WHY IS A PROGRAM LIKE RELEASE TIME NEEDED TODAY?

 On the rise in our nation today, more than ever before are teenage pregnancy statistics, abortions, murders and violence in the public schools, drug and alcohol abuse, date rapes etc. The seduction and lure of ‘Mysticism’ among our youth is also on the rise.

No longer is human life regarded as special. No longer is keeping our bodies pure and holy a priority. And, worst of all, no longer is God legally allowed in our public schools, much less many of our homes or places of business!

When God is removed from any area of our daily lives, the blessing God provided in that area is also removed (as it had in our public schools when the 1962 ruling came down that removed prayer and Bible reading from the classroom). Once this happens decay takes hold like a cancer and spreads more rapidly as time goes on. Take for example the historical recording in the book of Jonah of the Holy Bible.

God told Jonah to "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me." (Jonah 1:2) At Jonah’s preaching, they repented of their wicked ways (turned away from it, quit doing it). . . "Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it." (Jonah 3:10)

They repented, and began to live for the Lord God, keeping His laws. But something happened. They began to fall away and practice their old habits. Who knows, maybe it started out slowly and over time just got worse as one person influenced another with immoral behavior. Wickedness is like wild fire, once it starts, it consumes everything around it until it is stopped. Maybe somebody stood up in one of their "educational institutions" and said…’Look, I liked things the old way, before God sent Jonah here to rock our boat. So, please do not force your views on my children and me. Keep it to your self! Lets make this "educational institution" religion free so that those that feel the way I do can live their lives as they see fit, without religious intrusion."

Lets just say that the above example is a possibility, well then, 100 years later (after Jonah brought the word of God to Nineveh and they repented) . . ."Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies and robbery. It’s victim never departs. The noise of a whip and the noise of rattling wheels, of galloping horses, of clattering chariots! Horsemen charge with bright sword and glittering spear. There is a multitude of slain, a great number of bodies, countless corpses – because of the multitude of harlotries, and families through her sorceries." (Nahum 3:1-4)

When we know God and His laws, then willingly choose to put Him out of our lives, lawlessness and destruction will take over and grow at alarming rates as the cancer takes hold (we fall back into our sinful habits). We must not fall into a false sense of hope, thinking that because we were once a Godly nation, and we still have some values left, and a lot of "good people" among us that God will withhold His judgments from us.

God plainly tells us that it will rain on the just as well as the unjust. If we are living in a country that does not acknowledge God, but we personally DO acknowledge Him, we will still feel the effects of whatever judgment God brings down on that country! (Matthew 5:45) God also warns us to be careful what we allow into our lives . . . In Deuteronomy 20:16-18, and Joshua 23:7-13 God warned the Israelites often not to associate with pagan nations because they would "Learn their detestable ways", and sin against God. Sound familiar?

There are plenty of biblical examples to pull from; this one seemed to mirror our United States of America, as well as our Public Schools quite closely!

Given this example, it is not hard to see why we need "Release Time" Public School Bible Study Programs in our schools among other places.

If you honestly ask yourself why kids are killing kids in the hall ways and class rooms of our public schools, or why there is no respect for authority whether it be in school, on the job or at home by many children and teens; if we answer those questions honestly, we will find at the root of it is an ever increasing hostility towards God, and Christianity as a whole. Turning our back on God and neglecting to pass down knowledge of God to our nations children is the cause of what we see going on today. This is what was brewing back in the 60’s and resulted in that infamous court ruling! We are reaping today what has been sewn over the past 40 to 50 years in this country.

We do not pretend that a Release Time program will be the ‘end all’ of solutions, but at the same time we do profess that programs like this implemented in the public schools will certainly be a great start! After seven years in this ministry we have found it to be VERY effective. Public school teachers have said that they notice a positive marked difference in the behavior of their students. Parents have noticed this as well. They have also seen their children take more interest in reading the Bible, praying, and relating to their siblings in a more respectful manner!

A Release Time program will (if done properly) promote respect for authority (parents, teachers, principals, bosses etc.), human life and friends and family. It will educate students about the Bible; it’s teachings, and our Savior Jesus Christ. It will instill godly values, behaviors, and ethics as taught in God’s word. Ultimately a Release Time program will help in redirecting the corrupt moral compass of our nations youth.

"Sow into our children the "fruit of the spirit" and watch a beautiful harvest unfold in their lives and ultimately in our entire nation.

Sow into our children seeds of bitterness, hate and selfishness and watch the bitter fruit grow, then rot and ultimately effect an entire nation!"