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Tag Archives: Christian Classical Education

Books Read in 2022: Investigating Issues: On Marxism and Black Christian Perspective

28 Friday Apr 2023

Posted by Lauren Scott in Books

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Tags

Black Christian Voices, Black Voices, Books, Christian Classical Education, Christian thinking, Classical Education, Critical Race Theory, Cultural Marxism, Marxism, micro book reviews, Neomarxism, racism, Scholé Sisters, soft totalitarianism, totalitarianism

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I may make a commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my blog.

This post wraps up the books I read in 2022. For my other micro book reviews from 2022, click here (homeschool reads) and here (theology and life management reads).

I’m spending a lot more words on this post than I usually do on my micro book reviews, but that’s because I think this subject matter deserves a lot of care. I don’t usually tout my credentials, but it may be useful for the reader to know that I have a degree in history. So handling it with care is not merely a platitude but a trained conviction.

marxism black christian perspective books book reviews

Since 2020, American politics and public discussion has been a bit of a dumpster fire. I’ve paid attention where I could and ignored what I could for sanity’s sake. I’m not one to pick a fight on social media about these things, but these issues do matter. And so I did a bit of reading on two sides of a coin, you could say.

The Scholé Sisters hosted a seminar on Marxism last spring (accessible now through their Sophie Membership), with three books recommended for reading and careful consideration, which you will find listed first below. Concerns over Marxist-inspired ideology in our day are not unfounded. But they are not the only concerns that are valid.

As much as we need to be on our guard against such ideology, we also need to be aware of our own history–and the fact that some of that history has been ignored or kept from us. And so I also read books by black Christian authors on their experiences, history, and wrestlings with the current cultural climate. To focus on one side of this coin while ignoring the other is short-sighted at best and potentially damaging at worst–to our neighbors, to our nation, and to our witness for Christ in the world. See exhibit A below.

A protest against “the Little Rock Nine” at the Capitol in my home state of Arkansas, 1959.

If you are an American Christian who leans politically left, you owe it to yourself and to your neighbor to read up on these concerns about the influence of Marxist ideology and the current disturbing progression toward what Rod Dreher (see below) calls soft totalitarianism. There’s history there you may be missing. Also, hear from the black voices listed below–they hardly get ANY air time in the mainstream media–and especially not on the left.

If you are an American Christian on the political right, you owe it to yourself and to your neighbor to understand the political labels you throw around (“Marxism” likely among them), and to especially do some homework to understand WHY things like Critical Race Theory have appealed to so many. If people get excited about a bad proposed solution (CRT), it may be because there is or has been a legitimate problem (America’s tainted past). Never mind if the current Theorists don’t pinpoint that problem correctly–we shouldn’t ignore it just because others misdiagnose it. The books I’ve read this past year, as well as some other resources I’ll link to at the end of this post should prove helpful to that end.

Let the love of the brethren continue, and may the Lord be glorified in His people even as we dig-in to understand some of the issues that are currently tearing our nation–and sometimes our churches–apart.

live not by lies cultural marxism animal farm socialism marx communism
Physical copies for this category–Marx and Plutarch can be read for free online.

Marxism, etc.

The first three books listed here are from Spring Training. The rest are books I chose to read to flesh out the topic a bit more, exploring the dangers of totalitarianism, whether Marxist or not.

The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engles (I acknowledge both authors up front, but my review refers to Marx alone for simplicity’s sake.) I first read The Communist Manifesto during 2020—it seemed an appropriate time. It was good to listen and process it again. The Manifesto is divided into four parts.

Part One opens: “The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.” Marx proceeds to explain this point with a narrative of history that has two key qualities. 1) It’s materialistic, and as such, it’s an incredibly narrow lens for interpretation. Material and economic factors are the only things that count. 2) It’s a new application of Hegelian Dialectic, which saw the clashing of ideas as what produces a new idea, moving collective human thought ever onward toward truth, led on by something Hegel called “Spirit.” This is the essential pattern of thought in all forms of progressivism. In Marx, the clashing of classes produces revolution and new social orders, moving ever forward toward the communist ideal, led on by “History.” What Marx demands to be done is, in his view, what will inevitably be.

In Parts Two and Three, respectively, Marx lays out the Communist battle plan in defiance of Bourgeois objections and then criticizes the socialist movements that are, in his view, not revolutionary enough to get things done.

In Part Four, there’s an inspiring call to action for Proletarians everywhere to join whatever political movement is likely to produce a revolution: “The Communists disdain to conceal their views and aims. They openly declare that their ends can be attained only by the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions. … Working men of all countries, unite!”

I have to hand it to Marx, his prose is riveting. It’ll get you fired up in one way or another.

It’s important to understand that because of Marx’s historical materialism, immaterial things or concepts like God, love, freedom, family, religion, duty, and moral ideals of any kind are seen as mere instruments for oppression flowing from the current system of production.

No benefit of the doubt is given to people who believe in such principles–all is material, all is political, all is economic.

