OPINION:
In a recent interview with the Center for American Progress, James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate seat from Texas and Presbyterian seminarian, said that including Bible stories in the school curriculum for young children is akin to “indoctrination” and that it is “deeply immoral.”
Now, you might think such a statement would be met with near-universal condemnation from the broader Christian community, but you would be wrong.
Here are a few examples of prominent Christian-led organizations that immediately went on record agreeing with Mr. Talarico.
The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty stated that it staunchly opposed including any biblical material in public schools, arguing that doing so risks distorting the Christian faith and the U.S. Constitution.
The Texas Faith Network, made up of hundreds of Texas pastors, priests and other faith leaders, immediately urged the Texas State Board of Education to reject all Bible-based curriculum, saying such material overemphasizes Christianity and is too one-sided.
Then we have the Interfaith Alliance. This is a group heavily represented by progressive clergy such as Mr. Talarico, which argues that including Christian narratives in our public spaces violates the core Christian tenet of “loving thy neighbor.”
Now, the curious thing is that this is all being said while prominent atheists and agnostics such as Richard Dawkins and Elon Musk are saying the exact opposite. Yes, that’s right; while people who fancy themselves as leaders of Christ’s church are telling us that teaching the virtues of Christianity is culturally insensitive, atheists are calling for a return to cultural Christianity.
Matthew Parris, a former member of the British Parliament who was born in South Africa, is the quintessential example: “As an atheist,” says Mr. Parris, “I truly believe Africa needs God. … The continent of Africa, had it not been for Christian evangelism, would have suffered the fate of the machete, genocide, or the worship of Nike. … Missionaries, not aid money, are the solution to Africa’s biggest problem — the crushing passivity of the people’s mindset … [their] crushing tribal groupthink.”
A “crushing tribal groupthink” — that sounds a lot like what we are witnessing in the daily news, does it not?
From the blind ideological agreement that is so rampant on our college campuses to the demands for goose-stepping compliance we see in the rise of Islam across the American landscape, a “crushing tribal groupthink” is undeniable to anyone who still has eyes to see and ears to hear.
The sad thing is that while the Richard Dawkinses, Elon Musks and Matthew Parrises of the world are crying out, “We need Christianity in the public square,” apostates such as James Talarico and his tribe of acolytes are calling for its removal.
This is cultural suicide, and it is, quite candidly, just stupid and historically ignorant.
The evidence of Christianity’s positive contribution to Western civilization is irrefutable: As the historian W.E.H. Lecky once said, “The three short years of the life of Jesus have done more to regenerate and soften mankind than all the disquisitions of philosophers and all the exhortations of moralists.”
Rodney Stark, author of “The Victory of Reason,” added, “Christian theology is the very font of reason: While the world’s other great belief systems emphasized mystery, obedience, or introspection, Christianity alone embraced logic and reason as the path toward enlightenment, freedom, and progress. That is what made all the difference” in the advancement of Western civilization.
Tom Holland, who wrote “Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World,” concluded: “To live in a Western country is to be caught up in a story: One that is specifically Christian.”
Here is the take-home: Instead of trying to expunge any mention of the Bible from our culture, Mr. Talarico should be extolling its virtues and proclaiming its truth. He should be saying, “Thank God for the Bible,” not apologizing for it.
The biblical narrative and corresponding message of Christian exceptionalism that Mr. Talarico bemoans as propaganda has done more to bring freedom, wisdom and human flourishing to the world than any other worldview. Even those who do not personally embrace it acknowledge it as being essential for the formation and sustainability of a civilized people.
As historians Stark, Holland and Lecky (and a host of others) make clear, the Bible has been a bulwark against evil in the world, as well as the wellspring of much of what is true, noble and good throughout history.
Without the Bible and Christianity, the world would be a much darker place.
The opposite of what James Talarico says is true. Our culture — every culture — needs the Bible. It is time for the church to ignore progressive charlatans like this man and boldly enter the public square with the salt and light of biblical truth.
Even the atheists of the world are begging us to do so.
• Everett Piper (dreverettpiper.com, @dreverettpiper), a columnist for The Washington Times, is a former university president and radio host. He is the author of “Not a Day Care: The Devastating Consequences of Abandoning Truth” (Regnery). He can be reached at epiper@dreverettpiper.com.
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