Why CHRISTIAN Education? (And, Happy 35th Birthday to CHESS!!)

Why CHRISTIAN Education?

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:2

The Bible opens with a glorious classroom, showcasing the wonder of what is in (and what is beyond!) this world - all just waiting to be studied and explored!!  And the Author-Creator of all this wonder? – “In the beginning, God created...” This truth definitively answers the question, “Why Christian education?”

God is the Creator, therefore when we are learning about creation, we are studying God. When God is “removed” from education, it is no longer true education.  True education teaches us to “think God’s thoughts after Him”. For instance, in true education, we recognize and acknowledge that mathematics is a language given to us by God to express His creation absolutes. The arts imitate and mirror the beauty of God’s creation, the languages are given to us to speak back to God and to ourselves of the reality of what is good and right, and to shine a light on what is unholy and unprofitable to man. The sciences uncover the breathtaking details and intricate designs of God’s physical world.

All creation sings of God, its Author-Creator, and when children are veered away from God as being the Author-Creator (as they are in government schools), they are veered away from God as being the Absolute One, the Savior, the One to Whom they owe all allegiance in mind, body, soul, and spirit. 

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For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

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Christian education, whether via homeschooling or through Academies like CHESS, is true education. I am thankful for each hour in which our students, either here at CHESS or at home or at church, are under Christian tutelage.  Our minds need continual renewal to think God’s thoughts after Him, and the Scriptures are replete with exhortations to constantly pursue that renewal (see Proverbs, 2 Corin. 10:3-5, etc.) and to forsake worldly philosophies:

Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law he meditates day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he does shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore, the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. Psalm 1

In that light, I encourage all of us to carefully consider what other “classrooms” we and our students may be attending. At the touch of a screen or click of a button we can easily join the world’s “classrooms” and be catechized by worldly instructors who say to us, “Did God really say?”, and who repeat the devil’s mantra lies of, “Here is what is true and right and how you ought to think and live.”

We must constantly guard against attending these worldly and devilish classrooms and instead, exhort ourselves and our children to daily and hourly “carefully keep our hearts (and minds) with all diligence, to attend to know understanding, to get wisdom, to not forsake her, for she shall preserve us, making our steps sure, taking fast hold of instruction, not letting go, for this is true life,  and is the path to Life.” (Proverbs 4)

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Philippians 4:8

CHESS is blessed to celebrate its 35th year of serving homeschooling families with Christian education. We are thankful for God’s care and provision as, together, we seek to exalt Him as the Author-Creator, Savior and Redeemer. - Principal Brown

Image of child by tarasyasinskif, Pixabay.

Who Stole the Lost Tools of Learning?

The phrase “lost tools of learning” comes from an essay written by Christian author, essayist, and writer, Dorothy Sayers. Early in the 20th century, she critiqued the movement toward progressive ideals and forms of education. This included elements that we all recognize: child-centered curriculum choices, elimination of competition and merit-based learning, elimination of educational practices that are not “fun” for the students (like memorization, drill and practice, graded tests and assignments, etc.). Educators have moved in the direction of cooperative group assignments with socialized grading schemes and age-based advancement regardless of achievement.

Those trends have not reversed themselves in a pendulum of action and reaction. Instead, they have been exacerbated by the trend to amuse ourselves to death, with all of its attendant technological wonders. Artificial intelligence, though helpful in some applications, also mitigates against the development of human intelligence, which takes more work and a certain amount of discomfort on the parts of learners and teachers alike.

Why are these things problematic?  The public/private partnerships in our society want workers with particular skills but don’t require or even desire much analytical ability. Compliance is more comfortable for everyone than complaint.

 Sayers wrote:

 “... we let our young men and women go out unarmed in a day when armor was never so necessary. By teaching them to read, we have left them at the mercy of the printed word. By the invention of film and radio (I’ll add all things digital), we have made sure that no aversion to reading shall secure them from the incessant battery of words, words, words. They do not know what the words mean; they do not know how to ward them off or blunt their edge or fling them back; they are prey to words in their emotions instead of being the masters of them in their intellects.” [RLT, p. 152]

So, what are we to do?

We have wanted in the last 120 years to wash our hands of the responsibility to arm our children. Our parents and grandparents were happy to let their children be wards of the state five days a week. But wait! Here comes homeschooling. But wait again. Too much of what passes for school at home is a hodgepodge of programmed learning online (turnkey, no muss no fuss, wash our hands again), or government sponsored freebies (no personal cost to me), or back to basics programs (Once my kids can read, do basic math and spell a little, my job is done. They can educate themselves.)