Inherent human sinfulness doesn’t factor into his equation. If God and moral ideals don’t exist, sin can’t either. The nature of human dignity as having been made in the image of God and the nature of human sinfulness due to the fall are both abolished. Marx refuses to see them, leaving a divine vacuum to be filled by the state (or the gospel-hope of a communist non-state) and a faulty, materialistic anthropology (view of man) to both explain and condition human behavior.

It is this anthropology that drives the desire to abolish private property and consolidate the means of production–because if you can control material outcomes and do away with class structures, everything will be great, right? Marx, seeing only what he allows himself to see, seems to think so.

I wish that reading The Communist Manifesto was only an academic exercise to marvel at the ideas held by a few crazy people sometime “back then”. But sadly, Marx’s ideas, in part if not in whole, are driving much insanity forward today. The narrow oppressor-oppressed lens of historical study is alive and well, and class warfare is being promoted in our day, make no mistake about it. The lines are simply drawn in different places.

That Hideous Strength: How the West was Lost by Melvin Tinker I thought this was a very helpful book for understanding the influence of ideas over the past 150 years, and especially how those ideas have crept into the church (Tinker was an Anglican minister). To assume that ideologies popped up in the 1970s or 2010s without any connection to past ideas is simply ignorant of the way the world works. There are connections and this book traces them.

Tinker does employ the term “cultural Marxism”, largely to define where those class warfare lines are drawn today, especially as they relate to the sexual revolution. I think it is important to understand that this term is used by opponents of Critical Theories and not by promoters of them. No one, to my knowledge, identifies as a “cultural Marxist.” And the origins of this term appear to be associated with anti-Semitism. Most people throwing the term around today, however, eagerly decry anti-Semitism. And the potential negative associations don’t make it an altogether bad descriptive term, because the words themselves highlight what part of Marxist theory has been brought forward: the cultural revolution part, and less so the emphasis on economic theory (though it may be waiting in the wings). All the same, I think it’s easy enough to use the word “Neo-Marxism” to describe the same phenomenon. So, rather than get in a huff over terminology (like our cancel culture loves to do), figure out if the concept being referred to is valid. And choose the term that you think is most appropriate to describe it.

One of the best contributions of Tinker’s book, aside from the fact that it is pretty well documented, is his discussion of “social imaginaries”–how the stories and images that we take in as a culture shape our understanding of the world. This is good food for thought and discussion around what kind of social imaginary we are cultivating in our homes with our children–a positive application that can be drawn from an otherwise exposé-focused book.

Agis and Cleomenes by Plutarch This was the last bit of assigned reading for the Scholé Sisters Spring Training, and it was an interesting dose of perspective. In this story from ancient Greece, it was the conservative movement that called for a repartitioning of the land and a move toward greater collectivism, hailing back to the good ol’ days of Lycurgus the lawgiver. I can’t say I understood or remember everything from this reading, though the discussion inside the Scholé Sistership was very helpful. The main takeaway is that it’s good to shake up our political boxes and assumptions–most political ideas have been around for along time, and they don’t always package themselves in the same way or have the same flavor over the centuries. Again, a good read for the sake of perspective.

Animal Farm by George Orwell I read Animal Farm in high school (or at least I think I did—I know I was supposed to). It was fun to read it this year alongside my oldest son. The animals throw off their oppressive farm master only to eventually find that some of their own animals are “more equal than others.” And the second oppression is just as bad—or arguably worse—than the first. It was interesting to me to find that George Orwell was a socialist. So while his book warns of the evils of communism and perhaps the ditch that socialism can fall into, it doesn’t mean he agrees with my free market, limited government principles. I marveled similarly when I read The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Though Wilde had a death-bed conversion to the Catholic faith, he was for most of his life a hedonist. Dorian Gray exposes the devilishness of that philosophy and the harsh conclusion that following it without restraint can bring.

Whether we’re talking about Orwell or Wilde, I think this is interesting and important to keep in mind: People don’t exist in only two ideological boxes—yours and the bad guy’s. The ideas that thoughtful individuals hold are usually more complex than that, and we do well to ask questions to understand before assuming. Unless, of course, someone is just screaming at you or throwing nothing but ad hominem arguments your way or threatening to cancel you–in that case, don’t waste your time. And don’t be that person, either.

That Hideous Strength by C. S. Lewis This is a sci-fi novel, but you can expect from Lewis that it communicates truth as much as his directly philosophical and apologetic works do. I’ve written briefly my reflections on this book before, so I’ll quote that here.

“…This third book of Lewis’ Space Trilogy confronts totalitarian scientism and many of the themes addressed in The Abolition of Man. … I’ve found it to be great food for thought. [On the subject of womanhood…] Elisabeth Elliot tells about being a woman. Lewis shows it. His character Jane wrestles through it, and Lewis, as the author, lets her be a woman. … I’m finding it quite instructive and freeing, as I tend to have some of the same modern-woman hang-ups as Jane.”

