As a young man, American novelist and poet Herman Melville (1819-1891) worked on New England whaling ships. He came to share the fascination and terror the whalers felt toward the great beast they hunted. In his classic novel Moby-Dick, the crew of the whaler Pequod hears a sermon and sings a hymn based on the Hebrew Scripture's prophet, Jonah, who also had an experience with a 'great fish.'

Facts

What other benefits are there to teaching the Bible academically in schools?
The strength of this course is that it not only meets legal criteria, it is designed to:
  • Promote critical thinking skills.
  • Apply the content to a variety of disciplines (Literature/Language, social studies, and the arts).  
  • Create leaders and informed citizens. 
For example, Martin Luther King, Jr., a Baptist minister who drove the American Civil Rights movement of the twentieth century, drew heavily on biblical themes and values. Abraham Lincoln, our 16th President, gave a speech against the policy of dividing the United States into free and slave states based on one biblical passage.

When did each of the 11 states pass legislation encouraging Bible literacy in their school systems?
        Georgia – 2006
        South Carolina and Texas – 2007
        Tennessee – 2008
        Oklahoma – 2010
        South Dakota and Arizona – 2012
        Arkansas – 2013
        Kentucky – 2017
        Missouri – 2019
        Alabama – 2019

Interested parties should contact info@essentialsineducation.org for assistance and copies of passed legislation. Here's a copy of the Oklahoma legislation #2321.

What action can parents (or anyone) take if they would like to encourage their school system to start teach the Bible academically?
Interested citizens can communicate directly with their local school officials as they would with any academic program. EIE encourages a dialogue about ways to help build strong, educated citizens.
    
At what age do you think the Bible should be introduced as an academic course in public schools?
Initially, EIE’s focus has been on high school students in grades 9 through 12. 
Biblical Terms and Allusions Students Should Know; Advanced Placement Test
Old Testament     
Eye for an eye    
Pontius Pilate  
Do to others as you would 
  have them do to you    
Am I my brother’s keeper?    
Ten Commandments    
Render unto Caesar the 
  things that are Caesar’s 
Judas Iscariot    
Crucifixion    
Cain and Abel    
Armageddon     
Good Samaritan     
Fall of Man    
Garden of Eden    
Twenty-third Psalm
Let there be light    
Walking on water    
Genesis    
Promised Land    
Exodus    
Original sin    
Moses    
Abraham and Isaac
Apocalypse    
Tower of Babel    
Adam and Eve    
Serpent   
Prodigal Son   
Prodigal Son    
Judgment Day    
David and Goliath   
Lord’s Prayer    
Olive branch    
Messiah    
Last Supper    
In the beginning    
Noah’s ark    
Cast the first stone   
Noah and the flood    
Jonah and the whale   
Sodom and Gomorrah    
Resurrection    
Apostles, The Twelve   
Root of all evil
Job