Bible Literacy Report II: What University Professors Say Incoming
Students Need to Know
 What
did leading English professors say when asked: “What do you think about
the following statement? ‘Regardless of a person’s faith, an educated
person needs to know about the Bible.’ ”
“Absolutely. [Without the Bible] it’s like using a dictionary with
one-third of the words removed.” Dr. George P. Landow, Brown
University
"True. You’re simply ignorant of yourself if you don’t know the Bible.”
Dr. Ina Lipkowitz, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
“Definitely. Agree.” Dr. Robert Kiely, Harvard University
“Not to have that is almost crippling in students’ ability to be
sophisticated readers.” Dr. Ulrich Knoefplmacher, Princeton
University
“Incontestable statement.” Dr. Ralph Williams, University of Michigan
“Absolutely necessary. [Bible allusions are] more concentrated and more
specific and profound and revisited over and over again; more necessary
than classics.” Dr. Stuart K. Culver, University of Utah
“Yes. A no-brainer.” Dr. Gordon M. Braden, University of Virginia
“Every educated person deserves to know the Bible.” Dr. Leland Ryken,
Wheaton College, IL
Executive Summary
What do today’s college students need to know about the Bible to
participate fully and equally in the courses taught in America’s elite
colleges and universities? This study surveyed 39 English professors at
34 top U.S. colleges and universities to learn their assessment of how
important Bible literacy is to college-level study of English and
American literature. What do incoming freshmen in college-level English
courses need to know about the Bible?
Almost without exception, English professors we surveyed at major
American colleges and universities see knowledge of the Bible as a
deeply important part of a good education. The virtual unanimity and
depth of their responses on this question are striking. The Bible is not
only a sacred scripture to millions of Americans, it is also arguably
(as one Northwestern professor stated), the “most influential text in
all of Western culture.”
For example, when asked to respond to the question, “Regardless of a
person’s faith, an educated person needs to know about the Bible,” no
professor disagreed; nine provided additional explanation. When asked,
“Some scholars say Western literature is steeped in references to the
Bible. How would you respond to that?” 38 of 39 English professors
agreed; 24 strongly. When asked, “In your opinion, how important is it
for students who take your courses to be familiar with the Bible?” 38 of
39 professors said it was important.
Overwhelmingly, professors in this survey indicated that a lack of basic
Bible literacy hampers students’ ability to understand both classics and
contemporary work. Arduously “decoding” scripture references detracts
from absorbing and responding to great works of art, both ancient and
modern.
At the same time, a number of professors expressed discomfort or
reservations with appearing to “take sides” in favor of the Bible in the
contemporary context. They did not wish to associate themselves with a
political movement around the Bible, or to seem to detract from the
importance of other aspects of a good education, including the value of
becoming knowledgeable about other world religions.
This report concludes that high schools should make basic Bible
knowledge part of their curriculum, especially for college preparatory
students. Doing so requires developing a variety of educational
materials and curricula that simultaneously (a) acknowledge the Bible’s
status as sacred scripture to millions of Americans, (b) are fair to
students of all faith traditions, and (c) are of high academic quality.
Doing so will be an important part of meeting the next generation’s
educational needs in an increasingly diverse population.
About this Report
This report, funded by the John Templeton Foundation, investigates what
English professors at leading universities believe incoming students
should know about the Bible. It accompanies the Bible Literacy Project’s
April 2005 Bible Literacy Report: What do American teens need to know
and what do they know? The report included: 1) a qualitative
research project on what leading high school English teachers believe
their students need to know about the Bible, and 2) an analysis of a
nationally representative survey by The Gallup Organization on what
American teens currently know about the Bible and other religious
literature of the world. The conclusions reached in this report do not
necessarily represent the views of the John Templeton Foundation.
About the Bible Literacy Project: The Bible Literacy Project is a
nonprofit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to research and public
education on the academic study of the Bible in public and private
schools. In 1999 it co-published a consensus statement with the First
Amendment Center, “The Bible & Public Schools: A First Amendment Guide.”
In September 2005, it published the first high school Bible textbook for
public schools in the last 30 years, The Bible and Its Influence.
Methodology
Using U.S. News’ 2005 rankings in four college categories
(national universities, public universities, liberal arts colleges, and
comprehensive colleges) as a guide, we secured interviews with English
professors from both the first- and second-rated schools
in all four categories. . . . [In total,] 11 professors from public
universities, 19 professors from private non-sectarian universities, and
9 professors from religiously affiliated colleges or universities were
interviewed for this study.
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