The renewal of classical, Christian education is a movement to preserve the timeless truths of the past so that families can solve timely problems and serve others. At Classical Conversations, we talk about this as the intersection of the timeless and the timely.
In order to preserve a timeless tradition, we pursue the Trivium arts of grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric. We talk about these liberating arts in a way that others can pursue them with us and can be free indeed. We preserve the books and ideas that allow us to seek wisdom from the giants of the past. As we practice the arts and read the books, we chase after Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. This is the vision, the “why” that fuels our efforts. We need a way of becoming proficient in the Trivium arts of Grammar, Dialectic, and Rhetoric. This is the “how” of our efforts. Scripture provides us with the models.
The Art of Grammar – Name like Adam
In Genesis 2, we find the first lesson in history. Here, God brings the animals to Adam so that he can name them and begin to care for them, just as parents’ first task is naming their children. As we work on daily tasks, we also uncover and use the proper names for things, names such as numerator, denominator, linking verb, predicate noun, plateau, and sedimentary rock. We need to Name like Adam.
Our calling as homeschool families is a high and noble one. Consider three claims made by the ancient skeptics: (1) There is no truth. (2) If there was truth, we could never know it. (3) If we could know it, we could never communicate it (my thanks to Andrew Kern).
Every homeschool parent refutes these claims each and every day. Our children ask, “What’s that bird outside the window?” As parents, we answer with a name: “It’s a red-breasted robin.” The child asks for the truth and trusts us to give it to them. In that way, we prepare them to acknowledge that there is truth, and that this Truth is the person of Jesus Christ.
What are the Five Core Habits of Grammar?
The Art of Dialectic- Question like Jesus
In his ministry, Jesus asked many, many questions. I think we can safely claim that the most important question He asked can be found in Matthew 16:15 when He asked the disciples, “But whom do you say that I am?” After all, this is the question He is still asking each person today. As we disciple our children, we need to Ask Questions like Jesus.
We continue our pursuit of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty by asking questions about the people, places, things, and ideas that we encounter in books and in the world. We further refute the claims of the skeptics by not only acknowledging that there is truth but by helping our children to know the Truth through our careful investigation of words and ideas.
What are the Five Common Topics of Dialectic?
The Art of Rhetoric – Persuade like Paul
One of the masters of rhetoric was the Apostle Paul. In Acts 17, he went to the marketplace on Mars Hill to hear the latest, greatest ideas that were being discussed. He looked around and saw the numerous Greek statues built to honor their gods. He even found one dedicated to an unknown god. He then delivered a powerful piece of persuasion.
Instead of saying, “Smash these statues immediately, you wicked idolaters,” he applauded the Greeks for being religious. He then pointed out the altar to the unknown God and offered to introduce the Greeks to Him. He knew his audience, and he spoke the truth in love. As our children practice telling the truth in love to others, we need to help them Persuade like Paul. As families and communities, we will pursue the truth together and will communicate it to the world.
What are the Five Canons of Rhetoric?
The Essentials for Quality Content
Having established why we pursue classical education and how we implement it through the Trivium arts, we turn to the crucial question of content. In order to Name like Adam, Question like Jesus, and Persuade like Paul, we need quality content to learn from. This is the “what” of our efforts. Classical Conversations has resolved to join the historical tradition of Keepers of the Books in order to preserve the wisdom of the past.
Keepers of History
The word “keep” comes from an Old English word cepan, a word which translates as seizing, holding, or attending to. At the dawn of human civilization, information was passed from one generation to the next through the oral tradition. People memorized the wisdom of their cultures and then told it to others, often in the form of stories. Then, God revealed Himself as the God of the written word. His commandments were etched in stone and then passed to the tribes of Israel through Moses. Humans later invented paper (Egyptian papyrus) as a lighter, more portable way of recording human wisdom.
Due to the combined impact of the burning of the Library of Alexandria in 48 BC and the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD, much written human knowledge was lost. During the Middle Ages, monks preserved what they could of the past, becoming keepers of the books by copying manuscripts. These monks had a clear sense of the works that should be preserved, of the best books that all Christians should read. They preserved timeless classics of Greece and Rome as well as the Bible and works of early Church Fathers.
Gutenberg’s printing press in the 1450s made it even more possible to spread knowledge quickly, portably, and inexpensively. Today, the internet and mass digitization of media have given us access to the largest library the world has ever known. This access has made it easy to keep and distribute books, but paradoxically, it has made it more difficult for people to choose the best books.
In addition to preserving the content of good books, Classical Conversations wants to fight to preserve physical books, the books that can be read while families snuggle up on the couch, that can be pored over and even smelled by the whole family.
Protectors of Wisdom
It is time for the Keepers of the Books to step up again to preserve the knowledge of the past so that it may be shared with future generations. After all, books serve as one of our important teachers in our search for knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. Our familiarity with certain books enables us to enter the classical conversations of history.
We serve and worship a God who came down to us as the Word made flesh. He then left us the written record of Scripture to guard and guide our steps. Finally, books give us time-tested wisdom for the timely situations we face today.
The verse for the grammar strand in Classical Conversations is John 1:1: “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.” In Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman writes: “The God of the Jews was to exist in the Word and through the Word, an unprecedented conception requiring the highest order of abstract thinking.” Reading the written word and processing abstract ideas by thinking with just pen and paper makes us good discipuli, the Latin word for students.
Learning in the Word
Some might argue that preserving knowledge digitally is sufficient, and digital archives are definitely helpful in preserving the contents of ancient books. However, digital information can be easily altered, which means we still need the permanence of printed books. Furthermore, no child snuggles up next to a parent and develops warm memories of reading from a digital device. We are embodied souls who live in a tangible world. It is good to see, hear, touch, and even smell our books.
The liberal arts of grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric prepare us to be free. We learn from the teachers around us and from our books. The written word is a precious treasure. As keepers of the books, we want to preserve written knowledge for God’s glory and as an anchor to the history of the church. We hope to encourage the reading of words and of The Word. Just as there is a canon of good books to read for classical education, there is a canon for all of Christendom. The books we read, the ideas we discuss, and the conversations we share unify Christians around the globe as we discover who God is through His Word and His world.
Key Takeaways on Classical Curriculum and Great Books
- Classical Christian education preserves timeless truths through the Trivium arts of grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric, modeled after biblical examples: Name like Adam, Question like Jesus, and Persuade like Paul.
- Quality content from the great books tradition has been preserved throughout history by “Keepers of the Books” from medieval monks to modern families, providing the essential foundation for classical learning.
- Physical books remain essential for classical education, providing tangible experiences that digital formats cannot replace while anchoring families to the written Word and wisdom of the past.
- The intersection of timeless and timely learning equips families to pursue Truth, Goodness, and Beauty through time-tested wisdom that unites Christians globally in discovering God through His Word and world.
Learn More about Classical Education Resources:
- Everyday Educator Podcast: Keepers of the Books
- Classical Education Curriculum: A Comprehensive Guide to Learning
- Catechesis Wheel
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