There are a lot more spiritual, ethical, and political themes to consider in this book beyond what it means to be a woman, but I have especially appreciated that personal application in my own life. As I said in the quote above, this book shows the dangers of totalitarian scientism more than Marxism, but both are quite relevant to thoughtful discussions on politics, ethics, and science today.

Live Not by Lies by Rod Dreher If you want the perspective of recent history and political development through a broadly Christian lens, this book is a fantastic read. It’s both informative and edifying. Rod Dreher is a Catholic journalist. Drawing from the stories of survivors who lived under Soviet control, as well as other sources, Dreher discusses the social trends that set the stage for totalitarianism and also the social pressures that help to tighten its grip over a people. While this book traces much sad history and disturbing developments in China and the west, it also contains amazing stories of courage and determination to “live not by lies”–even when faced with imprisonment and death for speaking truth. Dreher also gives encouragement to Christians to build strong families and Christian community as the church has been intended to do from the beginning. This book can feel bleak at times, but it is not without hope. This makes it my favorite read in this category–the book I’m most likely to pick up again soon.

Black Christian Perspective

Each of these books is by a Christian author whom I have followed for a very long time in one way or another. I’ve read articles by Jasmine Holmes since she was a teenager blogging under her maiden name Jasmine Baucham. I’ve listened to her daddy, Voddie, and have read his articles from time to time. I’ve enjoyed music by Shai Linne and Lecrae since my college days (I’m kind of stuck on their oldies). And I grew up hearing Tony Evans on the radio–my mom loves him. So this isn’t some list of black voices selected at random to meet some “white guilt”-driven quota. >insert uproarious laughter here< These are my brothers and sister in Christ who have encouraged me in my walk long before these issues made it hip to elevate black voices.

black christian perspective history books reviews
So many audio books! These are the only two hard copies I have for this section.

Unashamed by Lecrae Moore Technically I finished this book at the tail end of 2021, but I’m including it here because it goes well with this discussion. This is Lecrae’s autobiography. He doesn’t address any political issues directly, but his personal testimony demonstrates the hardship that some young black men face in America. There are drugs, women, abortion…it’s a rough ride. Lecrae is quite vulnerable in sharing his Christian testimony–not only his conversion story but also the challenging and often-failing road of sanctification as a young believer who grew up with zero positive male examples in his life. This book will challenge and expand your capacity for compassion. I especially enjoyed listening to the audiobook from Christian Audio, as Lecrae reads his book himself; and when there are quotes from his rap songs, they are included as clips from his songs rather than merely reading the lyrics off the page.

Carved in Ebony by Jasmine Holmes This was a unique book. Jasmine tells stories of black women from American history with both evenness and heartfelt personal reflection. I deeply appreciate Jasmine’s stated approach to American history: her goal is to glorify God in telling these stories, not to glorify America nor to throw disgrace upon her. She’s filling in some gaps both in our traditional American history framework and in American church history—some of these women reminded me of Christian missionary Amy Carmichael and Christian educational philosopher Charlotte Mason. This brought me to ask, why have I not heard these stories before? In all my reading on heroes of the faith, I’m not sure I’ve ever read the life of a black Christian woman. Well, now I have. And I’m blessed by it. I plan to have my boys read this book in high school.

The New Reformation by Shai Linne Christian pastor and hip-hop artist Shai Linne addresses the issues of “racism” (his preferred, biblically-aligned term: “ethnic sin“) in four parts. In part one he shares his own story, which is of particular interest if you’ve followed his music. In part two, he deals with some backstory, wrestling honestly (and graciously) with some of the skeletons-in-the-closet of Reformed heroes like Jonathan Edwards and Martin Luther. In part three, he digs into theology, especially justification by faith alone, and its implications for the church. Finally, in part four, he concludes with a discussion of biblical unity and practical ways that Christians can walk that out.

Linne’s main point seems to be that we are on the verge of another reformation–instead of simply reclaiming doctrinal purity, this reformation is about applying it more fully: the Christ-alone, faith-alone, grace-alone gospel is available to all people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. And our churches ought to seek to reflect that when possible through genuine unity in Christ across any and all ethnic divisions–not just black and white. I so appreciate Shai Linne’s vulnerability and faithfulness to sound doctrine–not merely in verbally ascribing to it but in calling us to live out its life-changing implications by the power of the Holy Spirit. Highly recommend. This is a very good read to have in conversation with the next two books, also written by pastors.

Oneness Embraced by Dr. Tony Evans (A new edition of this book came out last year. My review is of the previous edition.) I listened to this book via Christian Audio. I appreciated Dr. Evans’ tour of black American history—and especially the peek into its spirituality and church history. This, like Jasmine Homes’ book above, fills in some important gaps. I couldn’t verify all of his citations and over-arching claims as I listened, but I think the perspective is valuable and it would be worth searching out some day when I have more time (and a physical copy in hand). It’s important to note that Dr. Evans is probably writing to the broadest demographic of any author in this category (aside, perhaps, from Lecrae). He’s an evangelical pastor whose readership will be varied in race, political affiliation, and theological leanings (Dr. Evans is not in the Reformed camp that the rest of these authors are in). With this in mind, it makes a little more sense that at the start of the book, he says some things that help him relate to people across racial and political lines.

