What’s in a Date: B.C. and A.D. vs. B.C.E and C.E. in Schools
As a father with three boys in the Rockwood School District, it was with great interest that I read Tim Townsend’s recent STLtoday.com article on the issue of the school district’s stance of using B.C.E. and C.E. instead of the more traditional B.C. and A.D. when referencing the dates of historical events.
For those new to the controversy, a quick refresher:
B.C. is the abbreviation for Before Christ while A.D. is the abbreviation for Anno Domini (Latin, “in the year of the Lord”). The new designations allegedly remove the Christian implications and stand for Common Era and Before Common Era.
Does it matter whether we use B.C. or B.C.E?
Some comments from Rockwood Superintendent Craig Larson, from Townsend’s article:
“There’s no agenda here,” he said. “We’re just teaching kids how to understand dates.”
Last week, Larson reacted to the debate on his blog.
“Within the last 10-15 years, CE/BCE has started to appear in student textbooks, usually along with AD/BC and sometimes with just one or the other mentioned,” he wrote. “Teachers make sure that students are aware of both designations so they are literate when they encounter either notation.”
As both a Christian and a parent, I think this is a perfectly reasonable and appreciated response. Personally, I want my kids to be able to understand dates, no matter how they’re presented. And while I know there are those who will disagree with me because they see this as an affront to the Christian ideals our nation was (supposedly) founded on, I think it’s kind of silly (or at the very least a waste of time and energy that could be better spent) to get carried away with the notion that this change in date designation will somehow erode Christianity in these United States.
Of course, part of me also thinks that it’s ridiculous to even be having a debate over this - I know that my perspective is obviously biased due to my faith, but do atheists or others who don’t believe in the existence or nature of Christ really take offense at the B.C. and A.D designations? I can’t imagine that I would much care, but again, I acknowledge that your mileage may vary.
Although, it’s worth noting that the changes in terminology really don’t change anything. Again, looking at Townsend’s article:
But the most fundamental problem with the B.C.E./C.E. system is that at its root, the newer system is still a measurement of time based on the birth of Christ. The definition of “the common era” is the 2009 years since.
I think my favorite comment from the article was that left by poster bonjour-adieu:
What a non-issue.
Adam Bodendieck, 31, is a lifetime resident of St. Louis currently working in human services. He holds a BA in English from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and resides happily in Eureka with his wife, 3 boys and 7 dogs and cats. He and his wife are founders of and contributers to echad, a blog that examines what Christianity looks like in contemporary culture. They also work closely with proVISION India, a charitable organization dedicated to empowering poor and disadvantaged people throughout South Asia. 
Adam, I couldn’t agree more. Religion gets complicated when we take ourselves too seriously. I think we tend to “lose the forest for the trees” in some of the things we debate about.
Adam,
Totally agree with you. Sometimes we (believers) waste our energy on the strangest things.
I’m not offended by the B.C./A.D. designation. But I do appreciate the attempt at inclusion and diversity shown by B.C.E and C.E. designations–although it’s no stretch to see some thinking of those as “Before Christian Era” and “Christian Era.”
I’ve seen some Pagan calendars sold with two separate year systems shown–the current Gregorian year, and the years since the birth of agriculture. Which has a few flaws: I’m not sure anyone can say with any accuracy the exact year of the birth of agriculture. And it could not be used without lengthy explanations. I can’t see it becoming accepted for public use. I’m not even sure Pagans would come to use it commonly within the faith or culture, as the Jewish and Chinese dating systems are used. Most of us grew up Gregorian, and that’s that.
Not that the Gregorian year system is perfect. I understand there is some debate as to whether the “Year 1, C.E.” was actually the birth year of Christ. I still see us sticking with 2009, whether it’s C.E. or A.D.
BCE and CE has been in use in colleges and seminaries, since back when I was in school– which was a long time ago. So, perhaps it is time to move into the 21st century, Common Era.
And if people want to count time from according to their religious views that’s fine with me. I believe it is the year 5769 in the Jewish tradition.
What would be refreshing is to see the Christian community step up and endorse the change.
Removing religious icons from the public domain strengthens both.
It just amazes me that people get upseet over things like this. Some people have way too much time on their hands
Daniel - a look at the Wikipedia page for “Common Era”(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B.C.E) shows that the terms have been in usage for quite some time - not sure why the issue is now garnering attention.
As a non-Christian, I can’t say that it’s a non-issue, but I do think it’s a small one. It bothered me when my children, who attended public schools, were made to feel that being Christian was the norm. As for the Christian ideals that our country was supposedly founded on, I believe that they came from the part of the Bible that was not originally Christian.
Adam, what is the issue with just keeping it BC AD? Before you know it someone will invent some other designations to replace BCE CE. Then what? I really think some historians now think they are scientists.
Affront to the Christian ideals of our nations excuse is getting old, give it up. That’s what those with your perspective throw out there. How about not having the wool pulled over you.
I agree with Mike. There is no sense to even introduce BCE CE in school. To your point, the terminology does not change anything so keep BC AD and let’s forget about the confusion introducing BCE CE in elementary and secondary education (Before Common Era, Before Christian Era, Before the Current Era, Current Era, Common Era, Christian Era - geeez). A non-issue but you feel compelled enough to write about it.
We are wasting time teaching BCE CE which by the way the district does not have a consistent approach to doing. I recommend you get closer.