Bible Literacy Report II: What University Professors Say Incoming
Students Need to Know
 Executive
Summary, Introduction, Methodology, & University Professors in the Study
Excerpted from the Full Report.
Executive Summary (page v)
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.
Introduction to the Report (page 2)
The Bible has had a profound influence on European and American
arts and letters as well as the shape of the English language
itself. In 1986, English professors at U.S. colleges were asked what
they wished incoming freshmen had read before entering their
college. the most frequently named work was the Bible (Juhasz &
Wilson). In a 1997 study, 81 percent of American high school English
teachers reported it was important to teach some Bible literature
(Wachlin). In a 2005 study, 98 percent of American high school
English teachers reported that Bible literacy was academically
advantageous (Wachlin).
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 English
professors at 34 colleges and universities to get their assessment
on how important Bible literacy is to a good education: What
advantages do students who are Bible literate have when it comes to
approaching English and American literature? What problems have
these scholars observed in their students who lack this basic
knowledge? What do incoming freshmen in college-level English
courses need to know about the Bible?
Methodology (page 2)
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. Once an interview at a top-ranked school was
arranged, we also sought additional interviews with professors at
rated nearby colleges and universities. The initial contact was made
with English department chairs. Thirty-four of 44 initial contacts
resulted in an interview with a professor at that university. Five
professors were interviewed as a result of a recommendation from
someone other than the chair.
Eleven 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.
We interviewed professors from the following schools (with their
rankings from U.S. News in parenthesis).
National Universities: Princeton University (#1 tied),
Harvard University (#1 tied), Yale University (#3), Stanford
University (#5 tied), Massachusetts Institute of technology (#5
tied), Columbia University (#9), Northwestern University (#11),
University of Chicago, (#14), University of Notre Dame (#18), Rice
University (#17), Brown University (#13), University of California
at Berkeley (#21), University of Michigan at Ann Arbor (#22 tied),
University of Virginia (#22 tied), tufts University (#28), the
College of William and Mary (#31), New York University (#32),
University of Washington (#46), University of Maryland (#56), Texas
A&M University (#62), Brigham young University (#74), Howard
University (#90), University of Utah (#111), and University of
Oregon (#117).
Liberal Arts: Williams College (#1), Amherst College (#2
tied), DePauw University (#42), Wheaton College (#51), and Gordon
College (unranked, convenience sample).
Large public universities: University of California at
Berkeley (#1), University of Michigan (#2 tied), University of
Virginia (#2 tied), the College of William and Mary (#6), University
of Washington (#14), University of Maryland (#18), Texas A&M
University (#22), University of Oregon, University of Utah.
Comprehensive colleges: Stonehill College (#1, North),
Berry College (#2, South), Calvin College (#2, Midwest), Corban
College (#8, West), and Concordia University at Portland, Oregon
(unranked, convenience sample).
Nine of the 34 colleges and universities included in this study
were religiously affiliated: Berry College, Brigham young
University, Calvin College, Concordia University, Corban College,
Gordon College, University of Notre Dame, Stonehill College, and
Wheaton College.
The comments of two additional professors were included in the
study—professors whom the principal investigators met through this
research and related Bible literacy work: Roger Baker, Brigham young
University (#74 national); and Paul Parrish, Texas A&M University
(#22 public). Throughout the report, the additional professors were
not counted in the data tabulations.
University Professors in the Study (page vi)
Adele Berlin
Robert H. Smith Professor of Biblical Studies;
National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow;
State of Israel Prize of the Minister of Science,
Culture, and Sport for Classical Literature
University of Maryland
Gordon M. Braden
Linden Kent Memorial Professor; English
Department Chair; Roland H. Bainton Book Prize;
National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow
University of Virginia
Leslie Brisman
Karl young Professor of English
Yale University
Gerald L. Bruns
the William P. and Hazel B. White Professor
and Chair of English; Guggenheim Fellow;
National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow
University of Notre Dame
Howell Chickering, Jr.
G. Armour Craig Professor of Language
and Literature
Amherst College
J. Scott Colley
College President; Professor of English,
Rhetoric, and Writing
Berry College
Stuart K. Culver
English Department Chair
University of Utah
Kevin Dunn
Dean of Academic Affairs for Arts and
Sciences College; English Professor
Tufts University
Richard J. Dunn
English Department Chair
University of Washington
Barbara L. Estrin
English Department Chair
Stonehill College
Janis D. Flint-Ferguson
English Department Chair
Gordon College
Edward A. Geary
English Department Chair
Brigham Young University
Ernest B. Gilman
Professor of English; Guggenheim Fellow
New York University
Warren Ginsberg
Chair and Distinguished Professor in English
University of Oregon
Wayne E. Glausser
English Department Chair;
Indiana Professor of the year
DePauw University
Steven Goldsmith
Associate Professor of English
University of California at Berkeley
J. Dennis Huston
Professor of English
Rice University
David Scott Kastan
Old Dominion Foundation Professor in the
Humanities; Chair of English and Comparative
Literature; first American to serve as General Editor
of the Arden Shakespeare; Guggenheim Fellow
Columbia University
Robert Kiely
Donald P. and Katherine B. Loker
Professor of English
Harvard University
Ulrich Knoefplmacher
Paton Foundation Professor of Ancient and
Modern Literature
Princeton University
George P. Landow
Professor of English and the History of Art;
Fulbright Scholar; Guggenheim Fellow;
Fellow of the Cornell Society for the Humanities
Brown University
Ina Lipkowitz
Lecturer in Literature
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Christopher J. MacGowan
English Department Chair
The College of William and Mary
Pamela R. Matthews
Associate Professor and Associate Head of English
Texas A&M University
John Netland
English Department Chair
Calvin College
Barbara Newman
Professor of English and Religion;
Guggenheim Fellow; National Endowment
for the Humanities Fellow
Northwestern University
Linda H. Peterson
Neil Gray, Jr. Professor of English;
Director of Graduate Studies; English
Department Chair, 1994-2000
Yale University
Robert M. Polhemus
the Joseph S. Atha Professor in Humanities;
English Department Chair
Stanford University
Monica Brzezinski Potkay
Associate Professor of English
The College of William and Mary
Thomas P. Roche
Murray Professor of English, Emeritus
Princeton University
Leland Ryken
Clyde S. Kilby Professor of English
Wheaton College
Wayne Harvard Slater
Associate Professor and Coordinator of Secondary
Education, Language and English Education
University of Maryland
Hans Spalteholz
Professor of English and Religion, Emeritus
Concordia University at Portland, Oregon
Karen E. Swann
English Department Chair
Williams College
Martin G. Trammell
Chair of English and Communication;
Professor of Humanities
Corban College
Christina von Nolcken
Professor of English Language and Literature;
Associate English Chair for Undergraduate Studies
University of Chicago
Ralph Williams
Professor in the Department of English,
Language and Literature; “Best Professor” Michigan
Daily Newspaper Survey (nine of the last ten years);
Excellence in Education teaching Award
University of Michigan
Susan Wood
Gladys Louise Fox Chair and Professor in English;
Best Book of Poetry Award, texas Institute of Letters
Rice University
Jon Stanton Woodson
Professor of English; 2005-2006 Fulbright Scholar
to University of Pecs in Pecs, Hungary
Howard University
Additional related comments from…
Roger G. Baker
Associate Professor of English; Lilly/AAR
teaching Fellow, Fulbright Fellow
Brigham Young University
Paul A. Parrish
Regents Professor and English Department Head;
Executive Director, South Central Modern
Language Association
Texas A&M University
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