There are, therefore, things that will make both Republicans and Democrats uncomfortable. For example, he uses the term “social justice” for most of the book—likely accommodating the popular use of the term–before he states in the last few chapters that he prefers the term “biblical justice,” and then proceeds to suggest what that ought to look like. These creative efforts to do justice biblically are where this book really shines, in my opinion, though you can’t dispense with the background knowledge that he gives to build up to that point (especially his evaluation of liberation theology’s appeal and shortcomings). I would like to own this book in print, which is to say, I liked it and think it’s important enough to own. That’s a pretty high recommendation.

Faultlines by Voddie Baucham This was an excellent book. Probably the best in this category. Again, I listened to it rather than had it in front of me. Interestingly, the reader was the same for this book as for Oneness Embraced, and I enjoyed the feeling that these books were connected—coming at some of the same issues from the same side of the fence, but with different emphases and perspectives and solutions—different, but both seeking to faithfully apply the scriptures. Both were incredibly valuable. But Voddie Baucham hits the nail on the head as he discusses the problems with the modern social justice movement. Unlike the other books on this list, Voddie is able to address the problematic ideology of progressivism and woke social justice head-on, providing a much-needed evaluation of the claims made by the media and by some within the church today. He even calls Shai Linne out for a weak statement he made. Sometimes I felt Baucham was a bit harsh in his call-outs of faithful, godly pastors and leaders. But I think I understand these to be warnings that even the good guys can get caught up in this stuff and say things that may lead people to accept ideas that are wrong. The warning is warranted at least for consideration, even if at times it feels a bit nit-picky. I think it is given in the spirit of love for the brethren, including those whom he calls out.

While this book was excellent, I think it would be VERY SAD if this is the only book in this category that you pick up. He’s going to say things that will resonate with what most white conservatives already believe. Which is fine if the things he says are true (and I believe they are). What he doesn’t do is challenge the same group of people to expand their understanding and compassion toward other believers to the extent that some of the other authors on this list do. If you’ve got the time, read all five of these books–they’re each an important piece of the puzzle.

Other Recommended Resources

ONE: Are you a homeschooling mama who’s interested in exploring these issues further? Check out the Scholé Sisters Spring Training Seminar: Dead White Guys, Classical Education Meets Critical Theory. Is classical education inherently racist? Monique Duson and Krista Bontrager from the Center for Biblical Unity will address this question and more. I plan to tune in.

TWO: On a related and very practical note, here is a discussion of living books as Mirrors and Windows (in the context of a Charlotte Mason education, largely considered to be under the classical umbrella). The main point is that kids need to read quality books that both reflect their ethnicity (mirrors) and give them a peek into the experiences of others (windows).

THREE: Both Baucham’s and Tinker’s books above provide a critique of Critical Theories while tracing their development. You can find similar information in this series by James Lindsay (an agnostic liberal who exposes the flaws of progressivism and the woke left). Lindsay has not only done extensive research, but he reads at-length directly from Marxist and Critical Theorist sources so you can hear it from the proverbial horse’s mouth. Heads up, there may be some strong language in his talks.

For some current-events commentary from James Lindsay, check out these recent interviews with Relatable host and Christian, Allie Beth Stuckey: Why Bud Light… (giving background for the crazy corporate and UN decisions being made lately) and …Debate Christian Nationalism (which discusses some concerns with the CN movement–from a conservative Christian and agnostic liberal perspective). These various topics do in fact tie in with the issues discussed in this post.

FOUR: Lecrae is probably the most sympathetic person on this list to Critical Race Theory and the books published espousing concepts from it. He’s walking a bit of a tight rope. Even so, I appreciate hearing from him as a believer who seeks to remain faithful to Christ but who desperately wants his brothers and sisters to understand what he’s been through and what he sees. This TEDx Talk from 2016 is a challenging message to that end. You don’t have to agree with every little thing he says–and this talk doesn’t say everything there is to say, even from Lecrae’s own vantage point as a Christian–but it is valuable to at least hear and consider the story he tells and the points he’s trying to make when working through these issues.

There you have it. Have I offended everyone yet? I hope I’ve at least given quality food for thought and inspiration for prayer and faithfulness. Real conversation on these issues is important. If you’ve got a thoughtful question or comment to share, please drop it below.

Last Day of Compass Classroom Homeschool Curriculum Spring Sale! Plus, a code for 25% off!

19 Wednesday Apr 2023

Posted by Lauren Scott in Home Education

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Christian Classical Education, Christian Classical Homeschool, Classical Education, Classical Homeschool, Curriculum Sales, Home Education, Homeschool Curriculum, homeschooling

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I may make a commission at no additional charge to you. Thank you for supporting my blog while you shop!

Hello friends! I’m just popping on here today to remind you of the BIG SALE that’s wrapping up today at Compass Classroom! See my previous post for more details on their excellent video-based curriculum that we have enjoyed. Click HERE to go directly to the sale!

