34 - Classical Christian Education with Douglas Wilson

When you think of education, what images come to mind? You may think of rows of beige-and-chrome desks, all arranged facing the front of a classroom, the walls of which are decorated with maps, inspirational quotes, and the ABCs. At the front of the classroom stands a teacher (probably a woman, if we’re picturing an elementary classroom), and she is leading her pupils in some lesson.

Now, what is she saying to her class?

The possible answers to that question will be very different, depending on what kind of school you are imagining. This is because there are vast differences between what sorts of things are taught at public (government-run) schools vs. private schools. And there are even more differences between different kinds of private schools. Is it a Christian or secular school? Is the education being offered modern or classical?

Furthermore, the answer will depend on exactly when you’re imagining this scene. What is being taught in public schools today is not necessarily the same as what we were taught in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. Certainly much is the same (the ABCs haven’t changed), but differences in the content will reflect the ways our society has changed since we were kids. Does anyone really think that what sixth graders today are being taught about, say, gender, is the same as what their counterparts were being taught in 1996?

The question we must face, then, is what kind of changes should we expect schools to make along with society, and which things should remain unchanged? And how do we decide between the two? To answer this question, it can be super helpful to look back into our history and see how schooling was done in the past. What worked, what have we lost since then, and what should we consider bringing back?

In this episode, my guest is pastor and author Douglas Wilson. Pastor Wilson is the lead pastor of Christ Church in Moscow Idaho; you may know him as the author of many influential books, or as a podcaster--his podcast, the Plodcast is educational and a lot of fun to listen to; or as the man who, with his wife Nancy, helped to kick start the movement of classical christian education in America in recent decades. I’ve read eight of his books this year and they’ve been incredibly helpful and thought-provoking.

Pastor Wilson is going to help us navigate the question of education, how we should think about it as Christians, and why so many today are returning to what is known as Classical Education.

For the full show notes including highlights and resources, go to http://thethink.institute.