BaseCamp Live
Davies Owens
BaseCamp LIVE will equip you, the parent, educator, or mentor to climb the biggest mountains as you seek to shape young people to become exceptionally prepared, compassionate, and thoughtful human beings. Our guests are thought leaders, culture watchers, and educational experts who are seeing the benefits of a classical Christian education to form students into adults who can think critically, believe with courage, and serve compassionately.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 17, 2021 • 40min
Got Questions? 100 Answers to Classical Christian Education
Classical Christian Education is a new experience for many people, and whether you are new or have been around a classical school for years, there are many questions about why we do what we do. And since few parents or teachers today grew up in CCE schools, combined with the fact that there are more families than ever joining our schools, you are likely not alone if you have a question. My guest, Dr. Tim Dernlan, is back to share answers to 10 questions from the 100 he has identified and written about in his new book, "A Guide to Understanding Classical Christian Education: 100 Common Questions."BIOGRAPHYDr. Timothy Dernlan earned a Bachelor of Arts in both Education and Communication at Purdue University, a Master of Education in Educational Leadership at Lehigh University, and a Doctor of Education in Leadership Studies at Ashland University. He has experience teaching theater, math, rhetoric, physical education, personal finance, communication, leadership, and systematic theology in public, charter, private, Christian, and classical Christian schools and at the college level. His areas of focus are spiritual formation, classroom management, the effectiveness of classical Christian education, fundraising, the works of C.S. Lewis, physical education and the trivium, and leadership.He served as Principal and then Headmaster at Tall Oaks Classical School before serving as Superintendent of Reach Christian Schools, a three-campus, Christian school district that educated over 1200 students at five different PK-12 schools. He then moved to southern Alabama to serve as Head of School at Bayshore Christian School in Fairhope, AL. Dernlan is a visionary leader and is passionate about advancing Christian community and culture through education. Also, Dr. Dernlan serves on the Association of Classical Christian Schools (ACCS) Board of Directors. and consults with schools specializing in strategic planning and financial stability. IMPORTANT LINKSPurchase - A Guide to Understanding Classical Christian Education: 100 Common Questions
Stay tuned for more enlightening discussions on classical Christian education, and join us next time on BaseCamp Live! Remember to subscribe, leave us a review, and reach out to us at info@basecamplive.comDon't forget to visit basecamplive.com for more info and past episodes.

Sep 10, 2021 • 47min
Engaging the Gen Z Mind
On this episode of BCL, It’s time to check in again with Brooke Hempell, senior VP at the Barna Group. As a research firm, Barna is tracking the latest trends and changes with Gen Z, the generational name for young people between 6-22 years old - essentially anyone from Kindergarten to college. While in some ways the world is growing smaller as people share mindsets from universal media and technology - generational differences are quite real, and we need to pay attention to them. Questions of identity, belonging, and purpose are big questions all people have wrestled with through time. Of course, the answer to these questions are answered ultimately in Christ, so we need to engage people where they are on this journey. How do we as parents, educators and influencers best support, guide and encourage this generation? Stay tuned….LINKSBarna GroupGen Z ResourcesBaseCamp LiveEmail us at info@basecamplive.com
Stay tuned for more enlightening discussions on classical Christian education, and join us next time on BaseCamp Live! Remember to subscribe, leave us a review, and reach out to us at info@basecamplive.comDon't forget to visit basecamplive.com for more info and past episodes.

Aug 31, 2021 • 42min
Don't Freak Out!
What is going on in the world today? Just when we think we have seen it or heard it all, we are hit with another crazy curveball. A quick glance at the news often leaves us to say, "can you believe this?" Leaving our fears inflamed, yet we are called as Christ-followers to be faithful, confident, and to model well to our children and students how to live boldly, without fear or anxiety. Easier said than done. It seems much easier to just "freak out." Marriage and family counselor Keith McCurdy, a BaseCamp Live regular, is back to offer some wise and calming words, some fascinating new statistics, and some practical strategies for navigating whatever life throws at us. Keith McCurdy has worked with families, children, parents, and individuals for over 30 years in the field of mental health, working with more than 15,000 individuals and families. He received his Master of Arts and Education Specialist degrees from James Madison University. He is currently the President and CEO of Total Life Counseling, Inc., and is licensed in the state of Virginia as a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.More Info: livesturdy.com
Stay tuned for more enlightening discussions on classical Christian education, and join us next time on BaseCamp Live! Remember to subscribe, leave us a review, and reach out to us at info@basecamplive.comDon't forget to visit basecamplive.com for more info and past episodes.