If you are catching this a day (or more) too late for the spring sale, I can still get you 25% off with a discount code at my new Compass Classroom landing page, where you can find some of my favorite curriculum items from their store. This code is good on your next purchase (but not valid during the spring sale), so take some time to figure out what you need and then load up your cart to make that discount stretch as far as you can!

BIG Spring Sales on Classical [and more] Homeschool Curriculum!

05 Wednesday Apr 2023

Posted by Lauren Scott in Living Faith

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Books, Christian Classical Education, Christian Classical Homeschool, Classical Education, Classical Homeschool, Curriculum Sales, Elementary Music, Home Education, homeschooling, Music Education

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I may make a commission at no additional charge to you. Thank you for supporting my blog while you shop!

I don’t do many sales posts, but this is definitely a good time for one! Many of us homeschool moms are already making plans for next school year, and that means it’s curriculum shopping season!

Here are some great sales happening this month, from publishers and curriculum providers that I love. A lot of them are focused on Christian classical education, but you may find resources that fit your homeschool goals whether you consider yourself a classical homeschooler or not. Unsure about what that even means? Check out this post.

I’ll start with the most time-sensitive.

Logos Press: 10-40% off and Free Shipping over $250 This sale is now ended.

Logos Press publishes and carries a ton of Christian classical curriculum resources and books. They had this sale through March 31, and they’ve extended it! It looks to me like this sale may only last until Friday (tomorrow), so jump on this one quickly to get 10-40% off and free shipping on orders over $250.

They carry classic books with worldview guides built in, Latin curriculum, Life of Fred math books, Math Mammoth, and much more.

Roman Roads Press: 20-35% off ALL Curriculum and Books, April 1-10 This sale is now ended.

Roman Roads Press also provides fantastic material for Christian classical education at home (for middle grades to grown ups). I’m currently reading The Illiad (and soon The Odyssey) along with the Old Western Culture Parents’ Challenge. This is giving me a chance to enjoy Wes Calihan’s lectures and think about how we might use them in our homeschool. I’ve found them incredibly helpful so far in understanding Homer’s works from a literary and thoroughly Christian perspective. Heads up to conscientious parents: there is some nudity in the art featured in these videos. Just being honest, this is a big part of the consideration going on as far as what my husband and I choose to put in front of our sons. I otherwise love the content.

Roman Roads also offers courses on Poetry (which I have done with my boys), Latin, Logic (currently the lowest price I’ve seen for Introductory Logic!), History, Economics, Calculus (which I’m about to order, per my engineer-husband’s request), and more.

Compass Classroom: ALL Curriculum Discounted, Up to 50% Off, April 12-19! THIS SALE IS ON NOW!

Compass Classroom has so many quality video courses for about age ten and up. We have enjoyed WordUp! The Vocab Show, Visual Latin 1 and 2, and Jonathan Rogers’ Creative Writing–I took his Writing with Scout course on To Kill a Mockingbird a few years ago when he first offered it as a live course. It was fantastic, evaluating literature as both a reader and as a writer. I have Writing with Hobbits planned for my boys to go through soon–and I know they will love it!

This sale doesn’t start until April 12, which means you’ve got time to try out their Premium Membership for ONE MONTH FREE in order to get a fantastic opportunity to evaluate any of the courses you are thinking about purchasing during the sale! They have great sample lessons anyway, but this would allow you to look things over thoroughly–no credit card required to start your one month free trial!

Prodigies Music: April is Month of the Young Child, Get 50% Off Plus Membership, 33% Off Songbook Bundle, AND an Additional 5% Off Your Order with Code KEPT

music curriculum sale

Prodigies is a colorful and fun way to teach music to children from pre-K to age 12. My boys started doing Prodigies Music Lessons (videos with color-coded desk bells and sometimes a workbook) when they were 7 and 5, and now that they are 13 and 11, I can see how much they have benefited for the long-haul from this playful but theory-packed approach to music education. My boys are obsessed with playing piano, have recently picked up recorder and ukulele, and one day would love to learn bag pipes, too! They not only love music and are doing well in their piano lessons, but they are creative with it, too–something that was intentionally cultivated by the Prodigies Music Curriculum. We didn’t even do the program super religiously, but it has been a blessing to our family! They have several options for how deep you want to go with their curriculum and resources, so that you can choose a plan that suits your needs and your budget.

You can also try Prodigies out with a 7-day free trial on their website. You can also download the My First Songbook pdf for FREE. Feel confident enough in your own musical abilities to do a bit of this yourself? You could purchase the bells and use them with the First Songbook to get your little one started. Scroll down on this page to see what instruments and workbooks they have available in this same color-coded format that helps kids learn quickly! They even have Chromanotes Piano Stick-Ons so you can relate the Prodigies song books directly to your own piano or keyboard.

Don’t forget to use coupon code KEPT to get an additional 5% OFF your entire order–on top of sale prices!

