By Pastor Duke Taber
Texas is on the verge of making history. The Republican-controlled Texas State Board of Education is set to vote today — Friday, June 26, 2026 — on a proposal that would establish Bible stories and passages as required reading for more than 5.5 million public school students across the state, from kindergarten through twelfth grade.
If approved, the reading list would take effect in 2030. Education observers are calling it the first mandatory religious reading requirement of its kind in the nation.
The vote is drawing national attention, fierce debate, and for many believers, a deep sense that something significant is shifting in the relationship between faith and public education in America.
What the Proposal Actually Does
This is not a Sunday School curriculum slipped into a government building. It is a broad required reading list of around 200 texts spanning literature, essays, and Scripture — with Bible passages woven throughout each grade level.
The proposal goes well beyond a 2023 Texas law that required at least one State Board of Education-approved literary work be taught at each grade level. The new list mandates multiple titles per grade, and each one must be read in its entirety.
The scope is wide and deliberate. Bible passages to be taught to students include the Golden Rule to kindergartners, the Parable of the Prodigal Son to first graders, the Road to Damascus to third graders, “do not fear” from Matthew 6:25-34 to sixth graders, the love chapter from 1 Corinthians as well as Jonah and Psalm 23 to seventh graders, and the Beatitudes from Matthew 5 to eighth graders. Picture-book stories for elementary students including “David and Goliath” and “Daniel and the Lion’s Den” are also on the required reading list. By fourth grade, students would encounter passages about Jesus in the New Testament.
The proposal would mandate literary works such as Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations” alongside parables from the New Testament. It is a serious academic undertaking, not a devotional exercise.
Parents may opt their children out of the instruction. However, the education agency has acknowledged that students could still be tested on the material.
A National First
The scope of what Texas is attempting has no parallel in American public education.
Antero Garcia, president of the National Council of Teachers of English and a Stanford University professor, said he doesn’t know of any other state with a mandatory reading list that includes religious texts. Educators at the district and school level usually choose the texts their students will read.
Texas, which educates roughly 1 in 10 of the nation’s public school students, has been at the forefront of a charge by conservatives to incorporate more Christian teachings into American classrooms.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office has already released an opinion stating that the board can legally incorporate religious literature into school lessons. The state’s public schools already display the Ten Commandments in classrooms following a 2025 law — this vote would be the next escalation.
Republican board member Keven Ellis, who proposed the revised list, said, “There are other states, many other states, who have recommended reading lists. To my knowledge, there is not one that will have a required reading list as robust as this, that will be common for every student across the state.”
The Case for It: Founding, History, and Literary Significance
Supporters of the proposal are making a layered argument — and it is worth hearing on its own terms.
Susan Perez, founder of Citizens for Education Reform, told the education board this week, “We need to focus on what our nation was founded on and not apologize for that. It is the truth and we should not be afraid.”
Supporters argue the Bible should be studied as an essential literary text that can help students understand Western history and the founding of the United States. Republican board members have repeatedly described the biblical materials as “historically significant” and “informational text.” They point out that generations of readers have encountered these works for good reason — they have, as one board member put it, “stood the test of time.”
At the same meeting, the board is also set to vote on rewriting the state’s social studies curriculum to focus more on Texas and U.S. history, with significant expansion of lessons on communism.
For believers who understand that biblical literacy shapes character, culture, and civilization, this is not a strange idea. Throughout most of American history, the Bible was the central text of public education. Whether through New England primers or one-room schoolhouses, children learned to read with the Scriptures in hand. What Texas is proposing is, in many ways, a return.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” — Psalm 119:105, NKJV
The Word of God has shaped literature, law, ethics, and human dignity in ways that no other book in history has. Teaching students to read it — even academically — is not an imposition. It is an education.
For a deeper exploration of what the Bible says and why it matters, see How to Study the Bible: A Practical Guide for Deeper Understanding and Why Consistent Bible Study Is Key to Spiritual Growth.
The Opposition: Real Concerns and Political Objections
The proposal has divided the state sharply. Hundreds of parents, teachers, and community members have appeared before the board in recent days — some in support, some deeply opposed.
Board member Tiffany Clark, a Christian and Democrat who represents parts of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, has vocally opposed the proposed curriculum. Clark said she and some of her Christian constituents believe “Bible lessons should be taught on Sundays.” She noted, “Not all of us believe the same,” pointing out that Christian denominations reference different translations of the Bible and at times differ in their interpretations.
