See How Bible Education is Changing Public School Students

Religious Freedom, , ,

The following is from our friends at LifeWise Academy about a new documentary in theaters next week.

Big news! A powerful new documentary, Off School Property, is coming to theaters nationwide on October 23. This one-night-only film is shining a light on a national movement that’s bringing Bible education to public school students—during the school day.

You’ll be inspired by the story of LifeWise Academy, a ministry equipping local communities to bring the gospel to students through a constitutional released time program.

You can experience this story in two ways:

  1. Attend a showing – Find a theater near you and secure your tickets at lifewise.org/offschoolproperty.
  2. Host a showing – Can’t find a theater near you? Use the Faith Content Network to bring the film to your community: faithcontentnetwork.com/movies-host/off-school-property

Don’t miss this encouraging story of faith, perseverance, and impact. See how God is moving in public schools across the nation. Together, we can spread the word about how students can study the Bible during the school day—legally and effectively.

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Governor Invites Churches, Faith Leaders to Participate in Pilot Program to Address Poverty in Arkansas

Religion, ,

On Monday, Governor Sanders announced a pilot program that will partner with Arkansas’ faith and business communities to address poverty and other challenges in Arkansas.

The 10:33 Initiative by Governor Sanders’ Office of Faith-Based Initiatives is designed to “lift Arkansans out of poverty and improve their long-term self-sufficiency by connecting them with faith and community partners who can meet their immediate needs and help guide them toward a prosperous future.”

The name is taken from Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:33.

The 10:33 Initiative will start with a 12-month pilot program in Pulaski, Union, and Pope counties.

The initiative will utilize Restore Hope’s HopeHub, which is a data-sharing platform that connects people in need of assistance with faith and community partners who can help meet those needs. The program will also help meet long-term goals like connecting people with job opportunities, training, and career guidance.

In a statement, Governor Sanders called the 10:33 Initiative “a groundbreaking project carefully curated to give Arkansans a hand up, not a handout.”

We have written many times how Americans often do not fully appreciate how much churches do for their communities. Nationwide, researchers estimate that churches, ministries, and religious charities provide hundreds of billions of dollars worth of services every year. We are glad Governor Sanders recognizes that churches and faith leaders are a resource that can help address many of the problems our communities face.

Arkansans interested in knowing more about the 10:33 Initiative can contact Morgan Warbington at the Governor’s Office of Faith-Based Initiatives by emailing morgan.warbington@governor.arkansas.gov.

A one-page informational flyer about the 10:33 Initiative is also available here.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Arkansas Students Are Protected Against Compelled Pronoun Use by Good State Laws

Religious Freedom, , ,

A student in northwest Arkansas recently faced pressure at school to use “they/them” pronouns for classmates who claimed not to be male or female. When she declined, she was pressured to do so by other students.  She was concerned that the school administration might punish her for refusing to comply.  

Stephanie Nichols, director of our Arkansas Justice Institute, was able to help. Stephanie explained that three laws safeguard the student’s right to stand firm in her faith and refuse to use pronouns that recognize any gender that is different from the person’s sex at birth.  These laws are:  

  • The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution 
  • The Arkansas Religious Freedom Restoration Act 
  • The Arkansas Given Name Act (Act 542 of 2023)

The Given Name Act, sponsored by Rep. Wayne Long and Sen. Mark Johnson, directly addresses this issue. It states: “A student shall not be subject to any disciplinary action for declining to address a person using a name other than the name listed on the person’s birth certificate; or pronoun or title that is inconsistent with the person’s biological sex.”

Thanks to these laws, this student was on solid legal ground. This case is a clear example of why the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the Arkansas Given Name Act—laws that Family Council worked hard to pass—are producing such good results today. And now, through the Arkansas Justice Institute, our attorney Stephanie Nichols is able to show families exactly how to use these protections to defend their rights and freedoms. 

Thankfully, through the good work of the Arkansas legislature and the generous gifts of our supporters, students in Arkansas are on solid footing with regard to their free speech rights and freedom of religion rights in our public schools.

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