Rainbow Resource Center: Everyday Low Prices and Free Shipping on $50+

If you can’t find what you’re looking for at the sales listed above, head on over to Rainbow Resource Center. They don’t run huge sales, but they are committed to carrying a plethora of homeschool curriculum to suit all different styles. They’ve been serving the homeschool community since 1989, and they have wonderful customer service!

Are you starting to plan and shop for next year? I’m just beginning to think about it beyond the flurry of big-picture ideas floating around in my head. I’ll have an eighth grader next year, so I’d better get on it!

Homeschool Morning Time Plans 2022/2023

29 Monday Aug 2022

Posted by Lauren Scott in Home Education

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Books, Charlotte Mason Homeschool, Christian Classical Education, Christian Classical Homeschool, Christian Homeschool, Home Education, Homeschool plans, homeschooling, Learning Together, Living Books, morning time

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I may make a commission at no additional charge to you.

I have done some form of Morning Time with my boys for something like ten years. It looks a little different now that they are 13 and 11 this year instead of 3 and 1, when I likely started with a song, a scripture, and a calendar at the kitchen table. For one thing, my youngest is no longer restrained in a high chair (though there were a few years where he would be upside down on the couch or literally climbing onto my shoulders as I read aloud that I might have wished for that high chair again!).

This Morning Time Box has seen a lot of action over the years!

Latin

This year we are continuing our study of Latin with Visual Latin 1. We did the first 20 lessons last year and the plan is to finish Level 1 by Christmas so that we can start Visual Latin 2 next semester. I made it through the first 20 lessons last year without doing the worksheets myself (thanks to many hours of college-level Spanish), but this year I have printed off lessons 21-30 so that I can get in the same translation practice that my boys are doing. The grammar is a bit more complicated now, so it’s easier for me to keep track of it if I’m doing the work, too. And as an added bonus, I can very easily check the boys’ work without having to pull up the answer key pdf every time.

On lighter days in Visual Latin, we’ll sprinkle in some reading from Lingua Latina and perhaps also from Familia Mala (“Bad Family”…this book doesn’t shy away from the fact that the Roman myths are a hot mess).

Read Alouds

Just finished at the start of the year:

Cue drum roll… We have finally finished reading The Story of the World Volume 4: Modern Times by Susan Wise Bauer. It’s crazy to think we’re done with the whole series. I think we’ve actually read Volumes One and Two twice. This series goes down as one of our family all-time favorites. My kids would ask me even on the weekend: “Read Story of the World while we play Legos?” This has been a great adventure through chronological world history.

We also recently finished The Fallacy Detective. This was a big hit with my boys–a fun read with often-entertaining examples and exercises. I’ve tried to make a point to my sons that being able to identify logical fallacies is fun and useful, but 1) it isn’t to be used to tear others down, and 2) fallacies make up a small, small fraction of the study of logic–we have yet to begin to cover all of what logic actually is. We’ll take a break this year before heading into formal logic when my oldest is in 8th grade. The Fallacy Detective has certainly whet their appetite for it.

New reads this year:

I pre-read The Ology a few years ago but it’s finally making it into our rotation this year. I think it would have been great to read sooner, but I think it will still be a good, simple treatment of theology for us to enjoy and discuss this year.

In our home, we love books by H. E. (Henrietta Elizabeth) Marshall, having enjoyed Our Island Story (British history), This Country of Ours (US history), and Scotland’s Story in the boys’ independent elementary studies. This year I decided we could start reading her book English Literature for Boys and Girls together. I’m eager to read it myself, and sometimes the best way to make that fit in my schedule is to read it aloud. 🙂 The boys are excited to hear again from a beloved author, and I’m excited for us to venture into the world of British Lit–more deeply than I ever did in school!

Other Riches

I’m in the process of starting a co-op with some local families, so we’ll be covering hymns, Scripture memory, folk songs, poems, artist study, composer study, and nature study in community this year!

There’s also a book club time and my boys (who are both in the “older kids” group) will be studying Shakespeare, one play each semester. This fall, it’ll be The Tempest.

I’ll try to work our co-op selections into our daily Morning Time. But as the kids are getting older and our Latin studies require a daily commitment, this will be more sporadic than regular (has our Morning Time ever been more than sporadic? Hmmm…). One of the reasons for the co-op, after all, is because it is hard to make space for all of these beautiful things!

Want some inspiration for Morning Time in your home? Over the summer, I enjoyed reading Pam Barnhill and Heather Tully’s new book Gather. It’s a beautiful compilation of thoughts, practices, and examples from their own homeschools, and it’s chock full of lovely photos of other homeschool families (of all sizes!) who enjoy learning together. It’s like one of those “day in the life” blog posts, only there’s a book’s worth of it and you can actually hold it in your hands. Tangible book lovers, rejoice!

What about you? Do you do Morning Time? Or something like it at another time of day? What are your plans for this school year?

How We Homeschool: Bible

14 Thursday Jan 2021

Posted by Lauren Scott in Home and Family, Home Education, Living Faith

≈ 1 Comment

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Bible Curriculum, Bible Lessons, Charlotte Mason Homeschool, Child Training, Christian Classical Education, Christian Classical Homeschool, Christian Homeschool, Christian Parenting, discipleship, Family Culture, Family Discipleship, Family Worship, Homeschool Bible, homeschool encouragement, homeschooling, parenting

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“What Bible curriculum do you use for grade x?”

