You Need To Be Qualified To Read St. Paul

“The desire to treat every book of the Bible equally often inclines classical educators (and youth group leaders) to teach New Testament epistles to young students simply because St. Paul says a lot about grace and faith and salvation, which are subjects modern Christians obsess over. However, St. Paul’s teachings on faith are meaningless and even—to be frank—entirely counterproductive when they are given to people who are unfamiliar with the lives of faith (and works of faith) presented elsewhere in Scripture. If a student does not know about the construction of Solomon’s temple, the reforms of Jehu and Josiah, the Babylonian captivity, the commands of Christ in the Sermon on the Mount, and the ministry of the apostles, St. Paul’s teachings on grace and faith and salvation will only confuse and distort a right understanding of the Christian life.”

-from a forthcoming lecture at the Gibbs Classical Online Summer Conference

Oooh, Ouch: Are You An Asset Or A Liability To The Classical Christian Movement?

In a Target parking lot…

Gibbs: Excuse me, sir. I know you have shopping to do, but I was wondering if we could speak for a moment.

Driver: About what?

Gibbs: About your bumper sticker.

Driver: Which one?

Gibbs: The one that says in very large letters, “My children receive a classical Christian education.”

Driver: What about it?

Gibbs: I should tell you now that I followed you a little ways because I wanted to ask you about it.

Driver: Yes?

Gibbs: Well, why are you sending your child to a classical Christian school?

Driver: Because a classical Christian education is concerned with reality. Public schools revolve around feelings and fantasy.

Gibbs: “Feelings and fantasy.” Yes, what do you mean?

Driver: A classical Christian education aims to align the student’s feelings with reality. Public schools teach students that reality should align with our feelings. It’s delusional.

Gibbs: Couldn’t agree more. A classical Christian education is interested in the truth, regardless of how we feel about it.

Driver: I see you know something about classical Christian education.

Gibbs: I do, and I’m afraid I have some bad news for you.

Driver: We don’t even know one another.

Gibbs: Sir, you either need to learn to drive like a reasonable adult or you need to remove that bumper sticker from your car.

-from my latest for CiRCE

Wear A Mask While You TikTok

“When it comes to the matter of sheltering and protecting, the modern parent cares far more about a child’s body than its soul. We are fastidious about sheltering our children from germs, sickness, and broken bones, but largely indifferent about protecting our children from lies, vulgarity, mediocrity, kitsch, banality, and perversity. A great many parents who insisted their children wear masks during the pandemic didn’t care that their children were spending hours every day on social media, despite the universally acknowledged detrimental effects of social media on young brains.”  

-from “Just A Shot Away: How To Shelter Your Children,” my latest for CiRCE