Dr. H Wayne House

Academic Degrees:
Juris Doctor, O.W. Coburn School of Law (Oklahoma); Doctor of Theology, Concordia Seminary (Missouri); Master of Divinity, Western Conservative Baptist Seminary; Master of Theology, Western Conservative Baptist Seminary (Oregon); Master of Arts in Biblical and Patristic Greek, Abilene Christian University (Texas). I have authored or edited numerous books and articles in scholarly journals, including Restoring the Constitution 1787-1987: Essays in Celebration of the Bicentennial (Dallas: Probe, 1987); and Christian Ministries and the Law: What Church and Para-Church Leaders Should Know (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1992); The Christian and American Law (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1998 [January publication date]); “Constitutional Interpretation and the Question of Lawful Authority,” 18 MEMPHIS STATE LAW REVIEW 1, 1-24 (Fall 1987).

I have carefully examined the curriculum prepared by the national Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools (NCBCPS) identified as Bible I and Bible II and consider said curriculum to be well-drafted and free of any denominational or Christian bias. I believe said curriculum has the secular purpose and primary effect of acquainting students with early world history and culture, and familiarizing them with the Bible and it effects upon history, law, government, literature, art music, and culture of the world in general, and particularly of western civilization and the United States.

I am aware that there are many English translations of the Bible, and the usage of these various translations crosses denominational lines. The King James Version of the Bible was translated by a team of scholars at the direction of the English King James I and released in 1611. The purpose of the translation was to make the Bible available to all English-speaking peoples regardless of doctrine or affiliation. Over the past four centuries the King James Version has been by far the most widely read and quoted version in the English language, and it has had by far the most influence upon English and American history, law, government, and culture of all English translations, I have undergone extensive study in Greek and Hebrew, the original languages of the Bible, and consider the King James Version to be a reasonably accurate translation.

With these considerations in mind, the National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools has used the King James Version as the primary text for this curriculum, but the curriculum also includes a detailed study of the Hebrew and Greek origins of the Bible and the development of the Vulgate (Latin translation by Jerome, 4th century A.D.) and the various English translations, and also incorporates other reference materials to enhance and broaden the students’ understanding.