The Case for Texas’s New Curriculum — Why Bible Stories Matter for Literacy

Pondiscio: Scrubbing biblical references might seem to boost inclusivity, but it could well make it harder for students to grasp what they’re reading.

The Texas Board of Education’s recent public hearing on the state’s proposed new curriculum sparked intense debate. Critics expressed concerns that it crosses a line into proselytizing for Christianity, or fails to give equal time to other religions. But these well-intended criticisms overlook a crucial point: The state’s curriculum, dubbed Bluebonnet Learning, isn’t the only thing that’s “Bible-infused”; so is English. Our language is redolent with concepts, phrases and allusions drawn directly from the Bible and other touchstones of Western thought and culture that speakers and writers assume their audiences know and understand. Knowing these things is critical to reading comprehension.