The true purpose of education is to know God fully through our studies of His creation and to build the skills needed to make Him known to the world.
Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
— Matthew 22:37 (NKJV)
When we study with the purpose of knowing God more fully through a subject, we are loving God with our minds. When we see God’s hand in history or science, or discover His wonderful complexity and grace, we love Him even more.
The classical model that we use as a guiding principal is usually credited to the ancient Greeks, but references to this style of learning can be found in the Old Testament, which leads us to believe that God created us to learn this way.
In the book of Proverbs, you’ll notice three words are repeated often: knowledge, understanding, and wisdom, which correspond to what the ancients called grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric:
Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; By knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
—Proverbs 24:3-6 (NKJV)
The classical model could therefore be called the Christian Model because it uses this blueprint for learning. Once educators try it, they realize that it is like “teaching with the grain”: simply put, it suits our nature.
Subject Integration
We present every subject in its proper context: every subject was created by God. Every law of science, every detail of biology, every man in history was all created by God. We also show students that every created thing has a purpose: to glorify God. Psalm 19.1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the works of his hands.” Not only do the skies proclaim the glory of God, but also the symmetry in an orange slice or a sea shell.
Other subjects reveal man’s response to the fall. Literature is often the story of how man responds (either rightly or wrongly) to results of the fall. Our discussions revolve around the big questions of, “Should he have done that?” and “What should we do, if we are in a similar situation?” Great literature and great historical figures show us how man can find redemption in a fallen world. Our studies eventually should lead us to ponder the mysteries of reconciliation with God. Our upper high school courses lead students in discussions of this type in their small, safe groups with their mentor-tutor.
We also show our students how all subjects relate to each other. Modern education separates each subject so it can be taught by an expert. We re-unite each subject by having one tutor teach all the subjects to one group of students who spend the whole day together discussing literature, government, history, geography, math, and Latin together and delighting in the overlaps. Have you ever noticed symmetry in a sentence construction? Have you noticed what the Bible says about government? Have you considered science fiction ideas of government and weighed them against our constitution? That is exactly what happens in Challenge I when all the students stay together for all the subjects with one leading learner, their tutor.
Imagine a handful of colored glass pieces. Each piece of glass is interesting to look at on its own, but is fairly meaningless. If you knew that each piece of glass had a unique place and purpose in a grand stained-glass window of a great cathedral, that piece of glass would suddenly be more meaningful. You would want to know how it fits in and what image it forms with the other pieces. That is the discovery our students experience when we show them how the subjects they are studying fit into God’s grand scheme. It is something we learn and discover with our students. Together we enjoy seeking out God’s hand in everything we study as lifelong lovers of learning.
A brief Classical Chat video exploring the beauty of integration.
Why we do what we do. At Classical Conversations...
| All our endeavors are Christ-centered. | |
| Matthew 6:33 |
33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. |
| Our leadership seeks to model their love of the Lord. | |
| 1 John 2:6 |
6He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. |
| We love children. | |
| Matthew 19:13-14 |
13Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. |
| We are passionate about reaching more families to share the gospel and teaching our children how to share the gospel. | |
| Matthew 28:19-20 |
19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: |
| We believe parents are equipped to train and educate their children. | |
| Proverbs 22:6 |
6Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. |
| We believe everyone can benefit from fellowship in community. | |
| Hebrews 10:25 |
25Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. |
| We have a passion to seek, know, and understand Truth. | |
| Proverbs 4:7 |
7Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. |
| John 8:32 |
32And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. |
| Proverbs 24: 3-4 |
3Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established: |
| We seek to cultivate a love of learning. | |
| Romans 12:8, 11 |
8...he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. |
| Proverbs 25: 2 |
2It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter. |
| Psalm 119: 14-16 |
14I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. |
Unless otherwise noted, all verses are quoted from the King James Version (KJV).