They’re teaching Bible at the “Home of the Blue Devils.” Lebanon High School in Wilson County, TN is among the first in the Volunteer State to offer an elective class on the good book’s impact on culture.

“It is the best-selling book of all time and our parents thought it should be taught in our high schools,” said Mickey Hall, deputy director of Wilson County Schools.

According to Hall, his school district has trained instructors not to inject their own religious views into the course.

Bible class advocates point to the book’s influence on history, law and literature.

“Biblical literacy - as with understanding Plato, Aristotle or the plays of Shakespeare - is an important part of being a literate citizen of the world,” said Ralph Reed, former director of the Christian Coalition.

Tennessee’s attorney general recently issued an opinion that Bible classes in public schools are legal, provided they stick to academic analysis of the book and don’t become sermons. That opinion paved the way for pending legislation that would authorize the state to create a non-religious elective course on the Bible and its influences.

In 2006, Georgia became the first state to pass such legislation. And while other states debate which textbook should be used to teach about the Bible, the Georgia guidelines are unique in that they call for the Bible itself to be used as the official text.

The elective program took effect in 2007. But, so far, few Georgia school districts have adopted it, and for several reasons.

Some claim it’s difficult to find instructors capable of teaching about a religious book in a non-religious way.

Others cite problems with funding. Although the Georgia Department of Education says it will fund bible classes as it does any other elective.

In Hancock County, GA the issue is lack of demand - not because people don’t want to teach students about the Bible, but because they already do, outside of school.

At least 64 churches serve this rural community of less than 10-thousand residents (the vast majority of them Christian).

As we drove into town, we noticed one church billboard congratulating Hancock Central High School on winning the state’s Class A boys basketball championship - illustrating the close relationship the churches already have with the schools.

“Because most of our students come from such traditionally Christian homes and they have such a firm upbringing in that, they felt like they were already receiving that (biblical) education and they didn’t need it from their school system,” said L’Angra Webster, a spokeswoman for Hancock County Schools.

Instead of bringing the bible to class, Hancock County educators bring school issues to the church. Webster hosts a pastors’ forum, in which Hancock Central High School invites local clergy to an after-hours meeting to brainstorm solutions.

Photographer Cappy Cochran and I attended the most recent forum Thursday evening. Clergy members and school officials discussed a broad range of issues ranging from computer training to teenage pregnancy.

Some clergy preach about the social issues that come up in these meetings in their Sunday sermons. Others prefer to work one-on-one with students in their congregations who are deemed “at risk.”

Educators say they called on local clergy last year when some students demonstrated an unhealthy fascination with street gangs. They say the ministers were able to address the issue before it became a serious problem, and that success inspired them to schedule this year’s pastors’ forums.

“The ministers in the community have a great deal of influence with our students,” said Isaac Cleveland, Hancock Central High School’s principal. “It would make sense to have that group of people be involved with educating our children, I guess taking from that old axiom ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’”