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CORRELATED AND ACCREDITED BIBLE STUDY.

BY PROFESSOR W. M. FORREST.

The action of the first generation of American statesmen in securing religious liberty by the separation of Church and State can not be too highly praised. They had the coöperation of many religious leaders in their labors to that end, and even denominations that did not foresee the blessings of it have since learned to cherish what was then achieved. There can not, in the light of this, be left any reasonable suspicion that the object of our statesmen and religious leaders was to oppose or handicap religion. They all labored for religious freedom quite as much in the interests of religion as of liberty.

It has often been maintained that one of the results of the separation of Church and State has been a godless system of public education. If that statement is intended to show that our political leaders designed to eliminate religion from the education of our youth, it is erroneous. Thomas Jefferson, for instance, included in his scheme of studies for the University of Virginia, Hebrew as one of the essential ancient languages. Yet, apart from its relation to world religion, it would have no more claim to such inclusion than Chinese. Also he set aside for religious exercises, to be conducted by voluntary efforts in the University, one of the largest and best rooms in the new institution. Furthermore, he outlined a plan for the relation of religious seminaries to the State institution whose wisdom was so far ahead of his day that even yet the Church has not overtaken it. Evidence abounds on every hand that our statesmen expected Church and State to cooperate in the task of education. The responsibility for religious teaching was placed upon the Church, while the schools of the State were to further that work in such ways as would not play into the hands of any foe of spiritual freedom.

It was perhaps inevitable that former years tended to fix a gulf between religion and the institutions of public instruction, and that religious bodies in America which took most seriously their responsibility to teach religion to their children conducted parochial schools. The four most conspicuous examples of such bodies were the Jews, the Catholics, the Lutherans, and the Mor

mons. Other denominations generally contented themselves with religious teaching in the home and the Sunday School, except in the case of academies and colleges privately or ecclesiastically fostered. But private and Church schools have steadily declined in competition with public institutions that all the people are forced to support by their taxes. Even parochial schools have almost ceased to exist except among the Catholics, and they have vastly more children in the public schools than in their own. It is apparent that the children and young people of America, taken by and large, are going to get their education in public institutions. No wonder, then, that the people of the land are rapidly passing from attempted competition with the schools, or passive regret over their lack of religious teaching, to some positive means of cooperation that shall supply the existing lack.

The first step towards the desired end has been an effort to make the Sunday School a better teaching agent. Through graded lessons and other modern methods, vast improvement has been made. Meanwhile, educators, who are generally men and women of serious moral and religious purpose, have been considering ways of aiding the awakened Church interest in religious instruction. There have resulted in various parts of the world experiments in correlating Bible study with school subjects, and accrediting such study in the schools in a way that will encourage pupils to follow it as seriously as they do other subjects. In our own land, the experiments are following three. general lines:

The Bible may be taught in the school as an elective, no pupil being admitted to the class without permission from parents. The Bible may be taught in day schools conducted by individual or united churches in the community, pupils whose parents so desire being excused from certain school periods to attend the Bible school. The Bible may be taught in Sunday School or at home out of school hours. In any case, the teaching must cover ground prescribed by the Department of Public Instruction, ant examination must be passed in due form, and credit can then be given the pupil as for any work in history or literature. The first plan is in successful operation in the Lakewood High School, Cleveland, Ohio; the second, at Gary, Indiana, and the third,

throughout North Dakota. In all three, the sacred interests of religious liberty are carefully guarded by giving the teaching only to children whose parents so order, and keeping others at work upon equivalent tasks in a way that can not single them out for embarrassing notice from fellow pupils. In the second and third plan the cost of the Bible teaching is borne by the churches giving it; the churches are free to supplement the course outlined in the state syllabus by such denominational tenets as they please.

Obviously, the North Dakota Plan is the freest and the most adaptable of the three. It could use the day schools of the Gary Plan in any community where churches could afford to establish them, or where parochial schools now exist. That would enable pupils to complete the prescribed course quickly. But equally well it could use the Sunday School, or private instruction at home, thus taking a longer time, but with no added cost to churches. Jew, Catholic, and Protestant could use their approved version of the Scriptures, and would be certain that no teacher of another faith could take advantage of their children. Two years of trial in North Dakota have encouraged the promoters of the plan. It is working and growing. Any feature of it that is open to objection could readily be modified.

In Virginia there is a widespread interest in this plan, and a general belief that something like it should be provided by our Department of Public Instruction. Nothing else could so effectively dignify Bible study in the state. No church or community would be obliged to coöperate unless it cared to. No one's liberty would be invaded. All things would remain as they now are except that pupils who cared to prepare, in any manner, to pass a scripture examination at the end of any session, could thereby secure a half unit or unit of credit toward High School graduation and omit an equivalent amount of work in some other elective. The reasonableness and desirability of the plan led to action at the University Rural Life Conference.

After an address by Rev. R. A. Lapsley, D. D. of the Presbyterian Board of Publication, Richmond, who was present as the

*As in North Dakota, it would be wise to attempt the work only in High Schools at first.

representative of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and spoke on "The Country Church and its Allies," a discussion on the relation of the Sunday Schools to Public Schools led to the unanimous adoption of the following resolution:

"We, the members of the Rural Life Conference at the University of Virginia, representing various churches and schools. of the state, believe that the time has come for the Church and Public Schools of Virginia to coöperate for the more effective teaching of the Bible to the young, and do therefore urge the various denominational officials and organizations, and the several educational associations of the state, to request the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, in coöperation with their executive heads or committees, to devise and put into effect plans for securing school credit for Bible study according to the North Dakota or some similar scheme.”

In accordance with instructions given by the Conference, the resolution has been sent to some two hundred prominent religious and educational leaders in the state, accompanied by the following letter:

"My dear Sir:

"Your attention is invited to the enclosed resolution which was passed during the Rural Life Conference held at the University of Virginia Summer School, July 5-9, 1915, and attended by ministers representing nearly every religious body in the state, as well as by numbers of school teachers.

"As you probably know, public schools in a number of states are now crediting pupils with a certain number of units of Bible study, secured under certain prescribed rules, in week-day or Sunday Bible schools conducted by any or all the churches of any community. The essentials of such a plan are: No child takes the Bible teaching except where parents desire it. Every child goes to the denominational school selected by parents. Every school of the Bible uses the part and the version of the Bible desired, whether Jewish, Catholic, or Protestant. Where day schools of the Bible are practicable, children are excused from public school for certain hours, those whose parents do not

wish them to be taught the Bible being kept in school and taught something else by regular teachers. Where Sunday Schools are used, it simply takes longer to finish the courses and get credit.

"It seems highly desirable that Bible study in Virginia should be dignified by putting it on a par with other subjects studied by our youth. Some such plan as this may easily make good the lack of religious instruction in our Public Schools, at the same time leaving the responsibility where it blongs-with the Church.

"Will you not see that the resolution is acted upon by the ecclesiastical or educational organization which you represent, and the action reported to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Richmond?

"If any further information is desired, we shall take pleasure in answering inquiries.

"Yours very sincerely,

"W. M. FORREST,

Secretary, Rural Life Conference, and Professor of Biblical Literature. "CHAS. G. MAPHIS,

Director of the Summer School."

It is hoped that this action will lead to a general study of the subject throughout the state, and to general requests to our Department of Public Instruction to take all necessary steps, whether legislative or otherwise, to make possible some plan of accredited Bible study in Virginia. The Department is entirely sympathetic, and desirous to serve the religious interests of the youth of Virginia. The friends of our schools and churches. should freely express themselves in organized resolutions, petitions, and individual letters.

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