But does this type of education prepare the Christian warriors and builders that we need in the kingdom of God?

The famous Christian educator and writer, C. S. Lewis, astutely observed, “Where the old [education] initiated, the new merely ‘conditions.’ The old dealt with its pupils as a grown bird deals with young birds when they teach them to fly: the new deals with them more as the poultry keeper deals with young birds– making them thus or thus for purposes of which the birds know nothing.” [AOM, p. 34]

We know that the “poultry keeper” approach leads to bondage and death. But what are we to do? Based on the “Lost Tools,” some have advocated for a classical Christian education, or a classical liberal arts education. Those terms are frightening, however, if we have a built-in aversion to words such as “liberal” and “classical.”  What do we actually mean by a classical Christian liberal arts education?

What we don’t mean—

• We do not mean an education based on classical Greek philosophies and ideals.

• We do not mean an education that is a medieval style syncretism of Greek philosophy mixed with Christian theology and tradition.

• We do not mean an education focused on the fine arts.

• We do not mean an education based on progressive liberal philosophies and practices.

What we do mean—

• We mean the use of tried-and-true methods that prepare students to interact with their culture and society in a way that effectively provides an antithesis and antidote to godless secularism through 1) a thorough understanding of the Biblical worldview and 2) being equipped to effectively communicate and defend it. By “liberal arts” we mean methods and content that cause the student’s mind to mature so that it is free to think apart from popular group think and impervious to unbiblical propaganda. [ITW, p. 386-7]

• By “classical” we mean education that creates understanding and appreciation for the true, the good and the beautiful.

• The true is explored through epistemology– how we know what we know. As Christians, we recognize the authority of God’s Word, His revealed truth, as foundational.

• The good is explored through biblical ethics. Right and wrong are defined by God, not some poll of public opinion published on social media.

• The beautiful is explored through biblical aesthetics. Beauty is founded on the creative principles of God, bringing order to chaos.

• Too often we let our students, and perhaps ourselves, “feel” our way through life without learning why we should “feel” a particular way. If we can’t think rightly, we probably won’t feel rightly. We won’t know how to ground our feelings on Biblical truth.

Is this approach Biblical in and of itself? Do we need to go beyond basic skills and content to inculcate rigorous mental skills? Scripture demands that we do.

• Hebrews 5:13-14: For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the Word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

• Col. 4:6: Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned as it were, with salt, so that you may know how to respond to each person.

• I Pet. 3:15: But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.

• Tit. 2:6-8: Likewise urge the young men to be sensible, in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach, in order that the opponent may be put to shame...

In order to train our young people to have this kind of ability, we must work with God’s design for development.

• Elementary grades: The “Grammar” phase

This is the basic tools phase. We start with reading, writing, and arithmetic. This must involve a great deal of memorization. We can’t start our youngsters on the path to relying on Alexa when they need to recall something basic. At this stage they need to know how their language works. It is good to study a Latin-based language. This helps children understand the structure of their own language which they learned by rote imitation. It also extends their vocabulary.

Their content education will be focused on the vocabulary unique to various disciplines, such as basic science, geography, literature, mathematics etc.

At CHESS we offer a variety of classes that help in the grammar phase.

• Middle School: The “Dialectic” phase

Students are learning to use their tools. They are learning to analyze facts, propositions, opinions in a logical way. Sayers writes, “Logic is the art of arguing correctly... Indeed, the practical utility of formal logic today lies not so much in the establishment of positive conclusions as in the prompt detection and exposure of invalid inference.” [RLT, p. 158]

Prov. 2:10-11 For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul, discretion will guard you, understanding will watch over you, to deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perverse things.

At CHESS we offer logic and expository writing at this level.

• High School: The “Rhetoric” phase

Once we have basic tools and know how to use them, it is time to build something meaningful. Students at this level should be able to recognize the true, the good and the beautiful and communicate effectively the basis for their judgments.  Subject matter becomes the grist for the mental mill.

At CHESS we offer speech and debate, drama, apologetics, in depth Bible study, and Biblical Greek.

Rom 12:2: And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good, and acceptable, and perfect.

