What are the key components to a classical Christian education?
A Liberal Arts Tradition
“In an age which has embraced every novelty, the true rebel is the traditionalist.”
A Renewal
The classical Christian renewal was launched in the United States in the early 80’s. The movement has sought to return to the old Liberal Arts tradition, suggesting that we had taken a wrong turn in education as we allowed utilitarianism and reductionistic thinking to infiltrate our schooling system. The results of this infiltration have been tragic. We have a largely illiterate, uneducated population whose souls have been deadened. Our situation wouldn’t surprise C.S. Lewis (among many others) who commented on this exact problem in his famous book, The Abolition of Man.
Elsewhere, C.S. Lewis also wisely stated, “There is nothing progressive about being pig-headed and refusing to admit a mistake. And I think if you look at the present state of the world it’s pretty plain that humanity has been making some big mistakes. We’re on the wrong road. And if that is so we must go back. Going back is the quickest way on.” The heart of returning to the Liberal Arts Tradition is the suggestion that we are returning to something that was tried, true, and beautiful.
“The Education of the Free Man”
Mainstream education has become nothing more than technical training. The common thought process is that education should simply prepare you for a job and the modern workplace. You can see the marks of this in many places, but perhaps it is nowhere more evident than in our universities. The current university setup has you select what you would like to do for the rest of your life, and then you specialize and receive your technical training. This has been the case for quite some time now and is engraved in our thinking about what education is for. However, the original conception of “university” was a Christian concept that suggested that all knowledge is held together (uni) in Christ and that all fields of study were to be studied in an integrated way to help students truly understand God’s world in its full truth.
It is this conception that a Liberal Arts Tradition returns to. Because this full-orbed education opens the mind of its students to the whole of God’s creation, it was coined “The Education of the Free Man.” The suggestion is that a technical education is the education of the slave, whereas a liberal arts education frees you!
Truth, Beauty, and Goodness
A classical Christian paradigm of education makes a very explicit statement about who the student is that is sitting in the classroom. The student is made in the Imago Dei (The image of God). They are there made up of mind, body, soul, will, and affections. Therefore, any education that falls short of cultivating all of these aspects of the image bearer is incomplete. Unfortunately, this is precisely what modernized education has done as it seeks to only prepare students for a job. Technical skills are overly emphasized and the body, soul, will, and affections are completely neglected. Again, Lewis saw this coming and coins the product of this education, “Men Without Chests.”
Alternatively, classical certainly does train your mind and intellect, arguably better than any other education will. However, it also is concerned with training a student’s affection. Teaching them to love what is worth loving. Training them in habits that will bless them and the people around them. It’s an education that is more interested in what kind of grandfather/grandmother you will be instead of just being worried about what you’re going to be when you grow up. This is done by surrounding students with truth, beauty, and goodness throughout their entire educational careers.
Our aim is much higher than just preparing students for a job. We want to prepare them for life.
Paideia
“An, ye father, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” - Ephesians 6:4
The Greek translation here is from the word “paideia” and has a meaning of enculturation. Parents are commanded here to enculture their kids, to set them in a specific type of atmosphere. That culture, or atmosphere, is to be the culture of the Lord. The power of this is seen as you watch students learn or see children get shaped as they grow up. As Charlotte Mason said, “Learning is caught, rather than taught.”
Classical Christian schools seek to set a Christian culture in which students can be raised. This determines who we hire to teach and disciple our students, how we handle discipline, the traditions we set up, and much more. There is a lot that goes into an atmosphere or culture and a classical Christian education is intentional about creating a culture that is thoroughly Christian.