#117 Topical Discussion

Drawing upon forty years of study in theology, philosophy, history, sociology and the arts, Dr. Schaeffer contemplates the reasons for modern society's sorry state of affairs and argues for total affirmation of the Bible's morals, values, and meaning.

From Amazon: "In the classic The Abolition of Man, C.S. Lewis, the most important Christian writer of the 20th century, sets out to persuade his audience of the importance and relevance of universal values such as courage and honor in contemporary society. Both astonishing and prophetic, The Abolition of Man is one of the most debated of Lewis's extraordinary works. National Review chose it as number seven on their 100 Best Nonfiction Books of the Twentieth Century."

This edition of Charlotte Mason’s Home Education Series is presented complete and unabridged, retaining the pagination of the original to make research and referencing easy. All the books have been fully transcribed and formatted using a clean and easy-to-read font so that there’s no excuse not to read these revolutionary works.Written shortly before her death, A Philosophy of Education represents Charlotte Mason’s final thoughts after a lifetime spent thinking on education. Containing the final version of the 20 principles on which her method is based this book is a great place to start for parents of older children.

Van Til and Berkhof call for biblically sound Christian education that is self-consciously engaged in the spiritual battle for the minds of students.

R.L. Dabney (1820-1898)--preacher, theologian, soldier, poet, and essayist--strongly condemned the public education of his day. He saw with prophetic insight that State education could not help but be secularized since it was designed to please the people. As a result, he argued, public education would begin to teach its students not truth, but the values and virtues which were palatable to society at large.

Although a century has passed since Dabney first wrote this essay, the questions that parents face haven't changed. Secular education still seeks to indoctrinate our children under the pretense of objectivity, and truth is still sacrificed for the sake of social "unity."

We must acknowledge with Dabney that proper education is about heart and soul, not just propositions and facts. Only then will our children learn truth and be equipped to live out our faith.

Published almost twenty years ago, Douglas Wilson’s Case for Classical Christian Education is a call for parents and educators to do more than just teach kids how to read or to do math and science. Instead, parents and teachers need to educate children’s minds, hearts, and imaginations.

Both homeschooling parents and Christians seeking to build schools will find a lot of guidance from this book. Wilson explains the benefits of an education that is both distinctively classical and distinctively Christian, and explains what such an education might look like. He also draws on years of educating and pastoring to talk about how parents and teachers can manage schools well and train their children’s hearts. Education is not just preparing kids for the job market, but should be about instilling discipline, character, and love for God and the world He has made.

Douglas Wilson has been the pastor for Christ Church for over forty years and is a father of three and grandfather of seventeen. He has helped found many educational institutions such as New Saint Andrews College, Logos School, and Greyfriars Hall. His book Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning helped launch the Classical Christian Education movement, including the Association of Classical Christian Schools which now has over a hundred Christian schools across the country.