Bring Your Bible to School Day opens faith conversations

USA (MNN) — If you’re a student, tomorrow, October 6th, is the third annual Bring Your Bible to School Day.

It sounds simple, but it’s more than just stashing God’s Word alongside textbooks in your backpack. Biblica’s CEO Carl Moeller says Bring Your Bible to School Day encourages students to use their Bibles as faith conversation-starters.

“I’m very excited about this day because it will be a day when literally hundreds of thousands of school children bring their Bible to school and use that time to witness for Jesus and make a statement about the role the Bible has to play in our society.”

Biblica is a primary partner with several other Christian organizations and churches supporting Bring Your Bible to School Day. They’re estimating around 300,000 students will be participating across the U.S.

“It’s really going to allow students to express their beliefs and to do it in a way that’s respectful and it demonstrates the love of Christ for those around them. I think students will lead the way for the rest of their peers and really provide an example of spiritual boldness, taking a stand for Christ, and having that true positive spirit that comes from being aligned and in love with Jesus Christ.”

The Climate of Religious Freedom

The climate of America, when it comes to religious conversations in schools, has drastically changed. Although public school administrators and staff are not allowed to teach from a religious worldview, a student’s right to free speech is not the same as school-endorsed speech. Therefore, students are not restricted from sharing their religious views and having faith conversations at school and in relevant class discussions.

Click here for more information on students’ rights in Bring Your Bible to School Day.

Moeller says, “I think it’s really important for people to remember for literally the first almost 200 years of our country’s existence, even before we were a country, the Bible was the curriculum of education. It taught people how to read, it taught people the nature of our laws, it played a role in primary education by giving moral examples of life and examples of courage. It is a huge foundation for our nation, and specifically, our nation’s education system.

“And yet, as we all know, over the last 50 years, the Bible has been systematically exterminated from public school life and education. There still remains the principle of religious liberty that allows our students to bring Bibles for themselves and their own religious convictions, and to share those stories and conversations about the Bible with their school friends.”

A Student’s Experience

Bring Your Bible to School Day isn’t meant to be something that happens once out of the year. Rather, it’s intended to foster conversations on faith year-round.

“So this is a huge day for us to emphasize this can happen anytime. But we really recognize this can actually make a difference in school systems from west coast to east coast, from north to south, we’re seeing students make this difference in their schools.”

Moeller shares one story he heard of a student’s experience with bringing their Bible to school:

“[The student] said, ‘I opened up my book bag and I pulled my Bible out to get my notebook, and somebody said, ‘What’s that?’ and I said, ‘Well, this is my Bible,’ and they said, ‘Can you bring that to school?!’’ Almost like it was a handgun! And in fact, she said, ‘Yes, this is where my faith is.’ The young girl got to share her faith with her friend.”

Joining Them in Prayer

Meanwhile, for those of you who are no longer students, you can pray tomorrow. Moeller lists four different groups of people to pray for:

1. Students — “As we approach this day, we need to be in prayer for each student when they bring their Bible to school; that they would recognize they’re making a strong stand for the principle of religious freedom in this country, they’re taking a strong stand for Jesus Christ, and they’re able to say in love to their peers, ‘This is what I believe, and this is what I believe from: the Bible.’”
2. Christian Educators — “We’d also pray for the educators who are Christians in the public school system, that they would recognize this day is a day to support those kids in their classes who are bringing their Bibles to school.”
3. Non-Christian Educators — “And for those educators who are not believers in the school, we pray they would allow the students to have open conversations about their Bibles, to not ridicule or mock the students, but to enable those students to recognize even though they may not believe, they support each Christian students’ right to bring their Bible to school and have it in their possession and talk about it.”
4. Non-Christians — “And lastly, of course, we pray that many, many nonbelievers — students and educators — would be given the opportunity to meet Jesus Christ personally in His Word, to be transformed by His Word, and to join His mission for the world. That’s what we do at Biblica, and that’s what we’re praying these students will do through bringing God’s Word, the Bible, to school on October 6th.”
   

   (Photo courtesy of Wycliffe Associates)

Please also pray for Biblica’s ministry and for Bible engagement around the world.

Moeller says, “We see hundreds of millions of people every year get exposed to the Bible, whether electronically or in a physical form, and we want more and more people to meet Jesus in the pages of His Word, the Holy Bible.”

Registration

If you’re a student and would like to officially register for Bring Your Bible to School Day, click here!

When you register, you’ll get a guide to participation, poster downloads, T-shirt and sticker designs, and be entered for a chance to attend a Newsboys concert in Dallas, Texas.