Obama's comment about the determination of when live begins being "above his paygrade" continues to surface in the news. Wall Street Journal had an article about it today. Folks continue to say "it's a theological issue" - but I see it as not theological at all. I added my comment to the WSJ article:

From conception, the fetus is living (as in “not dead”), it is human (DNA proves this), and it is not the mother (DNA proves this). So from conception, there is a unique, living, distinct human.
This is simple science and reason, it’s not theology. Anyone who cannot follow this simple logic is not fit to hold any position of leadership. Most issues are far more complex than this, so if Obama can’t follow this, he needs to go back to elementary school.

Link to comment in the WSJ article

Nov 6, 2008 update - Mr. Obama is now president-elect. Clearly he's a smart man and knows the unborn baby is a living human. He just won't say it, as the ramifications to him are too painful. It would be a real "change" - not the hype from the campaign.

Mr. Obama - "yes, you can" stand up for all Americans - especially the most vulnerable.

The Association of Classical Christian Schools annual conference was a wonderful feast of insight and wisdom. The conference fulfilled its theme of "Truth, Goodness, and Beauty". As homeschoolers, attending this conference aimed at private school teachers was a good sanity check of our methods and ideals. By and large, our family's approach was confirmed. As with any great conference, a few ideas emerged which we will adopt. Here are several conclusions and ideas I took away from the conference.

1) Confirmed our focus on "readin', ritin', and 'rithmetic". Amid all the talk of Aristotle, Cicero, Epistemology, and the like, the bottom line remains that kids need to read good books, write about what they read, and do math consistently. The Schlect session on the survey results confirmed this.

2) Our family needs to spend more time reading together and discussing what we read. I want to spend about 2 hours together each Wednesday and Friday morning. Start with singing a hymn, then read a poem. The five of us older ones can take turns selecting and reading a favorite poem. It will be clunky and weird at first, but overtime should become beautiful. Then we'll read about 45 minutes in an elementary/middle school level book and then 45 minutes in a high school/adult level book. The books should be of opposite types. For example, if the elementary book is non-fiction narrative, then the adult book should be fiction/literature. Spend about 2-3 weeks on a book. If it's compelling stay with it. If not, drop it and start another. The older kids could be assigned further independent reading/writing in the more difficult books. I don't want to be afraid to start Augustine's City of God just because it's 1200 page and would take 18 months to read. We can read it a couple weeks and move on.

3) Just as Truth, Goodness, and Beauty are used to describe the nature of God, so the triad of Knowledge, Understanding, and Wisdom describe the nature of true education and maturity. Wisdom is the goal, built on a solid foundation of true knowledge and understanding how that knowledge (facts) relates to reality. I've always considered the goal of education to be wisdom. But I see now, it's actually more. The goal is not wisdom, but to love wisdom. The difference is substantial. A wise student may wither and over time lose their wisdom. But a lover of wisdom will pursue it relentlessly. A lover of wisdom is a self-learner, able to resist distraction and deception.

The ancients had it right after all. "Philosophy" is literally the "love of wisdom". So we must all be philosophers.

The Visionary Father’s Role in Home Education

Here's an excerpt from a recent Vision Forum email about the CD:

"The Visionary Father’s Role in Home Education tackles these questions and more by laying out seven fundamentals of biblical fatherhood applied to home education: The duty of fathers to lead with love by casting vision; providing distinctively biblical discipleship; spiritually defending the realm of the Christian household from external danger; overseeing the “big picture” direction for household management; enforcing discipline; serving as the resident historian; and leading in family worship."

More on the CD

The Association of Classical and Christian Schools is holding their 2008 Annual Conference in Austin this year.

While I am becoming less and less interested in the "school" model, I am interested in the classical methods. I discourage "school" when it is defined as a daily classroom environment with a single expert teaching 15 to 30 children. There are benefits from joining with others now and then to hear the wisdom of a single expert or visionary. However, the day-to-day educational model the scriptures teach are parents mentoring and discipling their own children. Of course, Jesus taught His disciples in more of a school model. He as the leader of 12 students who were not His own biological children. So again, I see the expert-led classroom model as biblical and practical for mature adults.

That said, I am excited about the ACCS conference and will be attending this year. I greatly anticipate the opportunity to hear Ken Myers in person, having listened to his perspective for years through my Mars Hill Audio subscription. He and the other great speakers will be an encouragement to any home-educating parents who attend. I hope to see you there!

I'm finding George Marsden's biography on Jonathan Edwards to be quite a page-turner. I've read about half, up to 1742 when the Great Awakening has faded into schisms between various "Old Light" (conservative) and "New Light"(pro-revivalists) factions.   So far, I'm most intrigued by Edwards' church leadership even more than his theological understanding. Here's a leader who presided over two outpourings of God's Spirit in 1735-36 and again in 1740-1741. A deeply spiritual man, deeply biblical, gloriously dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet, these revivals were not sustained and led to more trouble than blessing. Were they authentic? They seem to be. Did God intend a blessing that somehow became a burden? Could this have been prevented? Could the blessing have been sustained?...

A simple, understandable, flexible schedule for your family is a great tool for keeping your collective life enjoyable.  There are many books, tools, and software planners available.  We've found a simple chart is the best way to keep everyone happy and efficient.   Here are examples of how we use our schedules.  We've attached blank copies you can freely print.

Books I found helpful as I began a more serious study of the Bible's direction on church leadership, structure, and function...

According to Exodus 18:19-22, qualifications for civil leaders are: a man who fears God, is truthful, and hates dishonest gain...

Wisdom, wonder, and blessing; life along the paths God intends for us... [More]