Chesterton's Wit and Wisdom

CHESTERTON'S MAIL BAG

Dear Mr. Chesterton,
If a lawyer friend of mine belches at table, does he have no manners, or bad manners?
Signed,
Confused

Dear Confused,
One of the greatest difficulties in any philosophical discussion of manners is the fact that the presence of bad manners and the absence of any manners are treated as identical. We say indifferently of a man of a more or less repulsive social ineptitude either that he has no manners or that he has bad manners. How entirely different these two things are may be tested by the fact that in no other affairs do we treat these phrases as synonymous. There is all the difference in the world
between saying that a man has no wine and saying that he has bad wine. There is all the difference in the world between the comparatively trifling biographical
statement, ‘He has no sons,’ and the really disquieting one, ‘He has bad sons’. If, when we were about to breakfast with a friend, a common acquaintance were to approach us and whisper impressively, ‘You will eat no eggs,’ the expression would amount to
little more than an interesting detail; if he were to whisper, ‘You will eat bad eggs,’ an element of tragedy would at once appear. But the difference between no manners and bad manners is quite as definite and important as the difference between no eggs and bad eggs.

The absence of manners is an unconscious and chaotic thing, the product of vagueness, of monomania, of absence of mind, of ignorance of the world. But the presence of bad
manners is a perfectly solemn, deliberate, and artificial thing, the result of
pride and vainglory, hypocrisy and blindness and hardness of heart. A great mass of human society may thus be simply and satisfactorily divided into two definite sections...uneducated people, that is to say, have no manners, educated people have bad manners.

Your Friend,
G.K. Chesterton

(“On Manners,” The Apostle and the Wild Ducks)
Source: 'Gilbert Magazine,' Volume 14 Number 6-7, May/June 2011.

What is Classical Christian Education?

From an introduction I gave at the Christian Heritage Club fundraising event featuring Josh McDowell...

Abraham Kuyper, a famous Dutch politician and theologian, once said "...there is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is sovereign over all, does not cry, 'mine!'"

This quote is a great summary of what a Biblical Classical Christian school, such as Bethel Prep, is all about.

We believe, as our mission statement says, that Jesus Christ is the center of all learning. Why is He the center of all learning?

Because as Jesus Himself said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." Now most Christians are familiar with this verse. What I ask you to focus on is that Jesus is the truth. He is not like the truth. He is not an example of the truth. He is Truth. When students study Jesus, they study truth. When they study truth, they study Jesus. This includes all truth, such as math facts, grammar rules and historical events.

This is what it means to have Jesus Christ at the center of all learning. Our foundation is truth, thus our foundation is Christ, the creator and Lord of all.

We go about teaching truth by adhering to the classical model, which consists of three subjects; grammar, logic and rhetoric. We correspond those subjects to three age groups - the elementary school, the middle school and the high school.

In the elementary years students are good remembering large amounts of information. We take advantage of this by having our students commit to memory many facts related to math, grammar, history, Bible and so on.

In the middle school years our students learn how to reason and discern by being taught formal logic as they begin a Great Book study.

During the high school years, as our students continue to study the Great Books, they learn how to express their thoughts and wisdom with eloquence by learning rhetoric.

In conclusion, what is Biblical Classical Christian Education? Simply put it is the study of truth using the trivium. And with God's blessing we hope to accomplish our mission of, "Shaping the future and restoring our Christian heritage with Jesus Christ at the center of all learning."

Thanksgiving 2010

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

The Charts Don't Lie

Family Church

Each evening in the Canney household, we gather together on the couch to worship our Lord. It is usually sometime shortly after dinner but before the girls begin their evening play. We conduct our family worship time as a mini-church service. I begin by reading an introductory passage, such as Psalm 100 and then we sing the Doxology. This is followed by an opening prayer, reciting The Apostles' Creed and singing Gloria Patri. At the conclusion of this I begin to read the Bible. With two young daughters I have chosen to work my way through the Bible reading the 'big' stories to them. For example, in the recent weeks we have read through Creation with Adam and Eve, the Flood with Noah and we are currently working our way through the story of Abraham. I usually read one chapter a night from my New King Jame Version translation and we close our time with prayer. One important point about the Bible reading is that I am focused on my children learning the stories they hear. I want them to know the people and the places, the good guys and the bad guys, and who wins. The important distinction is that I do not try to relate or teach a moral with any of our Bible readings. The goal at this age (3 years and 1 year) is for them to learn the story of the Bible.