The proposed curriculum mandates specific Bible translations, including the King James Bible, which is widely used by Protestant and Evangelical churches but is avoided by the Roman Catholic Church. Clark also said she fears the emphasis on Christian texts would alienate children who come from other religious backgrounds.
Critics also raise legal concerns, arguing the proposal violates the constitutional separation of church and state. Legal challenges are widely anticipated if the vote passes.
Some opponents have framed this as part of a broader effort. One policy group has celebrated it as the “final battle” in an effort to purge Texas schools of lessons on race and history that they say divides students and criticizes America’s founders.
What This Moment Means for the Church
There are things the Church should celebrate here, and things it should think carefully about.
On one side: it is a remarkable thing to see a state government affirm that the Bible is essential to a complete education. The parables of Jesus, the Psalms, the Beatitudes, 1 Corinthians 13 — these are not merely religious documents. They are foundational pillars of Western civilization, ethics, and literature. Teaching children to engage with them is a good thing, regardless of faith background.
There is also something worth noting in the list of texts chosen. These are the very passages that form the core of biblical literacy for generations of believers. The Good Shepherd. The Prodigal Son. The Sermon on the Mount. For a child who has never heard these stories, a public school classroom may be the first place they encounter them — and that encounter could change a life. For more on why these passages matter so deeply, see The Parable of the Prodigal Son: What This Parable Teaches About Grace, The Parable of the Sower Explained, and What 1 Corinthians 13 Is Actually Saying: A Verse-by-Verse Breakdown.
On the other side, the Church should be honest about something. A government mandate cannot produce faith. A classroom reading of the Beatitudes is not a revival. Children who encounter these texts academically but never encounter the living God who inspired them may walk away with knowledge but no transformation.
The answer to that gap is not to oppose what Texas is doing. It is to recognize that the classroom opening a door and the Church walking through it are not the same event. Texas may put the Word of God in front of 5 million children. The Body of Christ still has the responsibility to make the Word come alive.
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” — Romans 10:17, NKJV
If you want your children to go deeper than a required reading list, explore A 7-Day Reading Plan on Love in the Bible and the Bible Study Ideas for Kids at AnsweredFaith.com. And to build a foundation for your whole family, the Family Foundations 12-Week Bible Study is available as a download now.
A Broader Pattern Worth Watching
The Texas vote does not stand alone. It is the latest marker in a national shift.
Florida’s attorney general has mandated release time for religious instruction in schools. States have reposted the Ten Commandments in classrooms. Pentagon categories for Christian religious groups were revised following public pressure. Religious construction has surged in Q2 2026. The tent revival movement is sweeping the country. These are not random events — they reflect a culture that is at a fork in the road, and at least one side of the road is turning back toward its roots. For more on that broader movement, see 2026: The Most Spiritually Open Year in Memory.
Whether today’s vote passes or fails, the conversation it has sparked is one that will not go away. And in the middle of that conversation are millions of children who deserve to know that the Word of God is not a relic of the past — it is a living, breathing, active force that can transform a life.
That is something no school board vote can accomplish. But it is something the Church is still called to do.
Related AnsweredFaith.com Articles:
- The Parable of the Prodigal Son: What This Parable Teaches About Grace
- The Parable of the Sower Explained
- What 1 Corinthians 13 Is Actually Saying
- How to Study the Bible: A Practical Guide for Deeper Understanding
- Bible Study Ideas for Kids
- 2026: The Most Spiritually Open Year in Memory
Download: Build your family’s foundation in Scripture before any school board does it for you. The Family Foundations 12-Week Bible Study is available now at AnsweredFaith.com.
Sources
- Charisma Magazine / American Faith — “Texas to Vote on Mandatory Bible Reading in Public Schools” — June 26, 2026. mycharisma.com
- CNN — “Texas is poised to require millions of students to study Bible stories” — June 26, 2026. cnn.com
- Associated Press / KERA News — “Texas school board to vote on required Bible readings in public education” — June 26, 2026. keranews.org
- The Washington Times — “Is the Bible required reading in Texas public schools? A final vote is days away” — June 25, 2026. washingtontimes.com
- The Texas Tribune — “Texas Board of Education delays vote on reading list” — January 28, 2026. texastribune.org
- NV Daily / Associated Press — “Texas school board to vote on required Bible readings in public education” — June 26, 2026. nvdaily.com
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