LifeWise, Lawsuits, and the Bible

Episode summary:

LifeWise Academy is pushing hard to bring Bible-based, off‑campus classes into New Hanover County schools during the regular school day, and our Board of Education is feeling the pressure. In this update, I walk through what LifeWise is asking for, why many Republicans on the board like the idea, and why they’re right to worry about the doors it could open to satanic clubs, Sharia law classes, and other fringe programs under the same rules. We talk about how to protect space for Christian teaching without handing our kids over to even more moral confusion—or inviting lawsuits the district will surely lose. And I make the case that Bible-based instruction can be part of a wise, workable plan that serves parents, kids, and the community without sacrificing common sense.

What you’ll learn / Key moments

• 00:05 – Daily Update intro and setup for the LifeWise Academy debate in New Hanover County schools
• 00:09 – What LifeWise is, what they want, and why the board is torn between in‑school and after‑school models
• 00:34 – The “camel’s nose under the tent”: satanic groups, Sharia law classes, and other religious or ideological programs that could follow
• 01:22 – Why moral instruction belongs in our kids’ week and why the Bible is the only solid foundation for it
• 02:02 – How parents, churches, the school district, and LifeWise can craft a win‑win plan without fueling more lawsuits or chaos

What you can do

If you care about what your kids are taught, now is the time to get involved—before these decisions are locked in behind closed doors. Reach out to the New Hanover County Board of Education, ask clear questions about LifeWise and any other groups that might qualify under the same rules, and insist on a model that protects both religious liberty and basic common sense. Talk with your church leadership about how they can support Bible‑based instruction in ways that do not put kids at risk of ideological bait‑and‑switch or drag the district into costly legal battles. And if you find this update helpful, share it with friends, subscribe to the Wilmington Standard, and help us keep shining a steady, unapologetically conservative light on what’s really happening in New Hanover County.

It does not need to be an either / or – but we to do need something.

This is the Wilmington Standard Daily Update for Monday June 8, 2026.

At last week’s Board of Education meeting, the subject of Lifewise Academy came to the forefront again.  LifeWise Academy is the nation-wide program seeking entrance into our schools in order to offer Christian-based, off-campus classes for students once a week during the school day.

The question is how are we to go about doing it.  The Board seems very much in favor of the idea but also seem to prefer an after-school program that does not interfere with the school day.  They are also very concerned about the unintended consequences of opening the door for this type of religious instruction.  Would this mean that Satanic groups would be allowed to transport children off campus?  Would Muslim students study Sharia law before they go back to Social Studies?  Would other Christians groups such as the Presbyterians – who believe that pastors and other church leaders do not have to be monogamous – be allowed to transport students to learn more about LGBTQ+ and Jesus?  While participation in LifeWise is always parent initiated, these and other concerns about the nose of the camel in the tent are valid.

We asked LifeWise’s local chair about the possibility of say an afterschool program, she answered: sure it could be an afterschool program. Anything can be,’ even as she argued they prefer using in‑school time.  Yet lately LifeWise seems to be intransigent about any other model except interrupting the school day.

This does not need to be a lose/lose case for Republican board members and LifeWise.  Our children DO need moral instruction.  That instruction MUST come from the only reliable source of all moral instruction – the Bible.  And it does need to be part of their education as much as Math or Science – so incorporating this teachng into their school week makes sense.  But it also needs to be done wisely, in ways that do not subject our kids to even more moral subversion, and does not open our school district to lawsuits about discrimination.

It can be done – so it is a win for parents – and a win for our children.  And this is a great opportunity for those parents, churches, the school district and LifeWise to show New Hanover County what Christians can do when they focus on the Cross, and not individual egos or agendas.

For the Wilmington Standard, I’m Reuel Sample.  Thanks for listening.