Liberty Christian Academy

Liberty Christian Academy (LCA, founded as Lynchburg Christian Academy) is a private Christian school in Lynchburg, Virginia. Founded in 1967 by Baptist preacher Jerry Falwell Sr. as a ministry of Thomas Road Baptist Church and a segregation academy, the school is recognized as an educational facility by the Commonwealth of Virginia through the Virginia State Board of Education,[1] Southern Association of Colleges and Schools,[2] and the Association of Christian Schools International.[3] The academy consists of pre–K through grade 12.

Liberty Christian Academy
Location
Lynchburg
,
Virginia

United States
Coordinates37.3605°N 79.1727°W / 37.3605; -79.1727
Information
TypePrivate
Religious affiliation(s)Thomas Road Baptist Church
Established1967
SuperintendentMark Hine
Colour(s)      Red, White and Blue.
FounderJerry Falwell Sr.
Websitewww.lcabulldogs.com

History

During the 1950s and 1960s, Falwell spoke and campaigned against civil rights movement leader Martin Luther King Jr. and the desegregation of public school systems by the U.S. federal government.[4][5] In 1966, he led the effort to create "a private school for white students," the Lynchburg News reported. Named Lynchburg Christian Academy, the school opened in 1967 as a segregation academy.[4][5] Falwell developed it as a ministry of his Thomas Road Baptist Church.[6]

Unlike many other segregation academies, the school became racially integrated two years after its opening.[4] The historian Seth Dowland said that school officials later sought to market the school to parents who were not solely motivated by a desire to keep their children out of racially integrated public schools.[7]

In 1975, the Ford administration began trying to deny segregation academies their tax-exempt status on the basis that they perpetuated segregation. In 1979, Falwell denounced this "intervention against Christian schools", now a policy of the Carter administration. He launched the Moral Majority political action committee to aid the Catholic public protest against legal abortion in the United States, according to Heritage Foundation co-founder Paul Weyrich.[8]

In 2005, the Lynchburg Christian Academy was moved next to Liberty University and renamed Liberty Christian Academy.

Athletics

The LCA football team compiled an 85–6 record, winning four state championships and eight conference championships, between 2004, when Frank Rocco become the head coach, and 2013.[9] Among the team's former members are Rashad Jennings (Pittsburgh-Liberty-Jacksonville Jaguars),[10] and Bobby Massie (Ole Miss-Arizona Cardinals-Chicago Bears).

References
  1. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-20. Retrieved 2013-03-03.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "AdvancED - Institution Summary". Advanc-ed.org. Archived from the original on 27 March 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-03-27. Retrieved 2014-04-02.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. Seth Dowland (2007). Defending Manhood: Gender, Social Order and the Rise of the Christian Right in the South, 1965-1995. p. 23. ISBN 978-0-549-71783-6. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
  5. Blumenthal, Max. "Agent of Intolerance | The Nation". ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved 2018-11-26.
  6. "Liberty Christian Academy - About LCA - History". Lcabulldogs.com. Archived from the original on 28 February 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  7. Dowland, Seth. Family values and the rise of the Christian right. pp. 27–30. ISBN 9780812291919.
  8. Republican Gomorrah: Inside The Movement That Shattered The Party. p. 25. Nation Books, 2009.
  9. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-12-04. Retrieved 2013-04-15.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. "Rashad Jennings". Nfl.com. Retrieved 17 September 2016.


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