From the article:
Once upon a time in America, most public school children including several future presidents studied, discussed and even learned to read from the Bible.
A pair of landmark Supreme Court cases in the 1960s, however, put the fear of litigation into school principals, and a new era in education began, where advocates for the separation of church and state used the courts to push the Bible out of classrooms.
This foundational divide in U.S. history was only highlighted by Barack Obamas controversial remark in 2006, Whatever we once were, we are no longer a Christian nation.
One county in Tennessee, however, 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.
On Sept. 16, a group of 11 Hamilton County, Tenn., churches including Baptists, Presbyterians, Methodists, Assemblies of God and more will meet for the Hixson Gathering, a prayer service and fund-raiser for a unique program of elective, for-credit, Bible history classes taught at 20 schools in the county, including the Hixson Middle and High Schools.
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.
_________________ SI Moderator - Greg Gordon
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