It’s a question I get from time to time, and it never ceases to make me squirm a little.

Why, you may ask? Well, because the idea of “Bible curriculum,” and especially for a particular “grade level,” is foreign to me.

Now of course I’m aware of the fact that “Bible curriculum” and “Bible classes” exist in Christian school settings, but I’ve always wrinkled up my nose a bit thinking about the Bible being made to fit the mold of an academic subject, added on to a school day like just another textbook or workbook to get through. What affect does that have on the way kids approach the Scriptures? And do they give grades for those classes? What does that teach?

Our approach to the Bible looks a lot less like school and a lot more like discipleship. Reading the Bible together has been a part of our family culture since before our children were born. We haven’t ever felt a need to make sure we added Bible to the kids’ schooling because they’ve been getting Bible with their breakfast since they were tiny.

In fact, while every part of school is informed by the Scriptures, we like to keep the Bible itself separate from “school” in a sense so that they don’t get the impression that a day off of school is a day off from devotion to the Lord.

But what does that look like? And how can you get started with this holistic family discipleship model of Bible learning if it’s foreign to you?

Well, let’s start with why.

Our Why: Created Reality and Biblical Goals

Our children are precious creations of our Heavenly Father–and they are precious gifts entrusted to us as parents. We desire to give them access to the Truth that God has revealed in His Word so that they can grow in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man, that they would begin to know and love their Creator.

Ultimately, we desire that our children would trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation from their sins and that they would love and serve Him all their days–for their good and God’s glory, both in this life and in the life to come. We don’t ultimately control this outcome. But we can be faithful to train our children in the way they should go.

Our Why Dictates Our How: Holistic Family Discipleship

Given the nature of our children, the nature of our relationship to them as their parents, and the nature of our goal (that they would have a relationship with God), it follows then that we ought to teach them in a way that is first and foremost relational. And decidedly not academic.

This means that interaction with the Scriptures comes woven into the fabric of our every day lives. There are no worksheets nor tests, no grades nor grade levels.

This doesn’t mean we don’t use printed materials to aid our children’s learning (I will link to some below), but we need to remember that the greatest resources we have to instruct our children in the ways of the Lord are His Word, His Holy Spirit, and our own lives lived alongside and before our children.

God’s Word: We must be in the bible ourselves and we must offer the Scriptures to our children.

The Holy Spirit: We must be seeking God to be at work both in us and in our children–apart from Christ we can do nothing. We may have had a direct role in bringing about our children’s physical life, but the spiritual life is of the Spirit–we cannot manufacture it in our kids. Prayer is indispensable.

Our Own Lives: We must model for our children what it means to believe the Word of God, to study it, to meditate on it, to practically submit our lives to it, and to receive both correction from it when we fail and comfort from it when we repent.

What does this actually look like?

Family Bible Time (what some call Family Worship)

Our current family Bible reading pattern, which we’ve had going for several years, is Proverbs at breakfast and Gospels at supper.

Now, this doesn’t mean each one happens every day. The reason we read the Bible over breakfast and dinner is because we often don’t read the Bible over breakfast and dinner. This is a scattering of seeds, not mechanical planting. We aim for faithfulness and perseverance rather than anything that resembles perfect consistency. But in keeping up the habit, we pretty reliably hit at least one of these each day, sometimes both. And before it was Proverbs and Gospels, we read slowly through the entire Bible at meal times–it may have taken a decade, but we kept going. The reason we’re in Proverbs and the Gospels right now is because the primary needs of our children are to receive instruction and correction according to God’s wisdom and to receive Jesus the Messiah as their Savior.

While we eat breakfast, my husband will read a few verses from the chapter of Proverbs that matches the calendar date (since there are conveniently 31 chapters in Proverbs), either selecting these verses ahead of time or asking for the kids to randomly select a number. He reads a verse and asks what it means. The kids give it their best shot and then we all discuss the meaning. He asks if they can think of any examples (a child may not use his brother as a negative example–this is a necessary rule, folks!). It has been fun over the years to hear the examples the kids come up with–sometimes from a fable, from literature, from a Bible story, from a movie. They are learning about wisdom and foolishness and learning how to identify each.

After Proverbs, we recite the Shema and the Lord’s Prayer. We switched up this recitation time over the holidays last year in order to recite and memorize Mary’s Magnificat. Now that we have the placeholder for recitation, we may use the time for other passages when they seem fitting.

Our evening Family Bible Time involves my husband reading from a passage of Scripture (currently Luke) at mealtime and then asking a few questions:

What did we learn? This is a good time for kids to either pick one thing that stuck out to them or simply narrate what they heard.