Aug 24, 2021 • 46min
Captain Shapes Inexperienced Students for Meaningful Life
Imagine being the captain of a billion-dollar US Navy ship with some 400 young sailors under your command. Lots of habits to form, discipline to instill, and curiosity and courage to awaken…talk about raising the next generation. My guest, Ralph Janikowsky, today shares many engaging stories of how to effectively shape character and form Biblical ethics on board his ship. Many of these same principles used in the Navy, he now follows in leading a K-12 classical Christian school. Whether you are commanding a warship at sea, a classroom at school, or a family at home, you won’t want to miss Ralph’s stories and insight.BIOGRAPHYRalph is a graduate of distinction of the U.S. Naval Academy and holds a Masters of Arts in Strategic Studies from the National War College, graduating as the top naval officer in his class. Ralph has commanded a Spruance class destroyer and an Aegis cruiser, having been chosen as one of only twelve from a pool of over a thousand candidates. In that role, Ralph was responsible for over 400 sailors and a $1 billion ship. Ralph retired from sea life as a decorated captain, after serving as:Chief Engineer of USS VIRGINIA (CGN 38)Commanding Officer, USS HEWITT (DD 966) in Yokosuka, Japan. Earned Battle E, Golden Anchor, 7th Fleet ASW and ASUW awardsCommanding Officer, USS PRINCETON (CG 59) Earned Battle E, Golden Anchor, AW for Iraqi Freedom, and awarded PACFLEET Spokane TrophyDirector of Navy Program Analysis and Budgeting in the PentagonSurface Nuclear Officer Community Manager in both PERS 41 and 42. (Good title for an upper school dean…)Transitioning from naval captain to classical Christian school administrator, Ralph served 10 years as the Upper School Principal of Rockbridge Academy in Maryland and is now in his seventh year as Headmaster of Westminster Academy in Memphis.
Stay tuned for more enlightening discussions on classical Christian education, and join us next time on BaseCamp Live! Remember to subscribe, leave us a review, and reach out to us at info@basecamplive.comDon't forget to visit basecamplive.com for more info and past episodes.

Aug 17, 2021 • 37min
700 Years of Encouragement with Doug Henry
Seven hundred years ago, Dante wrote what has been called the most significant single poem ever written. He lived in a world not unlike our own. Fraught with both difficulty of brutal politics, climate changes, crop failure, famine, and disease and filled with beauty, wisdom, hope, and a sacred path forward. Dr. Doug Henry, head of Baylor University’s Honors College, is part of a team from key Christian Universities who have partnered together to bring Dante’s works alive in a unique project called 100 Days of Dante. What can Dante communicate to us in this day and age? Does he still have anything to say to us or offer us? Is his message relevant or valuable to us? Can it still challenge us? Absolutely yes, and it is just what we need for ourselves, our families, and our schools today!Learn more at 100 DAYS OF DANTEBIOGRAPHYDoug Henry is Dean of the Honors College. He holds a BA in religion from Oklahoma Baptist University and an MA and PhD in philosophy from Vanderbilt University. Dean Henry has taught students in all four of the Honors College programs in courses covering everything from Homer's Iliad to twenty-first-century great books such as Marilynne Robinson's Gilead and Cormac McCarthy's Road.Co-editor of three books and author of over thirty refereed and invited articles, book chapters, and reviews, Dean Henry’s scholarly work addresses such varied writers as Plato, Boethius, John Bunyan, Iris Murdoch, Walker Percy, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI and diverse topics including allegory, divine hiddenness, doubt, ecumenism, freedom, hope, and love. His interest and understanding of American higher education, and especially church-related colleges and universities, is reflected in Faithful Learning and the Christian Scholarly Vocation (Eerdmans, 2003), Christianity and the Soul of the University: Faith as a Foundation for Intellectual Community (Baker Academic, 2005), and The Schooled Heart: Moral Formation in American Higher Education (Baylor University Press, 2007).The former director of Baylor’s Institute for Faith and Learning (2001-08), he also served six years as the live-in master of Brooks Residential College at Baylor (2007-13) and co-director of a summer abroad program, Baylor in Turkey and Greece (2011-19), in which his students walked the dusty plains of Troy, sailed the wine-dark seas of the Aegean, stood atop the Areopagus, and marveled at Hagia Sophia. With Gretchen Van Dyke (University of Scranton), Dean Henry is a mentor for the Lilly Graduate Fellows Program, a national initiative supporting Ph.D. students interested in teaching in church-related higher-education.At present, he is working on three book projects: Plato’s Euthyphro and the Character of Piety; Three Rival Versions of Education; and an as-yet untitled academic mystery novel.Married to Michele L. Henry, professor of choral music education and director of the music education division at Baylor, he is the father of a fifteen-year-old son, Zachary. Dean Henry enjoys cycling, running, college football and basketball, reading, and traveling. He is deeply engaged in the local community, showing the usefulness of philosophy for life by developing a small pocket neighborhood, The Cloister at Cameron Park, and by backing Waco's new, community-based bookshop, the highly anticipated Fabled Bookshop & Cafe.
Stay tuned for more enlightening discussions on classical Christian education, and join us next time on BaseCamp Live! Remember to subscribe, leave us a review, and reach out to us at info@basecamplive.comDon't forget to visit basecamplive.com for more info and past episodes.

