New requirements to teach Bible study in Texas schools hits the classrooms this fall.
The controversial move is gaining mixed reaction across the state.
Gov. Rick Perry approved legislation in 2007 that added Hebrew scriptures and the New Testament as an elective for Texas high schools.
Michael Kessler with Hanna High School in Brownsville said The Bible will be taught in his social studies class.
“We will be using what has been written to correlate with the historical time pieces as we know it,” Kessler said.
The social studies teacher said he was selected to oversee this controversial course come fall.
He told Action 4 News that the course is needed to help understand life.
This Bible has been mentioned in world history class for years where they examine all major world religions but Kessler said the difference now is the approach.
This new elective at Hanna High School will look at The Bible and then analyze and critique it.
University of Texas at Brownsville English professor Mimosa Stephenson said she teaches a Bible course every other semester.
“We read as much of The Bible as we can…and we discuss it,,,from an academic and literary stand point, instead of a religious standpoint,” she said.
Stephenson said she understands the controversy behind the decision to bring Bible elective courses to high schools.
“It’s very easy to get off the subject and get on to how we feel about things and certainly in the class I have now, we’re not all agreed,” she said.
But Stephenson offered a piece of advice hoping high school teachers will stay out of trouble when discussing it.
“The whole point of reading it as literature is to look at it like you look at other literature not judging,” she said.
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