What can we worship God for? Sometimes, when we’ve been in the prophets, the answer is usually “That God was so patient and gave so many warnings.” Now that we’re in the first few chapters of Luke, the answer is usually “For sending Jesus to save us.” Sometimes the answer is different, but it’s no problem to worship God for the same things over and over again–in fact, it’s right to do so. Once answered, we pray and praise God based on what we saw in the passage–even if it’s simply for preserving the genealogy of Christ (which is pretty amazing when you think about it). Sometimes there may not be an obvious answer. When we were in the middle of Job as a family, it was admittedly hard to find any answer from the text–so we felt Job’s desolation a bit but worshipped God anyway.

What can we do with what we have learned? This is where we pay attention to the right response(s) to what we have read. Sometimes it is simply to worship as we did in the second question. Sometimes there is a command that we ought to obey. Sometimes there is something for which we ought to be thankful, something that ought to amaze us, something that ought to cause us to care for others, an example to follow or an example not to follow.

Now, these questions aren’t magical. They’re just the tools we have used for discussing the Bible as a family and for attempting to respond to it properly. Sometimes the kids are fully engaged and wow us with their insight. But sometimes the kids aren’t super excited to answer. Sometimes we get blank stares. But we don’t read the Bible and ask the questions in order to get perfect responses from our kids. We do it so that they are regularly interacting with the Scriptures and learning by modeling how to respond to them. It’s not perfect, but it is worthwhile. We are planting seeds.

Other Applications and Resources

The seeds we plant in Family Bible Time are watered by a lot of other practices and experiences.

We pray together as a family before meals and before bed. We try to remember to include intercession: to pray for neighbors, friends, family members, etc–sometimes on a weekly rotation so we don’t forget (but let’s be honest, we sometimes forget and go for long stretches with just basic bedtime prayers).

We have also made sure to include Bible time for our children to enjoy independently, even from a very early age by listening: Dove Tales (with cassettes–yes, we inherited these from my in-laws), Jesus Story Book Bible (with CDs), and a dramatized audio Bible from Faith Comes by Hearing. Now that our boys are 11 and 9, they are expected to read a chapter of the Bible first thing in the morning before coming downstairs for breakfast. This doesn’t mean it always happens, but that’s the goal and the general habit.

We’ve also enjoyed watching videos by The Bible Project–edifying for parent and child alike.

This emphasis on the Word of God being integrated into all of life means that it also influences our school day–just not in the graded-Bible-curriculum sort of way.

We read church history: Little Lights Biographies (for very young children, from a Christian seller), Christian Biographies for Young Readers (from a Christian seller), and Trial and Triumph (from a Christian seller).

We read aloud some theological books for children: A Faith to Grow On, Sammy and His Shepherd, The Attributes of God for Kids (from a Christian seller), and The Ology (from a Christian seller). As the kids grow older, their school reading list will include many Christian books that encourage them to walk with God and know Him more deeply.

We have listened and sung along with scriptures put to music: Hide ’em in Your Heart and Seeds Family Worship.

We have enjoyed singing many hymns in our Morning Time (currently singing along with this channel), and we have also enjoyed music by Sovereign Grace Kids (from a Christian seller). Even as adults, when we listen to music with lyrics, we generally choose music that is spiritually edifying. Our kids take this in as well.

The Scriptures inform the other books we choose–and how we read them–whether literature, tales, history, poetry, nature, etc.

The Scriptures make it into our kids’ copy work and dictation, too (that’s language arts).

Keeping It Real

We don’t do all of these things all the time. The most regular parts of our every day life are family Bible time, listening to hymns and other spiritual songs, family prayer, and good discussions on all kinds of things as we go about our days together. And these discussions aren’t just aimed at our kids. My husband and I discuss books, current events, and so many things with each other, seeking to apply God’s Word and His wisdom to everything we encounter. Our kids are audience to these adult conversations, too.

The aim is holistic, not check-list driven. And it is gloriously free from pressure to “get through it” on any kind of annual school schedule (thank God!).

The point of this post isn’t to say we’ve got it down, nor to set any kind of expectation for anyone else. The point is to demonstrate the many ways in which we can spiritually nurture and disciple our children–without boxed curriculum. And to remind all of us (myself included) that we may sow seeds, but the Lord causes the growth. Our dependence upon Him is central to our efforts at training up our children in the ways of the Lord.

All of the things we do have begun as small habits. A little here, a little there. If you are just starting to bring Scripture into your home and homeschool, don’t be discouraged or overwhelmed. Pick one thing. One habit that you and your children can enjoy. Plant a seed. And then another. Water where you can. The Lord causes the growth.

I hope this post has helped to somewhat answer the “What do you use for Bible curriculum?” question. It’s not a short answer, but I hope it may encourage some to think outside that proverbial box … of curriculum. 😉

How do you nurture your children in God’s Word? What resources have you found helpful?

Other posts in this series (so far):

Why We Homeschool: Our Top Seven Reasons

How We Homeschool: Hello, Charlotte. Hello, Classical.

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Lauren Scott

Lauren Scott

Christian. Wife. Mother. Homemaker. Home Educator. Blogger. Book Addict. Outdoorist.

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