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Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning: An Approach to Distinctively Christian Education (Turning Point Christian Worldview Series) [Paperback]

Douglas Wilson (Author), Marvin Olasky (Series Editor)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Douglas Wilson, director of the renowned Logos School, puts forth his ideas for the restoration in the curriculum of "Christian humanism"--as contrasted with what Christopher Dawson has called "secular humanism.

Product Details

Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Crossway Books (April 1, 1991)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0891075836
ISBN-13: 978-0891075837
Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #114,105 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
A young man is sitting at a table, staring at the job application in front of him. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
tuition tax credits, home schoolers

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Jesus Christ, New York, Dorothy Sayers, United States, God's Word, New Testament, Allan Bloom, John Milton, Word of God

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 85 books:

On Secular Education by R.L. Dabney on 5 pages
The Closing of the American Mind by Allan Bloom on 4 pages
The Abolition of Man by C. S. Lewis on 4 pages
In Pursuit : Of Happiness and Good Government by Charles Murray on page 25, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
The Dilemma of Education in a Democracy by Richard Powers on page 34, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)

See all 85 books this book cites

11 books cite this book:

What Your Child Needs to Know When: According to the Bible, According to the State: with Evaluation Check Lists for Grades K-8 by Robin Sampson in Back Matter
Teaching with Heart: A Guide To Cherishing And Challenging Children In The Christian Classroom by Jody Capeheart in Back Matter
How Now Shall We Live? by Charles W. Colson in Back Matter
The Consequences of Ideas: Understanding the Concepts that Shaped Our World by R. C. Sproul in Back Matter
State of the Arts: From Bezalel to Mapplethorpe (Turning Point Christian Worldview Series) by Gene Edward Veith in Front Matter

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	84% buy the item featured on this page: Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning: An Approach to Distinctively Christian Education (Turning Point Christian Worldview Series) by Douglas Wilson Paperback 4.0 out of 5 stars (20) $11.55
	5% buy The Case for Classical Christian Education by Douglas Wilson Paperback 4.2 out of 5 stars (8) $12.91
	4% buy The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home (Third Edition) by Susan Wise Bauer Hardcover 4.6 out of 5 stars (29) $26.37
	4% buy Repairing the Ruins: The Classical and Christian Challenge to Modern Education by Douglas Wilson Paperback 5.0 out of 5 stars (2) $12.92

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38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good for Every Christian School, September 2, 2002

By	Phil Wade "brandywinebooks.net" (Georgia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning: An Approach to Distinctively Christian Education (Turning Point Christian Worldview Series) (Paperback)

Wilson has delivered a great book for anyone who sees nothing wrong with public education and wonders why some schools don't measure up or why the education reformers are complaining. He also challenges every existing Christian school to a high standard. First, he establishes his belief that public school is pitiful and brief addresses suggested reforms, and then he writes at length about a thoroughly Christian education. He says that a cleaned-up "public school" education within an environment where prayer and chapel is allowed does not make a Christian education or even a good secular education. We must raise the bar dramatically in order to allow all students to learn the most they can. What does that mean? It means teaching a classically structured curriculum or the Trivium. Wilson advocates training our students to engage "the great conversation" of the past by reading the Great Books of the Western Canon, as recommended by Mortimer Adler.
Personally, I think he's exactly right, but this book didn't scratch my inch as parent wanting to teach my children a classical education at home. In fact, Wilson doesn't think homeschool classical education is an achievable goal for the average family; but he doesn't advise against it. He warns that while it may be better than public school, it may not be as good as it should be, considering historical standards of education, not measuring it against currently failing public schools. For my needs, this book helped me only a little. The greatest help to me would have been in its appendices which can be found online at ... There are three: Dorothy Sayers article on the Trivium is of great help; a description of Logos School's classical curriculum provides good details on what to teach; and a history of education.

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28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Determined my career plans!, August 9, 2001

By	Adrian C Keister (Radford, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning: An Approach to Distinctively Christian Education (Turning Point Christian Worldview Series) (Paperback)

I first read this book as a sophomore in college. I got so excited about the idea of classical Christian education, that I resolved on my future career: teaching mathematics and physics at a classical Christian school.

Mr. Wilson's comments about public school seem very accurate. They closely correspond with the few comments I have had from people who "survived" the public school. There seems to be a prevailing anti-intellectualism displayed amongst the graduates of the public schools. I especially enjoyed Mr. Wilson's critique of the "look-say" method. I have a friend who went through look-say, and to this day he cannot read out loud in anything like a natural manner.

Mr. Wilson's book represents the close of the public school system, yet in contrast to purely sarcastic negative articles and books, Mr. Wilson has given us a solution. This solution makes so much sense.

I have discussed the idea of classical education with other Christians. I tend to get two answers: either they are afraid of what the Greek philosophy will do to young Christians, or else they see what Mr. Wilson saw: that studying Greek philosophy is not to commend it, and that the primary purpose of doing so is to understand the world at the time of Christ. This will facilitate an understanding of the historical context of the Bible, which we are obviously commanded to study.

I did have one criticism, however. In his argument that foreign children are out-performing American children, Mr. Wilson fails to realize that the statistics are incorrect. The samples that the scores from foreign countries represent are taken from the elite: the best from foreign countries, whereas the scores from American children represent a much wider sample. Thus any argument about averages will fail at this point. However, it is still valid to compare highest scores. I happen to agree with where Mr. Wilson was headed, but this argument is weak because of the mathematics.

