Christian Release Time Ministries In Philadelphia

Paul Humber directs Philadelphia's Christian Release Time Ministries CRMinistriesPhilly.com. One of his Christian Release Time groups is pictured here.

That's a program allowing students to be released from classes for one hour weekly with parental permission to attend a Bible Study program at a nearby church or other location off school property.

Telling Bible Stories... and letting the children tell Bible Stories would be a good way for students to internalize the story, harness their energy, and be trained in the rudiments of public speaking and leadership.

Most CRT programs use a curriculum like a Sunday School class, but there's no reason they couldn't use Bible Storytelling too!

Here are Twelve reasons for taking kids away from important subjects so they can attend Christian Released Time (CRT) classes...

Reinforcement of class-room skills:
1. CRT classes reinforce the development of the desirable skills of reading, public speaking, drama, singing, and critical thinking. In fact, students may be encouraged to read aloud in CRT classes with greater frequency than in their regular English classes. Also, as the Bible is the key to understanding the many biblical allusions found in much of literature, having direct contact with it is vital in subsequent study.

State recognizes religious values as important:
2. CRT helps children understand the context for the founding of this country. Today, public school students may receive the subtle and untrue message that God is somehow irrelevant in the realm of education. (Discussion about God, for example, is often discouraged in public schools.) In providing the Released Time Law, however, public officials have helped to correct this undesirable outcome. When schools release students to CRT classes, they acknowledge that the State recognizes the importance of religious values.[1]

Teaching proper conduct:
3. CRT helps children understand how to get along with others in constructive ways by doing for others what they would like others to do for them. This biblical concept challenges the default worldview that to “survive” in this world you must prove yourself be the “fittest”. CRT teachers want their students to be diligent, productive, chaste, helpful, mannerly, prudent, cheerful, honest, modest, respectful, compassionate, honorable, obedient, responsible, humble, courageous, patient, and self-sacrificing.

Hope, motivation, and discipline:
4. CRT helps students receive hope and motivation to do better even with respect to their regular classes.
Many public school children are taught, either explicitly or by default, that they are accidents in the universe. This dampens motivation. CRT classes, on the other hand, teach that children are precious in God’s eyes. One student who got in a fight on his walk back to the school was told he could not continue with the program that year but possibly could resume the following year. When the next year came, this student was the first to be signed up and was a model student that year.

Flexible release times:
5. It is often the case that Released Time coordinators will work with principals to choose times that do not necessarily conflict with classes thought to be most critical. For example, singing is often encouraged during Released Time classes. Removing children from a music class to attend CRT classes may be thought of more as an alternative approach than an educational subtraction.

Mini Field Trips:
6. CRT classes are mini-field-trips, involving on average about one hour per week. Most parents do not object to the idea of students leaving school, missing half or even a full day, to go on field trips.

Value of the individual:
7. CRT students can appreciate tangible expressions of brotherly love. Some students in Christian schools, for example, learning of their public school counterparts, have actually donated wrapped gifts at Christmas time for participating children in CRT classes. Also, when CRT students learn that the volunteers actually pray for them, this also sends a message that public school children are precious, important, and valuable.

Eternity:
8. Donte Carter is a young lad I met in a CRT class. He died the following year at home of a ruptured appendix. There was evidence, however, that this young man, before dying, had become a true Christian. CRT workers were able to comfort his parents with the hope of heaven. Other children also became concerned about their eternal destiny, and public schools are really not equipped to deal with this topic. True, children need a good education for their physical well being, but they also need to know God for their spiritual well being.

U. S. Supreme Court:
9. CRT helps children understand the basis for our legal system, that there are rules/laws, blessings from keeping the laws, and consequences for breaking the laws. An image of Moses, recipient of the Ten Commandments, appears at the top of one of the four exterior sides of our United States Supreme Court building, and a representation of the Ten Commandments themselves have been carved into the very doors of the United States Supreme Court building. Additionally, a representation of Moses holding the Ten Commandments appears inside the Justices’ courtroom--on the side of the room they face.

CRT encourages responsibility:
10. CRT children are required to make up for any assignments they miss. There is no special treatment accorded to participants in the program. CRT, therefore, encourages responsibility and initiative to keep up with homework assignments. Students actually have an increased academic workload. They are required to complete their regular work while taking on a learning opportunity in another subject (i.e., the Bible). Many people would consider this a good thing.

Bible history important:
11. CRT class offers the opportunity for school age children to examine the history of creation, the flood, Israel, the prophets, and the Christian church. Archeological verification of biblical references is also encouraged. The psalms were meant to be sung, and history can be learned in this way, too.

More control for parents:
12. CRT is voluntary and is controlled by the student’s parents/guardians. This is an excellent way for parents/guardians to have increased oversight over and even control of their child’s moral development.

As I prepare to speak before parents next Wednesday evening at Cook-Wissahickon School, please pray that the Lord would prepare hearts.

Image courtesy CRMinistriesPhilly.com.