Customer Reviews

The Case for Classical Christian Education

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Doug Wilson is the father of the Protestant classical Christian school movement. This book is a mature statement of why classical Christian schools are needed and what they stand for. Many have been introduced to the movement through his book Rediscovering the Lost Tools of Learning (Crossway, 1991). This book is a far better starting point. One does not have to agree with Rev. Wilson on all points to appreciate the distinctive vision this book outlines. It is highly recommended and should be read by every teacher, parent, student, and board member associated with classical Christian schools. Once again, we owe Doug Wilson an enormous debt.

I purchased the Kindle edition after seeing it quoted in The Core, by Leigh Bortins.

I was interested in his title because all the books I have been reading on classical training, something is missing in the biblical approach to different subjects. I thought Mr. Wilson had another angle for a Christian homeschooler. In that, I was disappointed. He is definitely not writing for the homeschooler.

I am very pro-homeschool and felt somewhat insulted by his claims regarding the pitfalls of parents teaching their children. I realize he made a strong effort to not do that, but I still came away from it believing that this book had little to offer me, personally.

I wholeheartedly agree with the reviewer that Mr. Wilson quotes himself from his other publications alot! This disturbed me a bit, since he is truly not the author of classical education.
Obviously, I should've read the reviews on this book prior to purchase.

Douglas Wilson's book, The Case for Classical Education, is a challenge to Christian educators, true, but also a challenge to Christians. He writes of the Paideia of God, (the title of another of his books), which is more then the education of children, but the "enculturation," which is providing more than biblical stories or platitudes, but living, worshipping, working, and thus teaching the Christian life. This is required of the teachers, the administrators, the board, and the parents.

The classical Christian education trains children in the faith, but also the Western civilization in which Christianity prospered. Wilson's plan, put into practice at Logos, the elementary school he founded, is more demanding than the average public school's. It is not vacation Bible school. Wilson mentions some of the unusual subjects, (by today's standards), like Latin, Greek, Hebrew languages. He also writes of how subjects that are not specifically religious or irreligious are a part of the holistic Christian education, such as mathematics and athletics. He lays out the overall plan of the Trivium: grammar, dialectic (or logic), and rhetoric, as they determine the subjects; grammar from first grade to junior high, dialectic until senior high, then rhetoric. Grammar gives children basic knowledge to accumulate, dialectic is the arrangement of this knowledge by its interconnectedness, and rhetoric is the expression of the student's conclusions.

Also useful for any adults interested in specific texts that are taught, or who would like to have an idea of what a classical education includes, a list of twenty-five books that represent the Western canon is included. If you are interested in some classical training yourself, most of these books are available online for free.

The book is a well-reasoned explanation of why many parents have quit, or are ready to quit, the status quo among public schools. It's not to make it easier for the children; it's to have a higher standard of academics, and some standards of God's in the school.

I'm convinced.

Douglas Wilson makes a powerful case for a classical, Christian approach to education. He lays out for the reader how and why the government educational system is broken, and then shows how and why it cannot be fixed. Building from that, he proposes that the best solution for this problem is a classical Christian education.

After giving a brief review of how his school got started, he explains what Classical Christian education is. Having everything point to Christ as the unifying principle of education, the classical model is used because of its natural link of the Trivium (Grammar, Dialectic, Rhetoric) to the stages of child development (Wanting to know what things are - Grammar, to Wanting to know why things are and how they fit together - Dialectic, to Wanting to know how to express one's self - Rhetoric).

His later chapters are more about how to start a classical Christian school. The only problem is that they seem out of place in a book set out to simply make 'The Case for Classical Christian Education'. They give some details on how to start a classical, Christian school, but not nearly enough details if one wants to actually start one. In my opinion, it would be best if these chapters were expanded on and put into a separate book.

While I certainly don't agree with everything Wilson says (mainly Covenant theology doctrine - like presupposing covenants made between the Godhead and God and Adam that are not recorded in Scripture, and making no distinction between Israel and the church, as I believe the Scriptures do), this book is certainly a must read for anyone who is curious about why the classical approach to education is the best.

I am further convinced of the classical approach to education, and just as convinced that any true education must be a Christian education. (For more on this, I highly recommend 'Foundations of Christian Education' by Berkhof and Van Til)

If you're looking for a good overview of classical Christian education, this is it. However, be forewarned, Wilson's approach explains EVERYTHING in terms if Scripture. I agree that Christians should look to the Bible first to guide their lives. However, not every failure of Western civilization is a sign of the Almighty's displeasure. Wilson wants to see it that way, and manages to hang himself with his own rope more than a few times.

The reason I gave it 3 stars instead of 4:

1) The point of quoting something is to illustrate a completing or supporting opinion (other than your own). Quoting yourself is just crude, and Wilson does it frequently. Can he really not find any other writer as talented as himself?

2) When you quote something, don't bury the citation at the end of the book. I spent half my time flipping back and forth to figure out what he was quoting from. It's annoying, and I believe the reason he did is that at least half the quotes are from his own books (see #1 above.)

3) This is not a homeschooling book, and WIlson is overtly hostile to homeschoolers. Most of the book relates to how to build and run a classical Christian academy.

Despite these shortcomings, the book served its purpose for me. I was truly torn about whether to start homeschooling on a classical model. Having now read both Well-Trained Mind and this book, I have concluded that this methodology is wrong for my kids.

If only to remove an approach from consideration for my family, it was a worthwhile read.

Other books I would recommend on competing approaches:

* Christian Unschooling - it's not an oxymoron, really
* A Thomas Jefferson Education - also classical, but very different
* Charlotte Mason Home Schooling Series - read the original before you buy a modern knockoff

This book was a great read. Doug Wilson has truly started an educational reformation. If Christian parents and educators can get behind Wilson's model for training our children, we will reap a great harvest of intelligent mature Christian adults who will be equipped to challenge and reclaim our humanist culture. I highly recommend this as a introduction to the Classical Christian Education movement.

Wilson really understands how the biblical worldview plays out into all areas of life - in this case with respect to education. Great book.

This is a book that seeks to present a broad overview of the classical Christian model of education.

Today's America's schools are in a mess. Violence and drug-usage at schools are no longer news. Learning to read and write gives people the tools to ask and answer questions in life. But our schools fail miserably in this basic task.

Douglas Wilson is strongly against government schools. He argues that all these happened because we falsely believe that schools can be neutral about morality. He says that education is basically religious. Education deals with the basic questions if life, and these questions demand religious answers. He proposed that we must turn to Christian classic education- in styles, philosophies, even curriculums, with an emphasis on the children development.

Has Wilson gone too far? It is your call. However, he will convince you that education is not the world's savior. Education itself needs to be saved!

Mr. Wilson presents outstanding arguments on why the public school system is a failure and the need tor classical instruction. I do not share his view of homeschoolers. I know many families that homeschool and none are characterized in his examples.