How LifeWise Academy grooms kids to hate through Bible study in public schools

[Jessica_Rose]

How LifeWise Academy grooms kids to hate through Bible study in public schools

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2025/05/how-lifewise-academy-grooms-kids-to-hate-through-bible-study-in-public-schools/

By Tom Sayers (9 May 2025)

When you think about Bible study, images might pop into your head of kids learning principles like forgiveness or loving thy neighbor, and that's just what LifeWise Academy advertises on its website: "A supportive and inclusive atmosphere where everyone feels valued."

But for many parents and LGBTQ kids in at least 591 American public schools with LifeWise programs, that's far from the truth.

One parent says their daughter was "mercilessly bullied by LifeWise kids for 'looking like a Lesbian who is going to burn in hell.'" Another had to remove their transgender son from school after he was bullied following the presidential election, with the school fearing LifeWise staff and students would make things worse.

And a third parent—a queer mom—says, "As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, my children's safety in the public school setting is compromised when students are permitted to be removed from the school... to be taught discriminatory and harmful things about my family."

LifeWise Academy is a conservative Christian organization that takes public school students off school property to "integrate a Bible class into their weekly class schedule."

For an hour a week, students from kindergarten through 12th grade learn about religious concepts rooted—in part—in homophobia and transphobia.