Aug 10, 2021 • 36min
Is Education Valuable? with Steve Turley
In this episode, Davies was back on the road at the summer ACCS conference with friend and thought leader Dr. Steve Turley. We explore how so much of what we are experiencing in modern culture is directly correlated to influences from K-12 education. Want to understand a culture, reverse engineer back to education and one will find a lot of the answers. But the reverse effect is also true - create the right education and change the culture.BIOGRAPHYDr. Steve Turley is an internationally recognized scholar, speaker, and author. He has served on the faculty of several schools in the classical Christian world teaching theology, greek, and rhetoric and is a former professor of fine arts at Eastern University. Turley is the author of over 20 books, including Classical vs. Modern Education: A Vision from C.S. Lewis. His research and writings have appeared in such journals as Christianity and Literature, First Things, Touchstone, and The Chesterton Review.Turley's popular YouTube channel daily showcases his expertise in the rise of nationalism, populism, and traditionalism throughout the world. His videos, podcasts, and writings on civilization, society, culture, education, and the arts are widely renowned and are a part of his now full-time role at TurleyTalks.com!He and his wife, Akiko, have four children and live in Newark, DE, where they together enjoy fishing, gardening, and watching Duck Dynasty marathons.
Stay tuned for more enlightening discussions on classical Christian education, and join us next time on BaseCamp Live! Remember to subscribe, leave us a review, and reach out to us at info@basecamplive.comDon't forget to visit basecamplive.com for more info and past episodes.

Aug 3, 2021 • 35min
A Third Way Forward with Katharine Savage
In this episode, I was back on the road again. Live in Dallas at the ACCS conference with head of school Katharine Savage. Serving in urban Philadelphia, Katharine shares practical wisdom on how to navigate an increasingly divided and emotionally frazzled community. Her discoveries of what she calls a “third way” forward are effective in leading a school, a family, and most definitely in raising up the next generation. BIOGRAPHYKatharine Savage is the founder and head of school at Philadelphia Classical School in Pennsylvania. She is also a representative member on the board for the Association of Classical Christian Schools (ACCS).
Stay tuned for more enlightening discussions on classical Christian education, and join us next time on BaseCamp Live! Remember to subscribe, leave us a review, and reach out to us at info@basecamplive.comDon't forget to visit basecamplive.com for more info and past episodes.