As Sayers warned, if we don’t have the proper end in sight as educators, “What is the use to pile task on task and prolong days of labor, if at the close, the chief object is left unattained?  The sole end of education is simply this: to teach men how to think and learn for themselves.” [RTL, p. 164]

Acts 17:11: Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so.

So, what happened to the “Lost Tools of Learning?” Were they really stolen? Probably not entirely. To paraphrase the 19th century evangelist Robert Sheffey, “Every time we give up a part of our faith to try to fit into the ways of the world... we lose a precious part of God’s promise, sacrificed to the world, and the world will never give it back... When it is all gone, we will look back and see our religion was not taken from us, it was given up, handed over bit by bit, until there was nothing left.” [SHEF]

Perhaps we didn’t learn how to use the tools ourselves and so did not recognize their necessity or value. At CHESS, we are here to partner with you in the body of Christ to help you regain the tools and raise a generation of people capable of building something meaningful for the kingdom of God in this present age. - Mrs. Teri Ong.

Colorado Heritage Education School System was originally founded as a ministry of Victory Baptist Church (now called Reformation Baptist Church) in Greeley, Colorado, by Pastor Stephen and Mrs. Teri Ong in 1991. The Ongs, pioneers of home education, began home educating their children in 1986. Stephen and Teri Ong were influential in helping to broaden home education freedoms in Colorado before home education was recognized as a viable means of education in Colorado.

Bibliography and Notes

Sayers, Dorothy. “The Lost Tools of Learning” reprinted in Wilson, Douglas. Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning.  Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 1991. [RLT]

Holmes, Arthur F. “The Liberal Arts: What and Why?” reprinted in Timmerman and Hettinga. In the World. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004. [ITW]

Lewis, C. S. The Abolition of Man. Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996 edition. [AOM]

Sheffey, a film produced by Unusual Films, Bob Jones University, based on the life of evangelist Robert Sheffey. [SHEF]

empty toolbox image: Angeles Balaguer, Pixabay; chicken image: Thomas Quinn, Pixabay; tools image: Stefan Schweihofer; Pixabay

Do You Love Jesus?

Do You Love Jesus?

One spring day while I was walking home through the park, a lady walked over to me and asked me if I loved Jesus. She handed me a gospel tract. I told her I did (though I knew it was a lie) because I knew I was “supposed” to say that I loved him. I was not only a good Catholic, but in the current “Jesus Freak” movement of the 1970s, I was experiencing a lot of pressure through media (television, cassette tape gospel messages provided by my loving aunt) to become this born-again, Jesus-loving person. I wanted to end the conversation as soon as possible. Looking back, I am sure this God-loving, sincere lady would have preferred an honest answer from me. Either way, the gospel tract ended up in my possession, and I kept it because I was too afraid to throw it out…and it haunted me for weeks and weeks and weeks. I was a senior in high school.

I eventually read that tract. I can’t remember exactly what it said. However, the message that I was a sinner and that I needed God’s forgiveness was the main point. And, by God’s grace, I got it - and sought His forgiveness through Jesus. That was over four decades ago. Recalling my baby Christian steps of being a new believer and then my journeys through many waters, mistakes, trials, joys, and blessings, the same question asked by that dear lady is still relevant. Do I love Jesus?

A few decades ago, when I was going through an extreme trial, a pastor encouraged me to meditate often on God’s love for me, instead of me trying to figure out my love for Him. That sage advice was the beginning of an invaluable paradigm shift in my thinking. And continues to this day. Afterall, we love Him because He first loved us. There is nothing better to stir up our love for God, than to meditate on His amazing love for us. The Scriptures are steeped in expressions of His love and faithfulness to His children. Sometimes when I have had a particularly challenging day with my own sin issues and get discouraged (I mean, how can a Christian even behave/think this way?), I dare myself to recall God’s amazing and steadfast and forgiving love for me. His grace and love are then even more amazing, and frankly, unbelievable – in the very best sense - to me (Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.)!

Do I love Jesus? When I think of being clothed with the earned righteousness (my own righteousnesses are as filthy rags) of this Second Adam, Whose perfect obedience to the law is imputed onto me, when I think of my sins being imputed onto Him (He who knew no sin became sin for me.), when I think of the Father being satisfied with the sacrifice of His Son for all my sins, when I think of God’s promise to never leave nor forsake His blood-bought children, when I think of the resurrection and ascension of Christ to the home prepared for me in heaven, and that someday I will praise my Savior unhindered, when I think of the Holy Spirit Who lives in me, and Who makes me willing and able to walk in faith and obedience in this pilgrimage, when I think of the many other bright gospel pearls strung on the golden chain of salvation, yes, I can say that I love Jesus.

