The Bible, the Koran, and General Education

American universities have eliminated the required study of liberal and general education and removed from common learning the principal narratives of the historical development of civilization and what it means to be human. There is no consensus on the meaning of a college education or what college-educated individuals should know as a result of the undergraduate experience. Restoring the idea of general education and common learning is essential in the curriculum of the American university and in the modern global university. But what does this have to do with the Bible and the Koran? The two narratives are principal sources of general education and they are at the center of religious issues and conflicts worldwide. This paper describes: (1) the failure of general education in the American university, (2) the rationale for common learning in higher education, (3) the method of reading and study of great books and great ideas, (4) the need for Biblical and Koranic literacy, and (5) the Bible as the principal source book of general education.