Jul 27, 2021 • 36min
Wisdom from the Ancients for Flourishing Today with Louis Markos
If there is nothing new under the sun, then it makes sense to look to those who have gone before us for the answers to living boldly and confidently in a world that continues to unravel around us with so many young and old struggling to make wise choices. Dr. Louis Markos, a scholar at Houston Baptist University, brings to the wisdom of the ancient Greek and Roman teachers in an engaging way for us today. These thought leaders from centuries ago have a lot to say about living well and flourishing as we lead and guide the next generation to love God and love neighbors.BIOGRAPHYDr. Louis Markos Professor of English and Scholar in Residence at Houston Baptist University. He speaks widely on ancient Greece and Rome, Lewis and Tolkien, and apologetics and classical education. His 22 books include From Achilles to Christ, On the Shoulders of Hobbits, Apologetics for the 21st Century, Worldview Guides to the Iliad, Odyssey, and Aeneid, and two children’s novels, The Dreaming Stone and In the Shadow of Troy, in which his kids become part of Greek mythology and the epics of Homer. Dr. Markos has a new book out, Myth Made Fact! From Plato to Christ: How Platonic Thought Shaped Christian Faith.LINKS
Stay tuned for more enlightening discussions on classical Christian education, and join us next time on BaseCamp Live! Remember to subscribe, leave us a review, and reach out to us at info@basecamplive.comDon't forget to visit basecamplive.com for more info and past episodes.

Jul 22, 2021 • 35min
Classical Christian Education Is More Than We Realize with Clifford Humphrey
Classical Christian Education is a fantastic form of education, yet it is often challenging for parents and educators to define well. In an effort to both explain it and live it out, we often latch onto narrow definitions and understandings, risking missing out on the big picture. Clifford Humphrey has thought deeply about these various definitions of classical Christian education. He has some helpful ways to avoid the ditches we can fall into, while also showing the power of classical Christian education to raise the next generation effectively. You will discover even more reasons to love and appreciate this form of education, taking the world by storm at this very moment in history.BIOGRAPHYClifford Humphrey grew up in Gainesville, Georgia. His mother homeschooled him and his two brothers through middle school, at which point he attended a university model high school that his parents helped establish. He attended Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Florida and obtained a B.S. in psychology. He then spent three years in New York City, learning classical languages and the trade of woodworking. After New York, he taught at a classical Christian school in Pensacola, Florida for two years before moving to Hunan, China to teach English for a year. He then entered graduate school in politics, first at the University of Dallas and later at Hillsdale College where he recently completed his Ph.D.LINKSThales CollegeClassical U
Stay tuned for more enlightening discussions on classical Christian education, and join us next time on BaseCamp Live! Remember to subscribe, leave us a review, and reach out to us at info@basecamplive.comDon't forget to visit basecamplive.com for more info and past episodes.

Jul 13, 2021 • 28min
Hope for the Next Generation in an Age of Uncertainty, with John Stonestreet
Today, it is easy to find the bad news. It blasts across our screens with a steady message of doom and gloom. As we raise the next generation, what hope do we have? Well, are you ready for some good news? John Stonestreet, President of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview and the daily voice of BreakPoint, reminds us of what to hope in today. He keeps his finger on the pulse of the culture, helping us understand the times we live and seeing the opportunities for us to be truly hopeful. John is a true fan of classical Christian education, seeing the many benefits lived out well in our ever-changing modern world.BIOGRAPHYJohn Stonestreet serves as President of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. He’s a sought-after author and speaker on areas of faith and culture, theology, worldview, education, and apologetics. John is the daily voice of BreakPoint, the nationally syndicated commentary on the culture founded by the late Chuck Colson. He is also the voice of the Point, a daily one-minute feature on worldview, apologetics, and cultural issues. Before coming to the Colson Center in 2010, John served in various leadership capacities with Summit Ministries and was on the biblical studies faculty at Bryan College (TN). John has co-authored four books: A Practical Guide to Culture, Restoring All Things, Same-Sex Marriage, and Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview. John holds degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (IL) and Bryan College (TN). He and his wife, Sarah, have four children and live in Colorado Springs, CO. Connect with John at BreakPoint.org, or follow him on Twitter (@jbstonestreet).
Stay tuned for more enlightening discussions on classical Christian education, and join us next time on BaseCamp Live! Remember to subscribe, leave us a review, and reach out to us at info@basecamplive.comDon't forget to visit basecamplive.com for more info and past episodes.


