đ¨ LIFEWISE HASNâT EVEN LAUNCHED IN BUCKS COUNTY YET â AND ITâS ALREADY EYEING FOUR MORE SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
This morning, the Bucks County Beacon
published a deep dive into LifeWise Academyâs planned launch at Quakertown Community Elementary School in Pennsylvania. And Quakertown is only the beginning.
LifeWise is already in the planning stages in four additional Bucks County school districts:
đ Bensalem Township
đ Neshaminy
đ Council Rock
đ Central Bucks
That means FIVE Bucks County districts are already part of LifeWiseâs expansion efforts.
And thereâs an important piece of context here:
đ¨ Pennsylvania law already requires public schools to excuse students for released-time religious instruction when a parent requests it.
Students may be excused for up to 36 hours per school year.
In other words, these districts donât simply get to decide they donât want released-time religious instruction.The legal door is already open. LifeWise is walking through it.
But thereâs another distinction that matters.
The Beacon quotes the ACLU of Pennsylvania explaining that schools generally cannot discriminate against religious organizations when they allow comparable outside groups access.
That does NOT mean public schools have carte blanche to promote LifeWise.
đ¨There is a difference between neutrally accommodating a parentâs legal right to released-time religious instruction and public-school employees endorsing, recruiting for or actively promoting a religious program to students.
â Pennsylvania may require districts to excuse qualifying students.
đŤIt does not turn public schools into LifeWise recruitment offices.
And some of what the people involved are saying deserves attentionâŚ.đ
Mahri Coen, the former Central Bucks educator helping bring LifeWise to Quakertown, told the Beacon that problems she sees among children â including disrespect and anxiety â stem, in her opinion, from âthe Bible being out of the schools.â
Meanwhile, LifeWise says it has âno political agenda.â đ¤ But the Beacon points to a LifeWise Summit 2026 promotional video with this message:
đ¨ âIf we can get children to develop a Biblical worldview, this spiritual war that weâre talking about, the war is over.â
A Biblical worldview. đ
A âspiritual war.â đđ
Ahem thatâs 7 Mountain Mandate languageâŚThis is the dominionist framework weâve been warning about: transforming society by bringing major institutions â including education and government â under a Biblical worldview.
So when LifeWise tells the public it has âno political agenda,â but tells its own audience that getting children to develop a Biblical worldview means âthe spiritual war⌠is over,â pay attention. đđ
They are telling you what the objective is.
In Quakertown, participating elementary students would leave their public school and walk with LifeWise volunteers to Morning Star Fellowship for Bible instruction.
And what will they miss?
According to LifeWise, depending on grade level: art, music, physical education â or lunch and recess.
The Beacon also spoke with SEA co-founder Molly Gaines about what we believe is happening on a much larger scale:
đ¨ âTheir plan â in my opinion â long term is to divide, defund and ultimately destroy public education and then replace it with a semblance of what they already have going on, which is a private Christian organization.â
This is why communities need to know whatâs happening before LifeWise launches.
Expansion doesnât begin when the first child walks out of school. It begins with organizers. Churches. Signatures. Fundraising. Meetings with districts.
And by the time most families hear about it, much of that work may already be finished.
Quakertown is launching.
Bensalem. Neshaminy. Council Rock. Central Bucks â LifeWise says youâre in the planning stages.
If youâre in one of these communities, start asking questions now.
đŁ FOLLOW SEA. YOU CANâT FIGHT WHAT YOU CANâT SEE COMING.
Full Bucks County Beacon investigation in the comments. đ
SEA clarification: The article describes Joel Penton as a founding member of Cross Over the Hill. He was not. Cross Over the Hill existed before Penton became involved with the program.
What people are saying:
- Secular Education Association: đ PENNSYLVANIA FOLKS: While youâre here, go follow our friend Facebook User
They have been doing the deep-dive work on Christian nationalism, dominionism and the networks behind it across Pennsylvania â and know this landscape incredibly well.
With LifeWise expanding across the state, youâre going to want Pennsylvania eyes on this. đ
- Secular Education Association: đ READ THE FULL INVESTIGATION:
LifeWise Academy Brings Bible Study Program to Quakertown Elementary, Eyes Four Other Bucks County School Districts â Bucks County Beacon - Facebook User: What it is showing me is that there is a large demographic of churches, parents, students, community people who desire religious education in the school system but the system has failed.
- Secular Education Association: Facebook User No. What it shows is that some people want public schools to provide access to religious instruction on their terms. Those are not the same thing.
Churches are everywhere. Religious education is freely available before school, after school, evenings, weekends, online and at home. Parents can also choose private religious schools or homeschool.
The public school system has not âfailedâ because it refuses to become an extension of your church. Teaching your child your religion is your responsibility. Public schools are responsible for educating everybodyâs children. - Facebook User: Facebook User there are a large demographic of people who donât understand the separation of church and state. They are all free to teach the Bible at home and in church every single minute of the day. But MY kid shouldnât have to have Lifewise kids trying to recruit him to their cult while he is at school to learn. Any âChristianâ who subscribes to the ethos of Christian Nationalism is just a Nazi with a cross.
- Secular Education Association: Facebook User No. What it shows is that some people want public schools to provide access to religious instruction on their terms. Those are not the same thing.
- Facebook User: Facebook User whatâs the scoop on this?! đ
- Facebook User: Facebook User oh boy this is the first I am seeing this but if Morning Star is involved, it ainât good. They recently held an anti Muslim event and the speakers were known hate group representatives đ˘
- Secular Education Association: Facebook User Well, you just gave us another rabbit hole. đTHANK YOU.
We checked â Morning Star Fellowship did in fact host a 2026 conference focused on Islam featuring Shahram Hadian and Andrew Sedra. Their own materials promoted it as âExposing Islam,â and the event messaging warned about Islamic influence in America.
And now this is the church where Quakertown elementary students would be walking during their public-school day for LifeWiseâŚ. đ
That context absolutely deserves a closer look. Weâre digging. đ
- Facebook User: Facebook User oh no! Iâll PM you. Lifewise is really bad. Like, really bad.
- Facebook User: Secular Education Associationit was definitely disappointing that happened in my community. Coupled with this I am now horrified because they are trying to tap directly into our public schools. Our athletic teams have often used the church for events and I hope that stops given this agenda to infiltrate our public schools
- Facebook User: Facebook User
- Facebook User: Facebook User thanks
- Facebook User: Facebook User School systems used to be supported by churches and Christian leadership. I’m all for “religious education” during the school day as long as one religion isn’t favored over another. The problem is that most places teach about most religions but then make Christianity look like it is false compared to the others. That should be the individual’s decision based on providing all the information and studying. And before you all go on this entire “separation of church and state” rampage, just know there is no such thing.
- Secular Education Association: Facebook User youâre confusing teaching about religion with religious instruction. Public schools absolutely can teach students objectively about Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, nonbelief, religious history, religious texts, etc. What they cannot do is teach children that any of those beliefs are true.
And âthere is no such thingâ as separation of church and state is simply historically and legally wrong. The words separation of church and state arenât a clause in the Constitution; the Establishment Clause is. The Supreme Court has been applying it to public schools for generations.
If you believe Christianity is being falsely portrayed in a particular public-school curriculum, show us the curriculum. That would be a legitimate issue to examine. But âmy religion isnât being taught as truth in public schoolâ is not evidence that Christianity is being discriminated against. That is precisely what religious neutrality requires.
- Facebook User: Facebook User I would be interested in the curriculum you reference that makes Chirstianity look false. Please share
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