A nonprofit organization created to promote evangelical Christian curriculum to “opt-in” public school children now has its eyes on Kentucky, where Republican legislators earlier this year created a path for religious education during school hours.
Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear vetoed Senate Bill 19 but the Republican-controlled General Assembly overrode his veto to require moments of silence at the start of school days and allow school districts to permit moral instruction programs for students off campus during school hours.
Amid a flurry of “opt-out” legislation that requires schools to let parents shield their children from sex education and an array of books, states like Kentucky have taken the opposite tack by allowing parents to “opt in” to religious instruction during school hours. This is accomplished by allowing students to travel off campus for the prescribed studies, which often are held at nearby churches.
This is not a new idea. Utah, for example, has allowed “released time” for opt-in religious instruction, such as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ seminary classes, since 1912. But the concept has found new energy as evangelicals seek to infuse public education with their brand of Christianity while skirting constitutional prohibitions on an establishment of religion.
Into this opportunity stepped LifeWise Academy, a nonprofit that offers Bible-based classes to 44,000 public school students in 27 states. Based in Ohio, LifeWise is a nondenominational effort led day to day by COO Steve Clifton, who also is a longtime staff member at Lifepoint Church Ohio, a multi-campus Southern Baptist church.
Joel Penton
The CEO and founder of LifeWise is Joel Penton, who is listed on financial records as a part-time employee. Penton is a former Ohio State University football player who also founded Stand for Truth and Relevant Speakers Network. He is a motivational speaker who focuses on inspirational messages to school-age children.
According to Baptist Press, Penton is a nondenominational Christian who homeschools his own children.
Other Southern Baptists are involved in supporting LifeWise, including Southern Baptist pastor Stephen Hubbard of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Logan, Ohio, who serves on the LifeWise board.
“We recognize the mission field that is our local public schools,” Penton told Baptist Press last year. “Every week we’re talking about Jesus and we’re urging kids to trust in him and find their hope in him.”
Whatever the legal status of these arrangements, using school time to teach religion remains highly controversial.
That’s now coming to bear in Oldham County, an affluent suburban enclave of Louisville, Ky., which may become the first school district in the state to allow LifeWise to operate there, according to Kentucky Lantern.
From the Lantern:
Chris Keith, a religion scholar and parent of Oldham County students, said the program’s curriculum doesn’t represent the full breadth of Christianity.
“I care a whole lot about this as a father — as a father who is also very interested in biblical studies,” he said. “I’m all for religion. I’m all for Christianity, I’m all for critical thinking. I’m all for public schools. I’m all for kids. I’m not for indoctrination,” Keith said last week during a meeting of the citizens group, Kentucky Citizens for Democracy.
Publicity photo from LifeWise Academy
On its website, LifeWise says it “maintains a high view of the authority of Scripture and we align ourselves with historic, orthodox Christian beliefs as expressed in the Nicene Creed.”
“We believe the storyline of Scripture that climaxes in the central gospel message, that Jesus Christ died for our sins and was raised from the dead. We believe this gospel is true, essential and announces the way by which sinners are reconciled to God.”
According to financial information posted on the organization’s website, it is flush with cash, taking anywhere from $13 million to $60 million a year since its founding in 2019. LifeWise also won an Innovation Prize from the Heritage Foundation this year.
LifeWise also won an Innovation Prize from the Heritage Foundation this year.
LifeWise has been active in only one school district in Kentucky previously, Marshall County, located in the very conservative far western region of the state. But according to the Lantern, LifeWise now has 45 planning teams working across Kentucky’s 171 public school districts.
In Oldham County, northeast of Louisville, the proposal is to offer one hour per week of Bible-based moral character education program, starting at Locust Grove Elementary School for third to fifth grade students. To participate, students would skip arts time, which includes music, physical education and art classes.
Students would be transported to a nearby church or community center with parents’ permission.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Ticheror, who represents Oldham County, was a co-sponsor of the legislation. She told the Lantern she views LifeWise as “a great program that’ll fall in line with Kentucky and Kentucky values.”
The Trump-supporting senator then declared: “When you’re teaching values of don’t lie, don’t steal, treat your neighbor as yourself, treat others as you want to be treated, the Golden Rule, why would that be a negative thing to try and teach students within our school day? I don’t think it’s a bad thing at all.”
In South-Central Kentucky, the Warren County Public School Board voted 3-2 against a LifeWise proposal, according to the Bowling Green Daily News.
The Oldham County proposal has not yet been decided. The board of education heard from dozens of community members for and against LifeWise’s plan but did not take a vote, instead awaiting further clarification from the Kentucky attorney general’s office.