Off School Property corrects the record about the separation of church and state as applied to America’s government-run schools. In 1952, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that teaching the Bible during the school day was, in fact, legal, if it was privately funded, conducted off school property, and done with parental permission. LifeWise Academy has built a national model of launching and resourcing Bible education to public school students during school hours. 

The Bible has been the book that has held together the fabric of Western Civilization. … The civilization we possess could not come into existence and could not have been sustained without it. – H.G. Wells

This quote opens a new documentary, Off School Property, which premieres in theaters on October 23. The film aims to correct the record on one of the most misunderstood aspects of America’s storied history: the separation of church and state. Specifically, the film attempts to convince Americans that it is not illegal to teach the Bible to public school kids.  

Off School Property was produced by the team at LifeWise Academy and highlights something many Americans do not know. As the film website states:

[W]hile the Bible was being removed, an obscure 1952 Supreme Court ruling paved the way to bring it back. This solution has been sitting right under our noses for 70 years, and it allows students to study the Bible—legally—during the public school day. 

The goal of LifeWise Academy is to expand Bible instruction to as many of America’s 50 million public school kids as possible, using a network of buses, off-site class space, and a growing number of trained teachers. In addition to the logistical challenge, the most difficult task is to correct the false assumption that there is no place for God or the Bible in government-run schools. It is an assumption based on the enduring myth that the freedom of religion guaranteed by the First Amendment is really freedom from religion.  

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