Bible Being Taught In All Cabarrus County High Schools

At Central Cabarrus High School in Concord, N.C., the guidance counselors had to tell 100 students they couldn't take Bible this year. The reason? The classes were full, and there was no room for more students.

Overcrowded Bible classes in public school? That's right. In fact, thanks to nonprofit Bible teaching associations throughout the county, Cabarrus County students can choose to take either Old Testament or New Testament classes in each of the county's high schools.

The classes have actually been in Cabarrus County schools since 1936. That year, the Concord Rotary Club made available and sponsored a Bible class at Concord High School, according to Sandra Smith, an English teacher at Concord High School and founder of the Central Cabarrus High School Bible Teaching Association.

The Rotary Club remains involved to this day, even if on a smaller scale, Smith said. The club has a drive that provides one-sixth of the salary of the Concord teacher, Smith said.

The bulk these days is contributed by dedicated Christians throughout the county, who raise the money to pay for the salaries of the Bible teachers. The teachers must meet all the certification requirements and must be paid for their levels of education and for their experience, commensurate with that of other public school teachers, Smith said.

Bible courses are taught at five high schools in the county. A new high school is being built near Harrisburg, N.C., and should have Bible classes when the school opens.

"They've already raised their money for their first year's teacher," said Charles Smith, president of the Central Cabarrus High School Bible Teaching Association.

Sandra Smith -- no relation to Charles Smith -- was teaching English at Central Cabarrus High School when she felt motivated to start a Bible teaching association for her school.

"The Bible serves as a basis for so much great literature and poetry, and if the students don't understand the biblical allusions, they don't understand the literature," she said. "I was really frustrated."

With the assistance of a retired Bible teacher, Sandra Smith completed the paperwork to create a nonprofit Bible teaching association. In the fall of 1982, Central Cabarrus High School offered its first Bible classes.

This semester at Central Cabarrus, Jim Almack is teaching three hour-and-a-half classes in Bible -- two in Old Testament, one in New Testament. Almack, who holds a master's degree from Columbia International University, has classes of 30, 32 and 33 students -- exceeding normal class sizes.

"The Bible is presented as history, as a historical text," Almack said. "It fascinated me growing up how the events fit together in the Old Testament and impacted the New Testament."

Almack says he believes the majority of his students are "church attenders," even though Bible teachers do not "probe to find out who are Christians and who are not." When matters arise regarding faith and beliefs, Almack says he simply responds by explaining what the Bible teaches on the subject and avoids statements that begin, "Well, I believe ..."

"A lot of people think this is illegal, and it's not at all," Sandra Smith says. "It's very constitutional and sound."

She adds, "It's so awesome for me to be in my class and to be teaching John Milton or John Bunyan, and it's evident which kids have had the foundational (Bible) course (and which ones have not). I don't think you can be educated and not have some knowledge of the Bible. When they know the fundamental story, they can appreciate it."

Charles Smith says students have enthusiastically supported the classes.

"I've never seen so many children who have spoken out and said it's the best course they've ever taken," he said.


By Jeff Holland, freelance writer for The Charlotte World, a weekly Christian newspaper in Charlotte, North Carolina. Copyright 2001, The Charlotte World, Used With Permission.