get a decent grasp of Dante, Milton, Shakespeare, William Blake, the Mayflower Compact, the speeches of Lincoln or King, or hundreds of other topics, writers, and historical events, without knowing something about the Bible. But schools are still wary of teaching about the Bible as an important literary and cultural document for fear of lawsuits and accusations of sectarianism. That's a real loss to cultural literacy, one that is being rectified by the Bible Literacy Project, which has produced a handy guide for schools and is presently writing a textbook, The Bible and American Civilization, that explains how the Bible has affected political, literary, and historical endeavors and institutions. It's a rare example of true ecumenism in education, supported as it is by the major teachers' union, the ACLU, and major Christian, Jewish, and Muslim groups, and a worthy initiative you should know about.
"Putting Bible back in school," by Rena Pederson, Dallas Morning News, June 20, 2004 (registration required)