We have found this time to be a great blessing to our family. One added bonus is that some evenings my wife and I will stay seated on the couch as the girls crawl off. They begin to play, dance, sing and be silly while the four of us are all together in the Living Room. It is these small moments when I see the Mighty Hand of blessing on my family.

A Dollop of Peanut Butter

"Truth, goodness and beauty can be found in having breakfast with a three year old, each with Frosted Mini-Wheats and a dollop of peanut butter on the side of the bowl."

Bethel Prep Parent Information Night

The question before us tonight that I have been asked to speak on is, "Who is responsible for establishing and maintaining the spiritual theme of the academy? The theme is Romans 8: 37 “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who lived us.”

Thus, who is responsible? Well, if the theme is nothing more than a slogan, the school is clearly responsible. Bethel Prep needs to have a lot of pep rallies and spirit weeks to encourage and promote the slogan. But our theme is much more than a slogan. It is Scripture and it is true. We are more than conquerors. The responsibility, as Christians, lies within all of us. We all play a part in God’s kingdom and the advancement of it. My part tonight is to speak about how the staff will help to accomplish and be responsible for the theme.

How is it that we are more than conquers? The verse tells us, “through Him who loved us.” Him being Christ Jesus, our Savior. So, we are more than conquers because of Jesus Christ. It is His strength that makes us strong. It is His wisdom that makes us wise. We are nothing without Him. In order to be more than conquers we need to be like Him, imitators of Him, as Paul says in Eph. 5:1 “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.”

What makes children dearly loved? When they obey. So our job as Christian educators is help our students know God and to grow in their understanding and wisdom of God and His will. A great way to start is to begin with identifying what God loves and what God hates. Philippians 4:8 tells us,

⁸ Finally, brethren,

whatever things are true, whatever things are noble,

whatever things are just, whatever things are pure,

whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report,

if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—

meditate on these things.

We are told to focus on these things because they are what God loves. They reflect Him. Conversely,

Proverb 6:16 – 19 teaches us

¹⁶ These six things the LORD hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
¹⁷ A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
¹⁸ A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
¹⁹ A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.

Learning and remembering Scripture verses such as these is perfect for our Grammar students as they grow in their knowledge of God and His Word. When students internalize these truths and examine the world around them, they can become “more than conquerors” because they begin to recognize the lies and the temptations that world has to offer. This is where our Dialectic and Rhetoric Schools build off the knowledge our students gained in the Grammar school. They can use their knowledge of God to begin to critic the world around them, whether it is books, movies, music, philosophy or culture. And then they can begin to conquer the culture that surrounds them through Christ who strengthens them. That is the goal of Bethel Prep, to form and mold students that God can use to advance His kingdom here on earth. Students who will change the culture, but will do so not with the weapons of the world, but rather as Paul says in II Corinthians 10:4-5, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, ⁵ casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”

This is why the culture of each home and Church is important. The culture of the home and Church must be pleasing to the Lord. It must be a safe haven from the culture of the world. A place where young Christians can take refuge and seek wisdom as they grow in their wisdom and understanding. The home and the Church cannot be place that reflects the world’s desires. It must reflect, as we want our students to, what God loves and what He hates.

My final point is that in order to become “more than conquerors through Him who loved us”, we must serve Him. We must serve Jesus as Lord. And how do we do so? Not with the weapons of the world as Paul said, but rather as Jesus Himself said in Matthew 25:31 – 40, “³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. ³² All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. ³³ And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. ³⁴ Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: ³⁵ for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? ³⁸ When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? ³⁹ Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ ⁴⁰ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”

What we learn from these verses is that as we serve each other, we serve the Lord who in turns strengthens us. And as He strengthens us, we are enabled to become more than conquerors.