Dear homeschooling families and students, do you love Jesus? This IS an important question. The blessed path to your answer is found in God’s word. Daily read this Book from God. In its inspired pages, we learn of ourselves and of God’s great saving grace and mercy. And we see Jesus - His living and dying love for His children.

Mary Brown

Photo by Tiffany Anthony on Unsplash

Prepare in the Nest

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and pow’r are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing,
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us;
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly pow’rs, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth;
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever. - Dr. Martin Luther

Dear CHESS Families,

The words above say it all. As the darkness and attacks of the hateful evil one become more and more evident every day, I pray that God’s people will also trust more and more in the Lord of Sabaoth, that we will obey His Word, rely on the Spirit, and use the gifts that are ours: God’s Word, prayer, sitting under Godly preaching, fellowship of the saints, and the exhortation of one another while it is called today.

Over the past several years, I have met with many families who have been horrified and aghast at what their children were being taught or subjected to at their public school; and they want out! What you hear that is happening in our nation’s public schools is true, even in our own back yard - in our county of Weld.  If the wicked one is going to seek to crush a society and attack God’s truths, one of his main strategies is to work his evil on the vulnerable saplings. And that is just what he is doing.

Parents, I encourage each one of you who have taken up homeschooling. Stay the course. Be thankful. When those hard days come, remember why you are homeschooling, and take a prayerful breather. Don’t believe the philosophy that says we must expose our children to the world so they know how to live in it. Our children have a hard enough time managing the normal growing up process than to add to it having to sort out, and yes, fight against, the evil philosophies of the world that is set on infiltrating their young hearts and minds. Also, our children are NOT missionaries. To place our children in amongst the wicked woke philosophies so that they can be a witness may be a sincere desire, but it is misguided. Let this type of witnessing be done by us, not by our children.

CHESS families. I am thankful for each and everyone of you. I know that homeschooling is not easy. Sometimes we have so many doubts if we are doing everything right, and we worry about our children’s future – will they get into the right college or trade school, will they get a job, etc. Truth to be told, no parent does things perfectly. But our attempts to do the right thing must be bathed in prayer. God is so merciful to take our feeble efforts and turn them into something glorious for Him. We can be confident of the outcome because of His mercies, not because of our abilities or lack thereof. Remember, we are raising our children to serve Him in His Kingdom wherever He deems is best, and we must encourage our children with this truth as we guide them regarding their future. Serving Him in His Kingdom in the days ahead will be a challenge like none of us older folks have every experienced in this country. That is why it is even more important that we are faithful to prepare our children while they are in the nest, so that when they leave, they will be “Sons vigorous and tall as growing plants. Daughters of graceful beauty like the pillars of a palace wall.”  Psalm 144:12 - Principal Brown

Eyes Have Been Opened

When I worked for a computer company in the 1980’s, I had a discussion with a fellow employee regarding homeschooling. Like most people in those early days of the home education movement, my co-worker was decidedly against homeschooling, and for all the same reasons we still hear today - even as homeschooling has gained great favor in the eyes of not just families of school-aged children, but also with higher educational institutions. Homeschooling in America from its earliest beginnings has always experienced pushback to some extent or other. Recently, however, the option to home school and the recognition of its super-valuable benefits has become an “Aha” moment for thousands of parents in the USA. Even so, despite it’s growing popularity, fed by the eye-opening year of COVID-reactionary, in-class-learning shut downs, homeschooling is steadily receiving media flogging that is especially reserved these days for any belief or effort that can possibly be related to conservatism and/or Christianity. And this treatment reveals the panic that the government-controlled public school system, as well as the proponents of progressive and ungodly ideologies, are feeling as they witness the massive exodus of young minds no longer available to them for molding into a parroting army of socialist foot soldiers.

The link below is an encouraging podcast on homeschooling and why homeschooling has recently become the preferred choice of K-12 education for thousands of parents. If you know families who have joined the worthy ranks of home educators, and who are looking for a solid, Christian home school academy to come alongside them in this great journey, please share CHESS with them.

I hope you enjoy the podcast.

Principal Brown