My friend Henry Neufeld, director of the Pacesetter's Bible School, has posted a new essay on the Panda's Thumb that examines the theological underpinnings of creationism and Intelligent Design. In particular, he discusses the question of the different types of literature found in the bible and why the creationists are wrong to read Genesis and other parts of the bible as literal history rather than as other, less literal forms of literature. Very interesting read.
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I'm one of those folks who thinks that courses in comparative religion, or about the bible as literature, can be a valuable thing. Unfortunately, they just don't work in the real world. There's really only two ways to teach such a course.
There are now two competing curricula available for teaching about the bible in a public school elective course, the NCBCPS curriculum and the Bible Literacy Project.
Have a look at at this interesting article, from The New Yorker, about the boom in Bible publishing:
University to Ban Bibles, the headline screams. Brave New Schools, says the tag above the headline. The first sentence reiterates the message: