Platypus of Truth

Observations on the State of Christian Education and Suggestions. I am, in large part, a product of Christian education. For the last few years, I've been giving back to the system at a small private school. My experiences on both sides of the desk have begun to coalesce lately, and so I offer the following as a provisional and tentative sketch of what I've learned. Christian education, at its best, revives the old ideal of the university; where all the disciplines meet under a common uniting principle to shape students into integrated physical, emotional, and spiritual beings. However, experience, studies, and anecdotal evidence have suggested to me that this ideal is rarely reached. There are several factors in play that seem to me to hinder many Christian schools in their attempts to offer an excellent and truly Christian education: Problems: 1. Lack of a clear philosophy of Christian education. It seems to me that many churches decide that something is wrong with the...

Lines quoted by Lewis in "Surprised by Joy" from Euripides: "Oh God, bring me to the sea's end To the Hesperides, sisters of evening, Who sing alone in their islands Where the golden apples grow, And the Lord of Oceans guards the way From all who would sail Into their night-blue harbors — Let me escape to the rim of the world Where the tremendous firmament meets The earth, and Atlas holds the universe In his palms. For there, in the palace of Zeus, Wells of ambrosia pour through the chambers, While the sacred earth lavishes life And Time adds his years Only to heaven's happiness"

Odds and ends as summer wraps up. My big "thinking book" for this summer was "The Closing of the American Mind" by Allan Bloom. Yeah, I'm coming to this one a little late, but I was just a kid in the '80s when it was written. I undertook it as a sort of intellectual archeology, since it influenced people who have influenced me. Even if it's a little out of date, (and when has that ever stopped a Torrey student?) it's still worth the read just to uncover some of the ideas and problems that shaped the way we were taught. Hopefully, I'll be able to continue that archeology by digging into a bit of Strauss later in the year. In prepping for my American History class, I also undertook to read "1776" by David McCullough. My grandmother sent me the illustrated edition for my birthday. It was a thoroughly enjoyable read and all the reproductions of historical documents were fun to play with and will be useful in the classroom. Finally, I...

Now on the fortieth day, the great strength of Utnapishtim failed him and his foot stumbled, and Utnapishtim cried out. Then a great wind came from the East and drove a wall of sand between him and his pursuers, and Utnapishtim rose up and ran. A while later, his strength gave way again, and he stumbled in the way, and cried out with a loud voice. Then a great fire came across from the West and burned between him and his pursuers, and Utnapishtim rose up again and ran. When darkness came, his great strength was at its end, and he stumbled to the ground, and let out a great cry. Then a storm came from the North and the springs of the earth were opened and Wheels of Og's chariots, and the hooves of his horses, and the feet of his footmen were snared in the mud. Then Og lost Utnapishtim in the midst of the storm and great was the wrath of Og in that day when he lost Utnapishtim in the heart of the storm. Then Utnapishtim found a tree and laid himself beneath it to die. And Wi...