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Eleanor Grace Rupp
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New Title From Eleanor Grace Rupp

A Students Notes on Genesis
The Bible for Public Schools

A Students notes on Genesis views the Genesis study from the
mind and thoughts of a student in a public high school
literature class where one of the books for the semester is the
first book of the BibleGenesis. The student is a
conglomeration of so many of our youth who really would like
to learn something about the Bible but cant find their way
through it and are embarrassed to ask.
This textbook carefully follows the Supreme Courts
guidelines for teaching the Bible in the public schools. Neither
affirming nor denying anything in Genesis (nor in any part of
the Bible) the textbook follows the story of a perfect world
gone wrong and of a broken family bringing blessing to that
world.
Eleanor Grace Rupp taught the Bible in the public schools
for forty-five years, continually seeking to understand the
Supreme Court guidelines for how this ancient, world-famous
book may be legally taught in the public schools. She has degrees from Southern Connecticut State University,
Columbia International University, and Reformed Theological Seminary, as well as an honorary doctorate from
King University.
A Students Notes on Genesis
The Bible for Public Schools
by Eleanor Grace Rupp
Wipf and Stock / Wipf and Stock Publishers
978-1-61097-982-5/ paperback / $29
www.wipfandstock.com

Interview with Eleanor Grace Rupp

Didnt the Supreme Court rule that teaching the Bible in the public schools is illegal?
No. That is a common misunderstanding. In the 1963 ruling regarding prayer in the public schools, Supreme Court
Justice Clark wrote: It certainly may be said that the Bible is worthy of study for its literary and historic qualities.
Nothing we have said here indicates that such study of the Bible or of religion, when presented objectively as part
of a secular program of education, may not be effected consistently with the First Amendment. (Abington v.
Schempp, 374 US 203).
This ruling has never been reversed. No court has ever ruled against the teaching of the Bible as history and
literature. Any school system that has stopped Bible classes has done so because of aspects unrelated to the actual
teaching of the Bible as history and literature.
Even though it is legal, is there any need for Bible teaching in our public schools?
Yes. Northrop Frye (the great literary critic of the twentieth century) wrote, The Bible forms the lowest stratum in
the teaching of literature. It should be taught so early and so thoroughly that it sinks straight to the bottom of the
mind, where everything that comes along later can settle on it. (Northrop Frye, The Educated Imagination
(Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1964), 110.
According to Dr. Eileen Phy, former professor of English at Alabama State University, John Milton, considered by
most to be the second greatest English writer, can hardly be taught today on the college level due to the students
ignorance of the Bible. Literature contains so many biblical allusions that biblical ignorance cripples any meaningful
literary study.
If it is legal to teach the Bible in the public schools, should it be legal to teach every and any book in the
public schools?
It depends on the purpose. If the purpose is to promote a religion, no. If the purpose is the educational benefit of
the child, yes, but not all books deserve the same attention. The impact of the Bible on American culture, history,
and literature merits for it far greater attention than is merited by any other book. If we cut off our youth from the
Bible we cut them off from their cultural roots. This cannot be said of any other book in the whole world.

Interview with Eleanor Grace Rupp cont.

con Cont.
What does it mean to study the Bible as literature?
I suppose there are as many ways to teach literature as there are teachers, but their methods will generally fall into
three main categories.
The study of historical backgrounds emphasizes the writer, the setting, and the sources.
The study of literary criticism emphasizes and analyses writing styles, structures, literary devices, and craftsmanship.
The study of the Bibles relevance to life, emphasizes basic human meaning, bringing the work into the students
own experiences.
All of these are important, but students usually perk up when they see themselves and their own experience in the
lives of the Bible characters. It gives them a broader view of what it means to be human and increases their interest.
Are there any limits on what a public school class can teach?
Yes. Over the years the Supreme Court has clarified the law, writing that the schools may neither affirm nor
disclaim the teachings of the Bible. A teacher may not tell students they need to accept the Bible as true nor may a
teacher say the Bible is simply legends and myths. The teacher walks a fine line.

An Excerpt from A Students Notes on Genesis

I am a high school student who loves movies, books, sports (especially basketball), and hiking with friends.
It was near the end of our summer break, about the time when I start to get bored, that I realized I hadnt escaped
into a single book this summer. That escape, I knew, was what I needed now. I wished I had a really good book
waiting.
In that state of mind I bounced my basketball along the sidewalk, unaware that the ball was about to do me a favor.
It bounced right out of my hand, rolled down the street, and wedged itself against the bottom step of a store. After
freeing the ball, I noticed a sign on the window: Jewish Books. The sign jogged a thought. Jewish books. Didnt
Jewish people have something to do with writing the Bible?
I had often told myself I should read it. The Bible pops up everywhere I turn: English classes, history classes,
discussions, debates, music, movies, and moreand I have always had to drop out of those conversations. I know
almost nothing about it. Maybe its time to get a copy and read one, so I entered the bookstore.
Yes, the owner said, we have Bibles, and yes, we do have something to do with it. We wrote it. Do you want the
Hebrew Bible or the Christian Bible? I told him I couldnt read Hebrew and I was not a Christian; I just wanted
an English Bible. He patiently explained that he didnt mean the Hebrew language. Realizing I was essentially
ignorant of the book, he explained that what Christians call the Bible comes in two parts. Christians call the first
and larger part, the Old Testament, but Jewish people call the first part the Hebrew Bible. He said that Christians
call the second part of the Bible the New Testament, and that it is about a Jewish man named Jesus. The two parts
together are what Christians mean by the Bible.
I knew that Jesus has something to do with Christmas, so, wanting to learn all I could, I decided to get both parts. I
was proud of my decision, but as I glanced through the pages, I realized it would take a lot of study. A short time
later I heard that my school was offering a world literature elective that would include a unit on the book of
Genesisthe first book in the Bible. I decided I would take the class.
The first day of the Genesis class
The first day of school the teacher took away any fears we might have. She explained that the Supreme Courts
guidelines for studying the Bible in the public schools give protection to all beliefs and non beliefsnot
endorsement, but protection. The guidelines free all students from fear of their beliefs being censored. She also
made sure we knew that this would not be a comparative religions class, and that our goal would be to know
Genesis, a unit in itself, yet the gateway to the rest of the Bible.
To get some idea of how familiar we were with the Bible, the teacher asked us to write down the names of as many
Bible characters as we could remember in two minutes. Then she set the timer. I was sure (almost sure) of five
peopleAdam, Eve, Noah, Moses, and Jesus. A girl in front of me wrote and wrote and said she needed a lot
more than two minutes. Fortunately, thats all the time the teacher gave.

Praise for A Students Notes on Genesis

Having heard for several years that A Students Notes on Genesis was being written, I greatly anticipated its completion. I
can now say after my first reading that it has exceeded my expectations. Eleanor Rupp has accomplished what so many have
never dared to try.

Barbara K. Bellefeuille, Vice President for Academic Services, Bethel College

This is a must-have book for public school administrators, teachers, board members, or parents who believe that
the Bible has a legitimate place in the public schools and can be taught without violating the US Constitution. The
author should know, since she taught the Bible for more than forty years.
Timothy C. Evearitt, Professor of Education (retired), Covenant College
Eleanor Rupp began teaching the Bible at Bluefield High School in the 1960s. She developed a course that was not
only meaningful to students but that also complied with US Supreme Court guidelines for teaching the Bible in
public schools. A Students Notes on Genesis captures a part of the rich legacy she left at BHS, and it challenges the
reader to take up and continue her work.
Bob Harrison, Retired West Virginia Educator