Timothy Edwards spent nine years teaching in Idaho, taught himself out of the UK’s university system entirely, and then went and built his own Christian college a stone’s throw from Oxford. What could go wrong?
In this episode of Refining Rhetoric, host Robert Bortins sits down with Dr. Timothy Edwards — founder and first principal of Selden College, a new classical Christian liberal arts college in Oxford, England. Timothy holds a PhD from Oxford, an MA from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and spent nine years as Dean and Fellow of Theology at New St. Andrews College in Idaho before moving home to plant something new. He and Robert trace his path from a PE-teacher-in-training’s senior thesis on Britain’s burgeoning Christian school movement, to homeschooling his own six children, to finally founding Selden — and why he built it to bypass the UK’s A-level system entirely in favor of a bespoke entrance exam and interview.
The conversation gets into the details that make this more than an origin story: why Selden’s first cohort spent two weeks walking the actual sites of biblical Israel as part of their coursework, and why Hebrew — a language built on ambiguity rather than rigid grammatical forms — changes the way you encounter Scripture compared to reading it in translation. Timothy also makes the case that Christian higher education isn’t just a shelter from a hostile culture but a good in its own right, worth building for its own sake.
For homeschool families wondering what a genuinely classical, Christian college pathway looks like — and what it could mean for programs like Classical Conversations that run all the way to 18 — this one’s worth the full listen. Give it a listen and see what it takes to build something lasting out of nothing but conviction and prayer.
Learn more about Selden College: https://seldencollege.org
This episode of Refining Rhetoric is sponsored by Samaritan’s Purse — Operation Christmas Child.
The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world. Your homeschool community can be part of this global mission by packing gift-filled shoeboxes full of quality toys, school supplies, and personal care items that are sent to children in over 100 countries. Through this project, Samaritan’s Purse partners with the local church worldwide to share the Good News of Jesus Christ and make disciples of the nations.
Make Operation Christmas Child part of your school year leading up to National Collection Week, November 16–23.
Learn more about how you can join this ministry at https://samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/