Classical Education

by Dinah Austin

Gutenberg College's success, and the success of other classical liberal arts programs, is an interesting barometer of our culture. We live in an age where the traditional has become alternative. Gutenberg, as a young and alternative institution forging an unpopular path, has had to expect difficulty. A review of changes in Gutenberg's advertising practices and class makeup sheds light on this difficulty and invites remark. There has been an acknowledged shift, almost a reversal, in Gutenberg's advertising focus; what began as a broad call, cast like bread upon the waters to a mixed secular and Christian audience, has become a more overtly Christian invitation. There has been apathy and apprehension from both quarters—secular and religious—but I believe Gutenberg College has established a valuable niche between the two.

Gutenberg's original advertisements were designed to answer the specific concerns of secular students and/or Christian students in public schools. It was emphasized that a classical education offers to such students a more thorough and personal introduction to their heritage than they might ever have had. It was thought that Gutenberg would attract a mix of Christian and non-Christian students, but response from college fairs at public high schools and in secular college-fair magazines was never fruitful. There are many possible reasons for this: the size and newness of the school, the inclination to view college primarily as career preparation, and the slow but widespread rejection of Christianity and western culture by the modern world, to name a few.

It was a logical step, therefore, to expand promotional efforts in Christian schools. But Gutenberg met with surprisingly little enthusiasm here, too. Gutenberg College president Dr. David Crabtree summarized a reason for this in a recent comment: "The Christian world is just not ready for us." He meant that Gutenberg does not always meet the Christian community's expectations as to what constitutes a Christian college. Parents have expressed concerns, for example, about there being too many non-Christian authors in the curriculum and about the lack of formalities like dress codes, chapel attendance, and formal rules of conduct. Dr. Crabtree has answered each of these concerns, but concludes that these parents are mistaken if they think that the church's goal is "to preserve the Christian subculture, rather than having their children think about what is the essence of Christianity. The average Christian parent is not willing to accept the distinction between the two." Dr. Crabtree's comment is particularly true if the Christian culture these parents would preserve has only a very contemporary knowledge of itself. "I fear," he adds, "that this will be the death of Christianity." Indeed, without an understanding of its roots and essentials, our faith will ultimately wither in the cultural heat.

Having faced less than enthusiastic responses from both public and Christian schools, Gutenberg has begun branching out into the (predominantly Christian) homeschool community. This is accomplished through organized homeschool conventions, from which news is also spread by word-of-mouth. This has been by far the most productive promotional effort, as a few numbers will show. Dr. David Crabtree attended the first homeschooling convention on behalf of Gutenberg College in 1995; this year he and other faculty members have given presentations at six different conferences up and down the West Coast. This increased communication with the homeschooling community has borne its fruit. All of the students in the first class, which started in 1994, went through the public school system. In the second class, which started in 1996, only one student had been homeschooled, part-time. However, two-thirds of the current sophomore class is homeschooled. And this year, the entire freshman class was educated at home and through homeschool networks.

What point of contact has Gutenberg found with the homeschooling community that it did not find with students and families in either public or Christian schools? The link is classical education! An interest in classical education has been developing in the homeschool community for some time now. A classical education is a potentially edifying route for modern Christians because it allows them to see how Christianity has influenced western history: in law, government, art, science, and ethics. It is always inspiring to read the work and biographical accounts of legendary natural scientists and artists who were professing Christians and sought to honor God with their work. And as Americans, a classical education offers a chance to learn about and celebrate the uniquely Christian aspects of our heritage.

It is a mistake, however, to emphasize only what is overtly Christian about Western or American history and to glorify it on that basis. This may be where the homeschooling community risks a mistake similar to that of the Christian schools. The Christian heritage that we are right to celebrate must be understood in context: Who were the Christians that went before us? How were they unique? What did they do right? What might they have gotten wrong? We should try to understand the struggles of our Christian brethren in different ages. It is also a mistake for the modern world to reject Christianity because it is associated with Western culture, the products of which are lamentable. To what extent, for example, can America be called a Christian nation? This is where it is so helpful to understand what a classical education is supposed to be and do.

The proper aim of a classical education is to make students active participants in an historical conversation. Reading material is selected not according to how well it concurs with what we already believe to be true, but according to how influential it was in its own time and afterward. This basis for selection makes sense if the goal is to become familiar with one's cultural roots and to be a student of history and history's mistakes. The value of this approach is in struggling through the "great books" themselves, rather than reading someone else's summary or commentary of them. Even as Christians who trust the Bible as valid and true, we do not have ready-made answers to every dilemma we face as society changes over time. We should learn how to evaluate the various answers that have been given to life's most important questions; and as Christians we must learn how to distinguish biblical answers from anti-biblical answers.

To what extent can America be called a Christian nation? This is a great question, but one which cannot be adequately answered in this short speech. My aim to is persuade you, however, that the best way to answer such a question is with a classical approach to education. An education of any length or depth, in keeping with the classical aim of surveying influential works and encouraging participation in the historical conversation, is a worthwhile exercise for any literate person. This is, of course, in addition to the contemporary news and opinions we must absorb—to some degree—every day.

A formal education in this classical sense serves as a bridge between cultures secular and religious, past and present. Students from the Christian community are encouraged to evaluate both contemporary and historical Christianity more critically. Students from the secular community, or those who are only loosely connected with the Christian community, have, on the other hand, a chance to learn about the unique contributions of Christianity down through the ages, as they learn to develop the same evaluation skills. I believe that Gutenberg College makes a successful attempt in building this bridge, by offering a common classroom where Christians and non-Christians could meet, and where both Christian and secular ideas can be evaluated.

When I came to Gutenberg I was of the sort loosely connected with Christian culture. I attended public schools from beginning to end and had an eclectic assortment of friends and interests. I had been a professing Christian for several years by the time I applied to Gutenberg, but I had not officially "grown up in the church," as they say, and had a very limited knowledge of our Christian history. The more I learned at Gutenberg, the more I realized what an orphan I had been in the denominational marketplace of twentieth century Christianity. Thanks be to God who is indeed father to the fatherless!

In preparation for this event today, I spent some time going through my 'archives'. I read the advertisement which initially sparked my interest and the very much marked up catalog upon which I based my decision to come. I compared that ad and catalog to the most recent editions and noticed examples of the shifts in promotional efforts mentioned above. The earlier material was more apologetic and emphasized the fact that everyone stands to benefit from listening to the great thinkers of the past, regardless of age, sex, race, or belief. It was just what I needed to hear at the time. Like the apprehensive Christian parents mentioned above, I also had apprehensions; although mine were of a different nature. The parents are concerned that Gutenberg might be too liberal and casual, whereas I was concerned that Gutenberg might be too conservative. I thought four years might be too long to study just Western history. I wondered why there were not more women in the curriculum and on the staff. I was afraid that such an education might make me "narrow-minded."

But anyone interested in sorting out truth from fiction and right from wrong must become more "narrow-minded" with time. This is also called—in the best sense—discernment. In the end, I am grateful to Gutenberg for introducing me to authors and subjects I never would have explored on my own and particularly to certain Christian authors in whom I have found friends I never knew I had.

Gutenberg will continue to answer the apathy and apprehension from both secular and religious audiences; this is part of its service to society. I have no problem with the shift in advertising and Gutenberg's kindling alliance with the homeschool movement. I want to encourage the stability, growth, and integrity of this school however I can. I only hope that God has plans to reserve a few seats for young people such as I was when I applied to Gutenberg.