Bible Literacy Courses, the Republican Party, and the Founding Fathers...
But when some local leaders learned last summer about a curriculum package produced by the Bible Literacy Project out of Fairfax, Va., the problem seemed to be solved. The course presents the Bible in a historical and cultural context-giving students a better understanding of biblical allusions in art, literature, and music. More important, it has been vetted by conservative and liberal legal experts to withstand constitutional challenge.
One of the leading advocates of the Bible course, Dr. Randy Brinson, met me at the entrance to the state house. Brinson, a tall, sandy-haired physician from Montgomery who speaks with a twang and the earnest enthusiasm of a youth-group leader, is a lifelong Republican and founder of Redeem the Vote, a national voter-registration organization that targets evangelicals. Since discovering the Bible literacy course, he has successfully lobbied politicians in Florida, Georgia, and Missouri to introduce bills that would set up similar classes. But it is here at home that he's encountered the most resistance. “You should see who's against this thing,” he told me, shaking his head.
Indeed, when Brinson and the other supporters-including several Pentecostal ministers, some Methodists, and a member of the state board of education-entered the state house chamber to make their case, they faced off against representatives from the Christian Coalition, Concerned Women of America, and the Eagle Forum. These denizens of the Christian Right denounced the effort, calling it “extreme” and “frivolous” and charging that it would encourage that most dangerous of activities, “critical thinking.” The real stakes of the fight, though, were made clear by Republican Rep. Scott Beason, when he took his turn at the lectern. “This is more than about God,” he reminded his colleagues. “This is about politics.”
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"That," he says, "was my first inkling that I wasn't one of them." If being a player in this world meant calling for the heads of moderate Republicans and ginning up fake controversies like a supposed "war on Christmas," Brinson wasn't terribly interested.
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Randy Brinson chuckled as he reported this to me, saying, "This is smokin' them out. Now we see what they really care about. It's not religion; they care about power."
BeliefNet: Why Evangelicals Are Bolting the GOP
Intresting article on the switching of more liberal and moderate Evangelical Christians to the Democrats.
Personally, I think those classes are a good idea. Like it or not the Bible and various forms of Christianity have had a great impact on Western culture, and viewing the Bible in a historical and cultural context could provide rich cultual understanding. The same with any other group if you wish to understand say Japanese culture more one must also look at Shinto & Buddhist beliefs and characters... The Ancient Romans? Look at their beliefs and systems... The main belief systems of cultures play a large role in how they operate, not to mention the impact on the arts.
Another interesting article is:
BeliefNet: Jefferson, Madison & Their Evangelical Pals
It may seem surprising that religious leaders would be praising Jefferson, given that his critics had just months earlier attacked him as an infidel and an atheist. In the 1800 election, John Adams had argued that the francophile Jefferson would destroy America’s Christian heritage just as the French revolutionaries had undermined their own religious legacy. Adams supporters quoted Jefferson’s line that he didn’t care whether someone believed in one god or 20, and they argued that the choice in the election was: “God-and a religious president…[or] Jefferson-and no God.”
One interesting tidbit to chew on... John Adams was a Unitarian although both he and his son broke at times and were very conservative Unitarians. In 1821 John Adam's son John Quincy Adams was one of 27 founding members of the First Unitarian Church of Washington and called Emerson 'Crazy'. Interesting how things have gone over time... At least according to one Jehovah's Witness (who hold a unitarian theology), the Unitarian-Universalist Church is "the church of Emerson" (from a Sermon by Rev. Mark Belletini: What I Said to the Jehovah’s Witness <- Great Sermon btw especially if you want to see the bent of 1st Columbus UU)...
One of the leading advocates of the Bible course, Dr. Randy Brinson, met me at the entrance to the state house. Brinson, a tall, sandy-haired physician from Montgomery who speaks with a twang and the earnest enthusiasm of a youth-group leader, is a lifelong Republican and founder of Redeem the Vote, a national voter-registration organization that targets evangelicals. Since discovering the Bible literacy course, he has successfully lobbied politicians in Florida, Georgia, and Missouri to introduce bills that would set up similar classes. But it is here at home that he's encountered the most resistance. “You should see who's against this thing,” he told me, shaking his head.
Indeed, when Brinson and the other supporters-including several Pentecostal ministers, some Methodists, and a member of the state board of education-entered the state house chamber to make their case, they faced off against representatives from the Christian Coalition, Concerned Women of America, and the Eagle Forum. These denizens of the Christian Right denounced the effort, calling it “extreme” and “frivolous” and charging that it would encourage that most dangerous of activities, “critical thinking.” The real stakes of the fight, though, were made clear by Republican Rep. Scott Beason, when he took his turn at the lectern. “This is more than about God,” he reminded his colleagues. “This is about politics.”
...
"That," he says, "was my first inkling that I wasn't one of them." If being a player in this world meant calling for the heads of moderate Republicans and ginning up fake controversies like a supposed "war on Christmas," Brinson wasn't terribly interested.
...
Randy Brinson chuckled as he reported this to me, saying, "This is smokin' them out. Now we see what they really care about. It's not religion; they care about power."
BeliefNet: Why Evangelicals Are Bolting the GOP
Intresting article on the switching of more liberal and moderate Evangelical Christians to the Democrats.
Personally, I think those classes are a good idea. Like it or not the Bible and various forms of Christianity have had a great impact on Western culture, and viewing the Bible in a historical and cultural context could provide rich cultual understanding. The same with any other group if you wish to understand say Japanese culture more one must also look at Shinto & Buddhist beliefs and characters... The Ancient Romans? Look at their beliefs and systems... The main belief systems of cultures play a large role in how they operate, not to mention the impact on the arts.
Another interesting article is:
BeliefNet: Jefferson, Madison & Their Evangelical Pals
It may seem surprising that religious leaders would be praising Jefferson, given that his critics had just months earlier attacked him as an infidel and an atheist. In the 1800 election, John Adams had argued that the francophile Jefferson would destroy America’s Christian heritage just as the French revolutionaries had undermined their own religious legacy. Adams supporters quoted Jefferson’s line that he didn’t care whether someone believed in one god or 20, and they argued that the choice in the election was: “God-and a religious president…[or] Jefferson-and no God.”
One interesting tidbit to chew on... John Adams was a Unitarian although both he and his son broke at times and were very conservative Unitarians. In 1821 John Adam's son John Quincy Adams was one of 27 founding members of the First Unitarian Church of Washington and called Emerson 'Crazy'. Interesting how things have gone over time... At least according to one Jehovah's Witness (who hold a unitarian theology), the Unitarian-Universalist Church is "the church of Emerson" (from a Sermon by Rev. Mark Belletini: What I Said to the Jehovah’s Witness <- Great Sermon btw especially if you want to see the bent of 1st Columbus UU)...