“This means work on the part of the pupil. The entertainment model goes in the opposite direction. When the student is entertained rather than taught, he is in an oxymoronic way being aroused to passivity. Good teaching awakens in the student a desire to learn” (The Case for Classical Christian Education, p. 193).
Hostility As Distraction
“One is that the ‘us versus them’ motif can be manipulated to revive a group’s esprit de corps and to ‘divert attention from internal problems.’ That is to say, communal violence is an antidote for internal strife and the ‘civil’ or domestic violence to which it might otherwise lead. Campaigns against outsiders or evildoers revive …
Not That Kind of Fabric
The Christian Church is a commonwealth. One of the great things that we have in common is our access to this Table. It is a tremendous privilege, and we are not worthy of it in one sense. But in another sense, we are commanded to walk in a manner that is worthy of it. This …
Jazz Played Well
When the gospel breaks out, it always brings joy and gladness in its train. Sinful and tidy-minded men do not like the kind of disorder the gospel brings, and so they bustle around trying to pick up after it. After a time, God grants their request and sends leanness to their souls, and their museum …
Not to Mention the Coyote’s Explosives
“Many studies are flawed because they make little distinction between Elmer Fudd getting bopped on the head with a carrot and the Terminator graphically blowing away human beings” (Robert Knight, The Age of Consent, p. 82.).
Eschew Prolixity
“The teacher must stoop in order to teach. She has to step into the language known by the students in order to expand the power and extent of that language . . . Nothing is accomplished if big words whistle over the children’s heads” (The Case for Classical and Christian Education, p. 192).
Autonomy in Modernity
“Since modernity is practically defined by its reluctance to recognize the degree to which we humans are imitative, Girard’s insistence on the central role of mimesis in human affairs goes against the grain of much of today’s popular cultural discourse” (Gil Bailie, Violence Unveiled, p. 51).
Homily at EEF Worship Service for Anselm Presbytery
Many political commentators and observers have often commented on what they call American exceptionalism. This is not political exhortation at all—I simply want to use this as a potent illustration. I am aware that we are a presbytery that crosses national borders here—we have churches and men assembled here from Poland, and Russia, and Canada, …
Opening Remarks At Anselm Presbytery 2006
Welcome to this assembly of the Anselm Presbytery. You men are leaders among the churches of God, and you have been selected by your respective churches to gather together like this to consider matters of common concern, and to do so in accordance with the customs we have established. Some of these customs are just …
And More Gratitude
The 2006 meeting of Anselm Presbytery, CREC, concluded yesterday. I am serving as the current moderator, and was extremely grateful for how things are going. The presbytery meeting was covered in grace, even though there were some difficult issues for us to deal with. It is a tremendous privilege to work with men of this …