“Those who have participated in ‘great books’ conversations inspired by this approach to modern classicism know that few things can wreck the intellectual party more quickly than a claim of absolute truth, goodness, or beauty. The student is equipped for anything the great conversation might bring to him, except for one thing — answers. To …
No Luminous Glow
“God is our life. In Him we live and move and have our being. If He had not created the world, we would not be here (and hence could not do our math). If He had not created the world, there would be no oranges, and hence we could not discover that two oranges plus …
The Evangelical Crouton in the Pluralistic Salad
[Many Christian schools] “see our pluralistic society as a great tossed salad, and they are simply one small evangelical crouton . . . Although they would never state it so baldly, they appear to have quietly translated the Great Commission into something like, ‘Therefore go unto all nations, and do your best to fit right …
Religious Claims Are Always Total
“Religious claims are always total — all-encompassing. If Christ is not the Lord of all, then He is not the Lord at all. To claim that a particular religious dogma is not total is tantamount to the claim that it is not really religious. In short, such limitations are always a denial of the faith …
When the Center Holds
“Institutions worthy of respect and honor derive their respectability from that which is ultimately sacred. The Bible teaches us that creaturely holiness is derivative and that we are to be holy because He is holy (1 Pet. 1:16). All sanctity in Israel derived from the Holy of Holies. This is why respect for any human …
Push Ups in the Brain
“And we cannot understand the incarnation of Christ by sitting in neat rows in a classroom, doing push-ups with the brain” (The Case for Classical Christian Education, p. 64).
The Wind in the Willow Creek
“It is unfortunate indeed that Rat and Mole had a greater sense of the numinous in the presence of the god Pan than many modern evangelicals do in the presence of the God of Abraham” (The Case for Classical Christian Education, p. 64).
Calling It Good
“A Christian worldview is not a matter of having an opinion about everything, with all those opinions being interconnected or, as some might say, entangled. Our lives are supposed to go together a certain way. Parents who have labored over assembling a child’s Christmas present, one with multiple parts, know that it is not sufficient …
Salt and Light
“Parents us this [the salt and light argument] as a reason, but they acknowledge the need for preparation to be salt and light in other settings. Who sends their kids to Vacation Bible Schools run by Mormons in order that they might be salt and light? Who sends their eight-year-old to India to be a …
No Standby Lord
“We do not understand that our academic slide has occurred because it had to. We cannot reject the tree and continue to demand the fruit. The universe coheres because Christ is Lord — and there is no alternative center, no other arche on standy in case He fails” (The Case for Classical Christian Education, pp. …