The Enduring Appeal Of “A Charlie Brown Christmas”

“A Charlie Brown Christmas insists the problem is not with Christmas, but with us. Christmas doesn’t need to be fixed. We do. While we tend to remember all the comments about ‘commercialism’ made in the film, in the end, A Charlie Brown Christmas asks those who complain about Christmas commercialism to quit soapboxing and sing a hymn.”

-from The Enduring Appeal Of “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” my latest for CiRCE

The Megachurching Of Classical Christian Education

“The average megachurch talks constantly about ‘taking over this town for Jesus.’ It’s a large scale cultural project with returns that can be easily measured. And the megachurch model is (apparently) successful, at least in the short run, which is what tempts classical Christian schools to borrow the megachurch ethos, aesthetics, and business model.”

-from a forthcoming article for CiRCE

The Next Generation Of Classical Educators Is Here

“Do a little digging and you will find the About Us section of most classical Christian school websites is really not all that different from non-classical Christian school websites. However, one gets the distinct impression that Bobby McGee is not trying to win any popularity contests. At present, the students at St. Francis Classical do not receive numerical grades and are not expecting to receive diplomas. And while St. Francis is an ACCS member school, they are not accredited and do not plan on seeking accreditation. “Remaining unaccredited allows us to offer courses and establish pedagogical practices specially crafted for our students and our tutors,” said McGee. Accordingly, St. Francis is not a school which will fast-track students to earthly success. In fact, sending your child to St. Francis means giving up on a good deal of what the world thinks is important, and yet, with six instructors and twenty-four students in their first year, it seems giving up on the world is a viable business model.”

-from “The Next Generation,” my latest for CiRCE

Growth

Last week, our church (St. Cyprian of Carthage in Midlothian, VA) received eight new catechumens, all of whom appeared to be under the age of thirty, and more than half of whom were unmarried.

And this, at a small church in the middle of the woods, half an hour away from the city, with no singles ministry, no campus outreach, no advertising of any kind, and no small groups of any kind.

How To Teach The Same Books Over And Over Again

“The teacher has only to take stock of his soul as class begins and consider all that God has lately asked him to ponder through the divinely appointed accidents, epiphanies, and confrontations of the day. A teacher doesn’t need to stretch a chapter in Pride & Prejudice in order to talk about jealousy, gossip, broken relationships with parents, confounded hopes, or whatever vexing issue presented itself in the break room ten minutes ago. It’s all in there. A teacher really need not read more than five pages of Austen, Augustine, Burke, Boethius, or Bronte before coming to some reference—obvious or slanted—to whatever matter is already on his heart.”

-from How To Teach The Same Books Over And Over Again

What Happens Next

Teacher: Have you been baptized?

Student: Well, my metaverse avatar, which is Kermit the Frog dressed as the police officer from the Village People, was e-baptized at a service in a digital Dave & Busters. Does that count?

Teacher: A baptism really needs to be a public profession of faith.

Student: There were 43,000 people in attendance. No one actually goes to my church anymore. It’s far more public at a digital Dave & Busters. Trust me.