A Quiet Revival Is Happening in Public Schools
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spiritdoc1Prayers: 50726Requests: 2878
June 7, 2023 at 3:45 pmFather in heaven, we pray that the discovery and use of the release time law will spread across the nation and result in a great revival among public school students. In the mighty name of Jesus! AMEN🙏🏻❤️🕊
spiritdoc1Prayers: 50726Requests: 2878
June 7, 2023 at 4:12 pmA quiet revival is happening in some parts of our nation’s public school system through a law passed in 1952 informally called “released time.” The idea goes as far back as 1905, when educators at a conference in New York City discussed the closing of elementary schools for one day per week so that students could receive religious education off campus. The idea caught on, and by 1947 participation had reached 2 million students across 46 states. Twelve states adopted education laws in favor of such released time religious education.
spiritdoc1Prayers: 50726Requests: 2878
June 7, 2023 at 4:12 pmAfter several legal challenges, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld its constitutionality, and released time has been legal ever since.
spiritdoc1Prayers: 50726Requests: 2878
June 7, 2023 at 4:33 pmSince 1990, a multidenominational organization called School Ministries, Inc., has been assisting local communities in establishing Christian education programs through released time. The organization is active in 12 states, and through its efforts, five of those have adopted legislation permitting students to receive academic credit for attending released time programs.
spiritdoc1Prayers: 50726Requests: 2878
June 7, 2023 at 4:34 pmIn 2019, a ministry called LifeWise Academy was launched. According to an article by CBN, LifeWise founder Joel Penton says the failure thus far to utilize this little-known released time law could lead to the greatest missed opportunity of the American Church to reach the next generation.
spiritdoc1Prayers: 50726Requests: 2878
June 7, 2023 at 4:35 pmI believe Penton is right for a couple of reasons. First, school administrators are desperate for help from the community to address the mounting social and behavioral issues they face.
spiritdoc1Prayers: 50726Requests: 2878
June 7, 2023 at 4:36 pmI had the privilege of establishing a mental wellness task force in several suburbs north of Atlanta as a collaborative effort between school districts, city governments, and mental-health services providers.
spiritdoc1Prayers: 50726Requests: 2878
June 7, 2023 at 4:38 pmSchool principals would frequently lament that parenting was increasingly left to the schools and that dealing with dysfunction was getting in the way of education.
spiritdoc1Prayers: 50726Requests: 2878
June 7, 2023 at 4:39 pmTeachers are educators, not parents, those educators asserted, so they cannot be expected to “parent” nearly 30 kids in a classroom. When asked what would help most, they replied that volunteers from the churches who could come and sit with the kids during break times or in the hallways to listen to them and exert a positive influence would go a long way.
spiritdoc1Prayers: 50726Requests: 2878
June 7, 2023 at 4:40 pmThe public schools are desperate for help; they know it, and they want it. Thus, there is greater openness now to a Christian presence, even on campus, than ever before.
spiritdoc1Prayers: 50726Requests: 2878
June 7, 2023 at 4:40 pmThe second reason is that released time is not limited to Christian education.
spiritdoc1Prayers: 50726Requests: 2878
June 7, 2023 at 4:41 pmThe Mormons make use of it too. In the western U.S. especially, it is not uncommon to find a religious education center called “seminary” right next to a public school so that Latter-day Saints children, and any others they might bring along, can attend classes.
spiritdoc1Prayers: 50726Requests: 2878
June 7, 2023 at 4:42 pmAnd recently, a more troubling group announced that it will use released time laws to launch a program.
spiritdoc1Prayers: 50726Requests: 2878
June 7, 2023 at 4:42 pmThe Satanic Temple is introducing its own initiative, called HAIL (Hellion Academy of Independent Learning).
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June 7, 2023 at 4:43 pmThe group’s press release calls it “a program for students that allows them to learn about values such as empathy, compassion, and justice in a fun environment without religious pressure or coercion.”
spiritdoc1Prayers: 50726Requests: 2878
June 7, 2023 at 4:44 pmThe satanists rail against Christian groups like LifeWise as allegedly being pushy, coercive, and exclusivist.
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June 7, 2023 at 4:44 pmOne location where this program is being launched is at an elementary school in Knoxville, Tennessee.
spiritdoc1Prayers: 50726Requests: 2878
June 7, 2023 at 4:45 pmThough the current locations are few and far between, the group is openly targeting public schools to wage war on the minds of children as young as elementary-school age.
spiritdoc1Prayers: 50726Requests: 2878
June 7, 2023 at 4:45 pmThe third reason is that the Bible itself is under attack in public schools.
spiritdoc1Prayers: 50726Requests: 2878
June 7, 2023 at 4:46 pmSome parents have begun complaining about Bible content, complaints that have received publicity and gotten a receptive ear from some school boards. For instance, the Davis School District, north of Salt Lake City,
spiritdoc1Prayers: 50726Requests: 2878
June 7, 2023 at 4:47 pmhas banned the Bible from elementary and middle school libraries “due to vulgarity and violence” inappropriate for younger school children. And we haven’t even talked about the drag queen story hours and other LGBTQ initiatives that are being pushed.
spiritdoc1Prayers: 50726Requests: 2878
June 7, 2023 at 4:48 pmThe minds of school-age children are impressionable, and Satan knows it. Yet, at the same time, there is ever-greater openness to Christian education and its values and message.
spiritdoc1Prayers: 50726Requests: 2878
June 7, 2023 at 4:51 pmAccording to actor-turned-evangelist Kirk Cameron, millions of Americans are done with “wokeness.” The madness of overt support of all manner of perversion and lawlessness, especially that which targets children, is causing growing backlash and a hunger for healthy family and societal values.
spiritdoc1Prayers: 50726Requests: 2878
June 7, 2023 at 4:56 pmThis openness provides a unique opportunity for the Church to step in and provide the guidance, instruction, and wisdom that comes from following Jesus Christ.
spiritdoc1Prayers: 50726Requests: 2878
June 7, 2023 at 4:56 pmLifeWise, for instance, has seen explosive growth. Starting with just two schools in 2019, the organization is now approved for a presence in over 260 schools across 10 states.
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