Professor Timothy Beal of Case Western Reserve University, a recent guest on the flagship program about religion aired on National Public Radio, advocated strongly for biblical literacy, saying that without Bible knowledge, “we cannot fully participate in the public conversation.” Beal, who is clearly not a biblical literalist, still maintains that the Bible forms the foundation of western civilization and is fundamental to public discourse.

This is an amazing assertion given NPR’s historic ambivalence—and sometimes—even hostility—toward Judeo-Christian belief systems. The parent organization to NPR, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, was a creation of Congress in the late 1960s, and took a decidedly secularist tack from its very beginning. “Interfaith Voices,” the show that hosted Professor Beal, is one of the few forums on public radio to deal directly with faith. PBS, the television compliment to NPR, has one similar program called Religion and Ethics Newsweekly.

The CPB is funded almost exclusively from an annual congressional appropriation of tax dollars. For fiscal year 2009, that amount is $400 million. While CPB grants to network and local programming represent only 20% of overall costs, The CPB remains the greatest financial impetus behind all public programming. Given that over 90% of Americans believe in God and 85% consider this belief to be important in their lives (April, 2009 Newsweek Poll by Princeton Survey Research Associates), you would think that nearly half a billion tax dollars would buy far more programming on these crucial topics.

If you agree, maybe you want to tell Congress that in order to fully participate in the public conversation, Public Broadcasting needs more biblical literacy!

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