Faith
Record Numbers Enroll in Bible-Based Released-Time Program
Faith Facts
- LifeWise Academy expects nearly 100,000 students to receive Bible-based character education during the 2025-26 school year.
- This program operates in over 1,100 schools across 34 states, showing significant growth from last year.
- Released time religious instruction is protected by the Supreme Court and offers students guidance grounded in faith and moral values.
LifeWise Academy, a leader in off-campus religious instruction for public school students, celebrates its highest enrollment numbers for the upcoming year.
The ministry’s unique approach provides children the chance to leave campus during the day and participate in Bible-based learning, made possible through growing community support and state legislation.
Joel Penton, CEO of LifeWise Academy, explained, “When a community collects 50 signatures saying they’d like to start a local LifeWise program, we work with them to bring it to fruition.”
Existing laws now empower more parents to access faith-based educational options while still honoring family schedules, as classes typically occur during lunch or elective periods.
Penton emphasized, “Every new program launched means more students hearing timeless truths, developing strong moral character, and building a foundation that will guide them for the rest of their lives.”
Court precedent, such as Zorach v. Clauson (1952), supports released time religious instruction, affirming that government cooperation with religious needs upholds America’s best traditions.
Penton stated, “Students who receive religious instruction are more equipped to navigate today’s challenges. Parents and teachers tell us that students’ behavior improves and that they’re more engaged both inside and outside the classroom.”
A recent survey found that a strong majority of Americans support integrating moral and Bible-based character education into the public school system.
Families seeking to anchor their children in faith can find hope in these growing opportunities to nurture both heart and mind for God’s glory. Stand with those defending religious freedom and Biblical values in America’s schools.
Faith Facts
- Phil Johnson, executive director of Grace to You ministry for 43 years, has announced his retirement following a diagnosis of incurable cancer.
- Johnson’s departure comes less than a year after the death of Pastor John MacArthur, the ministry’s founder and longtime leader.
- Johnson emphasized the need for a new generation of leadership to carry forward the ministry’s mission of biblical teaching and evangelism.
A beloved figure in Christian ministry is stepping aside after more than four decades of faithful service. Phil Johnson, who has served as the executive director of Grace to You ministry for 43 years, announced his retirement in a statement that revealed both his personal health struggles and his vision for the ministry’s future.
Johnson disclosed that he has been diagnosed with incurable cancer, a reality that has shaped his decision to transition leadership responsibilities. His announcement comes at a particularly poignant time for the ministry, arriving less than a year after the passing of Pastor John MacArthur, the founder and spiritual cornerstone of Grace to You.
Throughout his tenure, Johnson has been instrumental in expanding the reach and impact of Grace to You, helping to disseminate MacArthur’s expository preaching and biblical teaching to millions worldwide. The ministry has grown into one of the most respected voices for sound doctrine and faithful biblical exposition in the evangelical world.
In his retirement announcement, Johnson emphasized the importance of preparing the next generation to carry forward the ministry’s commitment to Scripture and theological faithfulness. His focus on succession planning reflects a servant’s heart and wisdom about the continuity of gospel work beyond any single individual.
Johnson’s leadership has been marked by unwavering dedication to biblical truth and a commitment to supporting MacArthur’s teaching ministry. His work behind the scenes has enabled countless believers to access solid biblical teaching through books, broadcasts, and digital media.
The Christian community has responded with gratitude for Johnson’s decades of service and prayers for his health during this difficult season. His legacy includes not only the institutional growth of Grace to You but also his personal mentorship and encouragement of countless ministry leaders and believers.
As Grace to You enters this new chapter, the foundation laid by MacArthur and strengthened by Johnson’s faithful stewardship positions the ministry to continue its mission of proclaiming biblical truth. The transition represents both an ending and a beginning—the close of one faithful servant’s active ministry and the opportunity for new leaders to step forward in service to Christ and His church.
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Faith Facts
- A major global conference on Western civilization’s future emphasized Christianity’s essential role in cultural restoration
- Speakers at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) conference argued that rebuilding the West cannot happen without returning to Christian foundations
- Growing recognition among thought leaders that faith-based values are indispensable for renewing traditional Western society
The second day of the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) conference shifted from diagnosing the problems plaguing Western civilization to exploring the path forward. After day one’s sobering assessment of cultural decline, attendees turned their attention to a question that matters deeply to millions of faithful Americans: what will it take to rebuild our civilization?
The answer, according to numerous speakers and participants, cannot be found without Christianity at its center. This recognition marks a significant shift in mainstream discourse about the future of Western nations.
For too long, secular voices have dominated conversations about culture, policy, and the common good. Yet increasingly, thinkers across disciplines are acknowledging what Christians have always known: a society built on anything less than biblical truth will crumble under its own weight.
The ARC conference represents a growing movement of leaders who understand that technical solutions, economic reforms, and political changes—while important—cannot restore what has been lost without spiritual renewal. The foundations of the West were laid by men and women who believed in absolute truth, human dignity rooted in being made in God’s image, and the moral framework provided by Scripture.
As families struggle with broken institutions, children face ideological confusion in schools, and communities fragment under the weight of relativism, the case for Christianity’s indispensable role becomes clearer. The conference’s focus on reconstruction rather than mere criticism signals a mature understanding that complaint without solutions leads nowhere.
This conversation matters because it speaks to the heart of what many Americans are experiencing: a longing for the restoration of a culture that honors God, strengthens families, and upholds the values that made Western civilization a beacon of freedom and human flourishing. The recognition that Christianity must be central to this restoration is not nostalgia—it’s wisdom born from observing what happens when societies abandon their spiritual moorings.
The road ahead requires more than policy wins or electoral victories. It demands a return to the faith that built hospitals, universities, and systems of justice rooted in the belief that every person bears the image of their Creator.
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Faith Facts
- The Declaration of Independence proclaimed ‘all men are created equal’ 250 years ago, yet unborn children remain excluded from this fundamental promise.
- Over 63 million abortions have been performed in America since Roe v. Wade, representing a moral crisis that demands Christian conviction.
- Compromise on life issues has failed to protect the unborn, making principled action more essential than ever.
As America approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the nation faces a sobering reality: the self-evident truth that “all men are created equal” has never fully extended to those waiting to be born.
The contradiction between our founding principles and the treatment of unborn life represents one of the most profound moral failures in American history. Since the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, more than 63 million lives have been ended through abortion—a staggering toll that dwarfs any other tragedy in our nation’s story.
For Christians and conservatives who believe life begins at conception, this anniversary serves as both a celebration of American ideals and a stark reminder of how far we’ve fallen short. The Declaration’s assertion that our Creator endows us with unalienable rights, including life itself, rings hollow when the most vulnerable among us receive no protection.
The path forward requires conviction, not compromise. Too often, political calculations and cultural pressures have led defenders of life to settle for incremental progress while millions continue to perish.
America’s children—born and unborn—deserve leaders willing to stand firmly on principle. They deserve a nation that extends the promise of equality to every human being from the moment of conception. They deserve better than a country that celebrates freedom while denying the most basic right to its smallest citizens.
As we reflect on 250 years of the American experiment, we must ask ourselves whether we will finally honor the Declaration’s promise in full. Will we be a nation that truly believes all are created equal? Or will we continue to exclude those who cannot yet speak for themselves?
The answer to that question will define not just our legal framework, but our character as a people. It will determine whether future generations look back at this moment as the turning point when America finally embraced all human life—or as another chapter in our ongoing failure to live up to our founding ideals.
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
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