It is important to note that the school exists to serve Christian families. It is difficult for the school to train students to accomplish our theme if a family is not living out the theme in the home. However, when the family and the school are in harmony in trying to grow men and women who can impact the culture around them, then by God’s grace we can accomplish His will.

Again, the school will do its part this year to train our students to love what God loves, hate what God hates and look to serve each other as we serve the Lord. Thank you.

The Fully Orbed Christian Life

My wife passed along to me an interesting article from the Wall Street Journal titled, "The Perils of Hipster Christianity". It is a good article about the attempts of the Christian Church to be cool. To be relevant. To be hip. I posted it on my Facebook and it drew some comments. I have been thinking about it a bit since, developing my thoughts.

This is has been a topic of discussion for me at various times with my students and friends. It is something I have spoke against for different reasons and I thought I would get some of those thoughts down...on here...the blog. So here we go.

One of the main points that 'Hipster Christianity' misses is the Christian life. The Scriptures teach and communicate a fully orbed Christian life. All members of the Body of Christ have their role and contribute to the Kingdom. Thus, the Bible teaches and has clear instructions for me on how to be a son, a husband, a father, a friend and an employee. The same is true for my wife, my children and my employer. However, modern 'Hip' Christianity does not present or teach much on these areas. Why? Because they are thought (by Christians) to be offensive and outdated to non-believers, especially the uber-cool 20 somethings that the 'Hipster Church' is trying to appeal to. Teachings such as the husband as the head of the household, the submission of wives, the obedience of children or employees are placed on the back self in order to not offend members or visitors. The full council of God becomes the censored and feel good council of humanity.

The problem is that people crave the fullness that the Scriptures teach. After all, God created man and then gave man a manual on how to live. It is safe to conclude then that He created Christians with desires that are fulfilled in the Bible. Nothing, save becoming Christians, has been more beneficial to my marriage than Melissa and I assuming the created order that is given to us in the Scriptures. Our union has flourished as I have assumed headship. It has given us order and direction. We did not find such instruction in the various 'Hipster Churches' that we have been a part of in the past. Those churches have long ago made nice with worldly lies such as feminism and have largely dismissed the teachings of the Bible.

The result of this for these churches is that members are left lacking. Their desires are not fulfilled. Order is not being brought to them and they are not finding things to be different in their church as they would find in the world. Often times the things(music, social atmosphere, etc) that they find in their church are nothing more than a cheap knock-off or imitation of what the world has to offer. Sooner or later on people realize that there is no reason to settle for the imitation when the real thing is waiting for them. Thus, out the church doors they tread.

Pray for pastors that would courageously preach the full council of God. In doing so, the Christian Church will flourish and grow because God's blessing will rest fully upon it.

All Parents Shelter Their Children

My wife seemed to touch a little bit of a nerve with some folks when she posted the following on her Facebook page...

"it's amazing to me the efforts some will go to in order to "shelter" their children from the world (ie- investing loads of money into private education vs. government schools), but will not think twice about enrolling their young daughters in say, a dance class of sorts, which plays Hannah Montana music for warm up."

This is something her and I have talked about in the past, so I thought I would take a little time and break down some of what she means.

The first topic is 'shelter.' With most Christian folks, this is a hotly debated idea. To 'shelter' your child can draw horrified looks or approving nods. Most of the negative reaction comes from those who know of friends in high school or college that were painfully sheltered... embarrassingly sheltered. They are completely naive and vulnerable when they are outside the shelter.

The key point is all parents shelter their children. The question revolves around to what point. All parents make decisions on what and when to allow their children to be exposed to certain things. Some parents let their kids watch rated-R movies at age 8 and some do not even own a TV. But the point is, even the parent who allows the R movies, is going to draw the line somewhere. It might be far beyond where I draw the line even for myself, but the line is still there. The same goes for music, clothes, language, etc... Thus, when Melissa uses the word shelter, she means it in a very positive way.

