A long-cited founding tenet of the country, freedom of religion, is back at the center of a national conversation as reintegration of the Bible into schools becomes more and more popular. “Freedom of religion does not and never has meant freedom from religion, and so the separation of church and state is meant to keep the government from interfering with the faith of Christians, with the faith of the church, with anyone of any faith,” Joel Penton, CEO of LifeWise Academy told Just The News.
LifeWise Academy’s released-time Bible education program, which allows students to attend off-campus religious instruction during school hours, has expanded to 36 states and nearly 100,000 students in the 2025-26 school year, citing strong parental demand and new supportive laws. Their initial goal was to reach 25 schools by 2025, and they are presently at nearly 1,100 schools.
A viable workaround
Penton spoke about the effects of last century’s removal of Biblical teaching during school and cautioned, “It’s had disastrous effects, but few people realize that there is a viable path to reinstall Bible education for every single one of the 50 million students nationwide.”
“It’s a little known legal practice called ‘released time religious instruction’. That’s what we do. We take kids off school property, we teach them the Bible, take them back to school. And now it’s catching on all over the country.”
As evidence of that growing support, an RMG Research poll commissioned by LifeWise Academy found that 78% of 1,000 registered U.S. voters support teaching moral and character education in public schools, while 67% favor offering Bible-based character lessons during school hours if they comply with Supreme Court guidelines, including parental consent and no taxpayer funding.
The benefits go beyond biblical study, according to Penton. “Schools are really struggling with chronic absenteeism right now, and they find that by implementing LifeWise, even though students are out of school for a small portion of the week for religious instruction, they actually end up with a net increase in class time simply because students are showing up for school that much more.”
SCOTUS changed the nation’s course in the 1960’s
The practice of Bible reading in public schools was widespread in the United States during the 19th and early 20th centuries, often incorporated as a daily devotional activity to promote moral education amid Protestant influences.
This changed dramatically in the 1960s when the Supreme Court ruled in cases like Engel v. Vitale (1962), banning state-sponsored prayer, and in an eight-to-one decision, held in Abington School District v. Schempp (1963), that mandatory Bible readings violated the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause.
In recent years, conservative-led initiatives have sought to restore biblical elements in public education, with states like Oklahoma mandating Bible teaching in curricula starting in 2024 and Louisiana requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in classrooms.
These efforts have sparked legal battles, including the Oklahoma Supreme Court this year blocking public funds for Bible purchases and federal appeals over Ten Commandments laws, while earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court in Mahmoud v. Taylor upheld parental rights to opt children out of conflicting lessons.
When asked what the opposition to the program has been, Penton was positive. “To be honest, it’s rare that we get pushback. Most schools are excited to see the community engaged. They know that it has an impact. They see the studies that show when students enroll [in LifeWise Academy], attendance goes up, behavior improves, academics improve.”
There are some detractors, though, Penton noted: “There are some people that, for whatever reason, are very hostile to religion. They’re hostile to the Bible, and then, based on that hostility, they will then say, ‘Well, it must be distracting’, or come up with reasons. So we do hear from those who oppose our efforts.”
“Anytime you try to do something that makes an impact, there’s going to be those that step up and try to stop you.”
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