“Properly understood, pluralism is simply another name for polytheism. When we say ‘pluralism,’ what does the plurality refer to? The answer is, to a plurality of authoritative voices, the Babel of competing divine voices, all saying what we ought to do. Because this situation creates a potential for civic trouble, the powers that be impose …
Trying to Fit In
“In the nineteenth century, secular education was established because many Christians were fatally persuaded of the myth of neutrality. They were told that there were many areas of life that could be studied apart from any reference to the authority of Scripture. They accepted the pluralistic nature of American public life, not as a social …
What Does and Does Not Constitute “Movie Reform”
“If a man were to rent a video, and it turned out to be a poor movie, it is not ‘movie reform’ to rewind and try again” (The Case for Classical and Christian Education, p. 33).
Drinks on the House
“At the beginning, this faith [the democratic zeitgeist] was full of robust enthusiasm and was not at all shy or reluctant about imposing democratic standards, relying on the abundant capital inherited from the older Christian order. The prodigal son did not run out of money on his first day away from home. The democratic institutions …
Three Significant Columns
“This democratic impulse exploded into full revolt near the beginning of the nineteenth century, and three significant columns began to march on the older established order of Christendom. The political revolution was accomplished in the election of Andrew Jackson to the presidency in 1829. The ecclesiastical revolution was ushered in during the Second Great Awakening, …
The Difference Between the Two
“The nature of this rebellion was democracy — the rule of demos, the people. The people en masse were thought of as having final authority — over traditions, kings, customs, historic loyalties, and churches. We have grown accustomed to thinking of our democracy as a good thing, and it surprises us to learn that the …
A False Savior Saved
“In an important sense, every culture is the externalization of some religion. And every school exists to perpetuate and pass on that culture. As we look around at the great squirrel-cage run we call modernity, we see that most of us as moderns belong to a religion called Getting Ahead. In contrast to this attitude, …
Not Hard to Figure Out
“The government schools will stop what they are doing when the American taxpayer stops giving them raises for doing it” (The Case for Classical Christian Education, p. 28).
Secular Schools Mean Secular Ethics
“Education is fundamentally religious. Consequently, there is no question about whether a morality will be imposed in that education, but rather which morality will be imposed. Christians and assorted traditionalists who want a secular school system to instill anything other than secular ethics are wanting something that has never happened and can never happen” (The …
The Truth With Dyslexia
“But a lousy education need not be a cheap education. Critics of the government schools know it is not possible to criticize them without hearing the reply that the problem is lack of funding. But this is htrut — the truth with dyslexia. The current expenditure per pupil in average daily attendance in public elementary …