Tears flowed freely as our seniors led chapel during their final high school chapel service. After a superb sermon from one of our seniors, our Dean stepped up to the microphone and reminded us all, “This group will never again assemble in this chapel.” The statement likely elicited more tears and emotions as we each realized the truth of those words. As I listened, I … Continue reading Graduation and the Soul of a School
Section 2 Bonaventure first expands upon the exterior light, among which he includes the seven mechanical arts enumerated by Hugh of St. Victor in his Didascalicon: weaving, armor-making, agriculture, hunting, navigation, medicine, and the dramatic art. Bonaventure suggests that all these arts are intended for either consolation or comfort. They are either useful of enjoyable, and their purpose is to banish need or sorrow. In … Continue reading Mechanical Arts and Sense Knowledge (St. Bonaventure, On the Reduction of the Arts to Theology, Part 2)
One of the more helpful books I read last year on education was St. Bonaventure’s On the Reduction of the Arts to Theology. Over the course of the next couple months I hope to write a series of posts on this book. Each post will provide a brief summary of the content followed by reflections on how his insights in the 13th century can help … Continue reading St. Bonaventure, On the Reduction of the Arts to Theology (Part 1)
One of the more overlooked aspects of atonement theories is the importance of the resurrection. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:17 that if Christ is not raised then “your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” Here I think we have a possible aid to our assessment of atonement theories. To Paul, Christ’s death apart from his resurrection makes nonsense of Christ’s … Continue reading Teaching the Atonement, Part 4: Some Conclusions
In the two previous posts I discussed the discord in my students that led me to teach an atonement unit, as well as the transparency I shared about my own struggles and some of the initial questions that I, as well as my students, asked and to which we desired answers. In designing the means by which I would instruct these students—that is, the question … Continue reading Teaching the Atonement, Part 3: Pedagogy
I have found that one of the most effective things I can do as a teacher is be transparent with my students. When I am willing to share with them areas of struggle in my own thinking, I think they gather encouragement that they are not alone in their confusion. I can sympathize with their intellectual weaknesses. But I think they also find encouragement in … Continue reading Teaching the Atonement, Part 2: Transparency
As we enter April and Good Friday and Easter are only a few away, it seems a good time to share some experiences from a recent unit I taught on the atonement. I hope this four-part series proves helpful for you in your teaching, but I also hope it serves as a way to prepare your heart for the remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice and the … Continue reading Teaching the Atonement, Part 1: Discovering Discord in My Students
In their pursuit of the American dream, many often speak of jobs and careers that will help them achieve their goals. What we have lost in this pursuit, however, is the older notion of vocation. A vocation, a calling, has much richer and deeper biblical roots than careers. One of the important roles of classical Christian education, I believe, is recapturing the notion of vocation, … Continue reading A Vocation of Education for Teachers and Students (Reflections on B. B. Warfield’s The Religious Life of Theological Students #5)
For all of its incredible benefits, classical Christian education can be dangerous. If we educate students to be excellent thinkers and communicators but they fail to learn virtue, we have created monsters. Among these dangers, I think two lie before students in classical Christian education with special respect to their faith. The first danger is that students learn a lot of truth about God but … Continue reading Bringing Christ to Class (Reflections on B. B. Warfield’s The Religious Life of Theological Students #4)
In the previous post in this series (The Character of the Teacher) we considered the high calling of the classical Christian educator. In this post we focus on the character of the student. Many students at classical Christian schools still struggle with the sacred and secular distinctions that are so stark in government education. Despite being told that their faith informs every aspect of their … Continue reading Faithful Learning (Reflections on B. B. Warfield’s The Religious Life of Theological Students #3)
Classical Christian education is, and ought to be, a rigorous endeavor. And not just for the student. Teachers, too, have a high calling to be learned. I remember when we first started our school nearly seven years ago—I was halfway through my PhD in Old Testament, and one of my first realizations was how much I didn’t know. The more that I learn, the more … Continue reading The Character of the Teacher (Reflections on B. B. Warfield’s The Religious Life of Theological Students #2)
In his excellent short essay, The Religious Life of Theological Students, B. B. Warfield gives advice to the theological student about the kind of person he or she should be. Too often our focus on theological education is merely the information to be learned. But Warfield argues it is just as, or more important, that the proper formation is happening in the student. As I … Continue reading B. B. Warfield on Theological Education (Reflections on B. B. Warfield’s The Religious Life of Theological Students #1)