This criticism, however, is but a mild one, and it is the only one that I have. Other than this, the book is very tightly argued, and it is one of the clearest, best-written books I have ever read. Even if you do not agree with it, read it as a guide to writing!

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47 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars One big ad for Logos School!, July 4, 2006

By	Gowie "gowie" (CO, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning: An Approach to Distinctively Christian Education (Turning Point Christian Worldview Series) (Paperback)

I appreciate many of the Logos School curriculum materials, along with the overall philosophy of the school. I looked forward to reading founder Douglas Wilson's book.

At the beginning, the book was very interesting, mostly discussing what goals the Logos School has and how the school implements various curriculum to teach its students.

The author continually vaguely slams Christian schools that are basically secular but just add in Bible study/prayer time. I think it's fair to say that most people would not want this type of Christian school, but other than bashing these schools, Mr. Wilson did not give any advice to the reader as to how to identify these schools or help to bring about change.

When I reached the chapter on homeschooling, Mr. Wilson lost all credibility with me. Being an educator at a Christian school, I would assume he is also very familiar with homeschooling, and he in fact claims that he and his wife would choose this option, if "a good Christian school were not available." Reading his book, the reader begins to understand that Logos School is one of the few schools in the nation that might meet this criteria.

He then goes on to say that parents teaching at home in the early years who then place their children "in a Christian school to continue their education" have fundamentally identical education principles as the Christian school. BUT "if a home schooling family maintains that children can be given a complete education in the average home (say, K-12), then frankly there is an important difference in educational philosophy." Boloney. I began to see that the "difference" might have more to do with the funding of Christian schools, not the educational choices among each family.

The logic Mr. Wilson puts forth for this argument is bizarre. He claims that a homeschool mom could be dividing her time "teaching a 12-year-old, a 10-year-old, and an 8-year-old, and she has to teach each one of them history, math, English, science, etc." Hunh? The homeschooling families that I know blend as many of these subjects as possible. The only people that I know who teach each child separately in all of these subjects belong to virtual academies (publically funded schools where the children are taught at home by a parent).

Mr. Wilson claims that parents can more easily teach younger children at home but that it becomes more difficult as children get older. "[I]t is one thing to teach your 5-year-old how to read and quite another to teach Latin to an 11-year-old." Yes, Mr. Wilson, it is. Teaching reading is a far more scary thought, especially considering so many schools do a poor job. Latin's not so tough in comparison.

Additionally Mr. Wilson also claims that homeschooling parents are unable to adequately research claims of various textbooks they use to teach their own children. I beg to differ. Many homeschoolers can and do often refer to original material, just as one is led to assume must be done by Logos School (although there are no claims that Logos School "adequately researches" textbook claims).

Mr. Wilson interjects quotes by homeschooling experts Raymond and Dorothy Moore, and various "unschooling" theories to "prove his point." However, these experts and theories are fundamentally opposite of the whole rigorous classical approach that Mr. Wilson promotes. This would be similar to using quotes from (former California Governor) Jerry Brown to argue a platform of President Bush!

This book was a huge disappointment. I believe Mr. Wilson is capable of so much more, and unfortunately, he left a very bad taste in my mouth. Blech!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Life-changing book!
This book, published in 1991, has become an incredibly influential book. In fact, an entire association of schools exists largely because of this book. Read more

Published 29 days ago by John Gardner

4.0 out of 5 stars Good But Not Excellent
During a private meeting at a classical Christian school in Tennessee, my wife and I were told that Doug Wilson is the father of classical education here in America, as he brought... Read more

Published 6 months ago by HOWARD M MERKEN

1.0 out of 5 stars Flawed Argument from a Flawed Mind
The book contained many valid opinions about public education, and it wasn't hard to agree with those opinions if you take a look at what our public education system is... Read more

Published 13 months ago by K. Boswell

5.0 out of 5 stars Classical Christian Education provides children with integrated view of the world
I found this book to be excellent. We have our two children (5 and 7 years old) enrolled in a Classical Christian School in Troy MI. Read more

Published on December 1, 2005 by Charles H. Rosa

5.0 out of 5 stars An "education" about Classical education
Excellent-Insightful and thought-provoking. Makes me proud and excited to have my child enrolled in a classical education school.

Published on September 28, 2005 by S. Riley

5.0 out of 5 stars Tested and found excellent
We started our daughter in kindergarden at a school modeled after this Book. She will start 3rd grade, and Latin, this fall. Read more

Published on July 29, 2005 by Trivium Pursuit

5.0 out of 5 stars Seeing this stuff work!
My wife and I read this book as a prerequisite to getting our son into a private Christian school. While I am no education expert, my wife has a masters degree in the field, and... Read more

Published on March 6, 2005 by Rusty Phillips

1.0 out of 5 stars What sort of learning?
Do some research about Wilson. Find his website and listen to his sermons about family. Hear what he says about returning to the Old Testament tribal system. Read more

Published on June 10, 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!
This book is outstanding. Mr. Wilson presents excellent information about the educational and moral decay of the public school system. Read more

Published on January 12, 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Championing the virtue of Chritian Education
Mr. Wilson's book on education is outstanding. Does it matter that a teacher is a Christian teacher or a secular one, in light of basic math problems? or perhaps history? Read more

Published on October 24, 2002 by B. Hardecker

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