Classical Christian Education

In a world where educational philosophies are constantly evolving, it is essential that we ground our approach to education in the unchanging truth of God’s Word. Scripture is the ultimate guide for educating our children, with a clear calling to prepare them, not just for this life, but most importantly, for the life to come. In light of this, this series is intended to help parents, schools, and churches understand and implement an education that is faithful to the Word of God and proven throughout history. The lessons in this series advocate for and explain the meaning and purpose of an approach to education, known as Classical Christian Education. While there can be nuances to this approach in different cultures and backgrounds, the desire in these lessons is to emphasize common foundational elements that we trust can be taken and applied to every context. We hope these lessons will be an encouragement to you in prayerfully seeking to fulfill the God-given calling to raise our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord.

Lessons

Lesson Number Title Summary
1 Introduction to Classical Christian Education This introduction is a broad survey of what we mean by Classical Christian Education. We will look at some limitations, and define several important terms. We are introduced to the ancient...
2 Christian Commitments in Education Whatever else we pursue in education, as Christians, we must do so with full commitment to the Lord, and particularly, as he has revealed himself in the Bible. We will look at particular directions...
3 Classical Elements for Education from Antiquity In this lecture, we’ll take a closer look at the key elements of education from antiquity, and how it was transformed and enriched by Christianity. We’ll discuss various periods in classical...
4 Reading Authors from Antiquity with Discernment and Benefit In Classical Christian Education, students and teachers are exposed to reading pagan literature, poetry, rhetoric, and philosophy, so there is a need for discernment. But in this lecture, we also...
5 How Christ Transforms Classical Education In this lesson, we’ll look specifically at a few ways Christ transforms the education of the Classical period. We’ve already learned previously that Christ directs us to the source for learning,...
6 The Liberal Arts in Christian Education Throughout history, Classical Education has often been referred to as a “Liberal Arts education,” for both pagan and Christian schools. So exactly what are the Liberal Arts, what is their focus,...
7 The Importance of Language in Classical Education In this lesson, we give attention to the importance of mastering language, which is a goal of Classical Christian Education. By “language,” we refer both to our vernacular, but also, and...
8 Historical Overview of Classical Education As we’ve seen, Classical Education refers to that education practiced in Classical antiquity, and we’ve hinted at its history. In this lesson, we provide a very brief but illustrative historical...
9 Learning from Our Heritage: Education from the Protestant Reformation We’ve briefly surveyed ancient Classical Education, but to understand our own context better, we take this lesson to focus on education at the time of the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation....
10 Potential Dangers in Classical Christian Education Today in the West, there are dangers in secular public schooling, which are embedded in the Progressive approach to education, which cultivates godlessness in a variety of ways. Classical Christian...
11 Benefits of Classical Christian Education In this lesson, we take up some of the many benefits that the Lord provides through Classical Christian Education. As you are thinking through this approach to education, you may start to feel the...
12 Navigating the World of Education Today The Lord calls us to train up our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and this lesson is designed to help parents and teachers find their way through the several broad questions...
13 Getting Started with Classical Christian Education in the Home or School After all that has been discussed in previous lessons, it is now time to give some attention to the practical aspects of implementing Classical Christian Education today. Everyone’s circumstances...
14 Continuing the Quest: Lifelong Learning As you have seen in the previous lectures, Classical Christian Education is not about completing a class, or a course, or a curriculum, but it is for the more noble goal of creating a mature man or...
15 Remembering the End: Serving the Lord to God’s Glory As we come to our final lesson in this series, we conclude with a call to remember our end, which is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. This is comprehensively true, whether we are learning,...