Melissa and I definitely shelter our girls. We closely monitor what they watch, what they hear and what they are in general exposed to. We both firmly believe that the world is seductive and we do not want our children worshiping things which God hates. And here lies another key point. Our sheltering now consists of us making decisions as to what the girls have access to. However, as they age a key learning point is teaching them to "love what God loves, and hate what God hates." This type of Christian parenting does not take a monk approach. It does not consist of hiding things from children thinking that if they never see it, they will not be tempted by it. Rather, this type of parenting deals with things head on...when the child is at age when she can begin make judgments and see things for what they are.

Melissa makes a good point in her Facebook post that some parents are dedicated to raising their Christian children the right way. They are aware of the messages that their children are getting hit with and they are doing something about it. But then, like a sneak attack, in through the back door comes "Hannah Montana" eroding away a foundation that the parents have worked hard to lay. Her general point and encouragement to all parents is, "Never let your guard down."

The additional thing that I have pondered is that I wonder how many parents are upset that they let their young daughters become Hannah Montana fans only to look on in horror at how Miley Cyrus is currently portraying and selling herself?

Twilight symbolism

With the introductions out of the way (see my previous post), it is time to begin to examine Twilight in a little more detail. Twilight falls into the romantic fantasy genre category because of Stephanie Meyer's use of vampires. These are not your grandparent's vampires. None of the old tricks work on them (garlic, crosses, wooden bullets) and they have superpowers (mind reading, future seeing, emotion manipulation). But they are still vampires and the use of vampires carries a historic set of symbols with them. And Meyer makes no attempt to deviate from these symbols.

Vampire literature has always been pretty straight forward in its symbolism. Picture most vampire movies and think of a neck-bite...what do you see? An erotic scene is a safe bet. Twilight is no different, but first a quick history lesson. Vampire stories were very popular in pre-Victorian and Victorian era England. Brothels were often visited by husbands. When they came home to their unsuspecting wife, they passed along a present...syphilis. Thus, the dark, sexual undercurrent of a vampire sinking his teeth into an innocent woman was a perfect parallel to society and it continues to be. Meyer does not shy away from this. A strong sensual and electric vibe is seen(the eyes, it is always the eyes) between Bella and Edward from early in the book and continues to develop throughout. He is continuously warning her he is dangerous. He cannot be trusted to control his urges around her. Edward works hard at it, but Bella's fragrance is nearly enough to drive him beyond self control. He wants her. He wants her bad. The symbolism is clear.

However, just to make sure the reader gets the point, Meyer drives it home like a nail in a coffin. Think of prom. Think of prom movies, especially those in the 80's. What is prom's, or more specifically after-prom's connotation? What goes on, or what does 'the guy' stereotypically want to make happen? Twilight ends with Bella and Edward at the prom, "And he leaned down to press his cold lips once more to my throat" (p. 498). As gentle as a two-by-four across the face the author makes it clear that Twilight is a sexually erotic book with teenagers as the target audience.

The only thing missing was Fabio...

The Twilight series has been a huge pop culture hit. Books have flown off the shelves and there have been long lines at the theaters. This craze has centered around teenage girls, but many adult women are just as fanatical as the young ladies. What is of particular interest is the way this book, authored by Stephanie Meyer, a Mormon, has been circulated through Christian circles. This blog series will examine Twilight, its meaning and its message.

The genre of this book fit perfectly into the romantic fantasy category. Our main character, Bella, has moved in with her father and is an outsider in her new school. She views herself as having no special talents or good looks, but is known for being rather clumsy. She enjoys moving in with her father, mainly because he leaves her alone and does not ask a lot of questions. Sparks begin to fly as she lays her eyes on Edward and his mysterious family. After a brief period of trying to ignore each other, their romance begins. As it begins, Edward repeatedly warns Bella to stay away because he is dangerous. Bella does not heed his less than convincing warnings and the romance continues to bloom. She cannot stay away even after discovering the truth about Edward. Not surprisingly, Bella finds herself in a little bit of life or death danger and, equally unsurprising, Edward saves the day. And the first novel in this 'saga' wraps up with our main characters going to the prom. How cute. The only thing missing was Fabio on the cover.