Nathan Wilson spoke on "Story and Rhetoric".  Rhetoric is the final stage of classical education, in which the student learns to present their knowledge and wisdom persuasively and beautifully.  The talk focused on the idea of "proof".  Nathan presented "proof" not as mathematical certainty but as "that which obligates belief".  You may prove your point even if folks don't agree.  The listener is moved to a response by your presentation even if that may not be wholesale agreement - they may feel guilty and stone you to death to silence you.  That they take an action shows they are moved by your argument.

The nature of persuasion - use beauty and style to complement your reasoning.  It's OK to appeal to the credibility of authorities that hold the position ("ethos" type of proof) or to the listener's emotions ("pathos").  Logos (logic), Ethos, and Pathos are the three types of proof Cicero and the ancients held to.

Remember that "mathematical certainty" applies only to mathematics.  All other areas of reasoning involve some measure of faith, even faith that our senses are not deceiving us, etc.  Descartes insisted on mathematical certainty and ended up rejecting much of reality.  The biblical definitions of knowledge exceed mathematical proof.  One example is Solomon's musings in Ecclesiastes.  Another is Jesus' answering His critics in ways that appear to dodge the question.  His answer actually cuts directly to the root of the matter, but our insistence on "proof as pure logic" prevents us from hearing His truth.

Logic is not the "cornerstone" of persuasion.  It's more like a wall - necessary but not the only essential quality.  Rhetoric is about everything.  You are in God's story, look around and learn to read it.

As this site attests, I am interested in education in general and greatly interested in time-proven "classic" methods that have endured through the ages. I would have enjoyed the ACCS conference for this reason alone. But the reason I leapt for the mouse and the online registration form way back in April was to hear Ken Myers, Douglas Wilson, and George Grant a mere 10 minutes from my home. A lifetime opportunity not to be missed!

And these gentlemen did not disappoint. Having listened to and read from each of them for years, I knew what to expect. It's always wonderful to attend in person - an immersion experience that cannot be had simply listening to CD's while waiting in traffic.

I'll start with Ken Myers. Ken spoke 4 times and participated in a panel. 10 minutes into his opening lecture, I was already satisfied I had my money's worth. The other 4 hours and 50 minutes were completely astounding. I've listened to Ken for years through my Mars Hill Audio subscription - a series of 6 interviews with professors, pastors, artists that Ken publishes every 2 months. So I knew much of his perspective. But it was overwhelming to hear him for a solid hour as he eloquently wove together insights and analysis of history, culture, art, the church - all presented brilliantly.

His first message was "Defining Christian Cultural Involvement". This was a definitive analysis of "what's wrong with the world". These days most folks, Christian or not, have an intuitive sense that things, at least in the US and Europe, are in decline. No one seems quite able to put a finger on the fundamental issue - is it economic? too much crime? sleazy politicians? bad schools? Lots of finger pointing these days, but I don't think hardly anyone really understands what's going on. Ken doesn't have all the answers, but his analysis helps me see what a culture is and why our seems increasingly "disordered" to most folks. I've ordered copies of Ken's talks and plan to make them available to several friends - if you're interested please contact me. I can't capture his whole analysis here but will list a few of the insights that struck me.

Many of today's evangelical churches in the US see the problem and want to transform the culture by full participation in it. They wish to "engage the culture" while being ambiguous in defining the term "engagement". The culture is disordered but churches want to fully participate in it. They may not understand that culture is disordered. The church's recent cultural activities have led not to widespread cultural transformation, but to the church's "cultural captivity", as most churches have ignored the significance of cultural forms and plunged head-long into whatever is in vogue. But the church has always been a people for the Lord, having our own distinct, godly culture and bringing others into it by baptism and discipleship.

Understanding what cultures are and how they work should inform the church's participation. Ken lists:
6 things that define culture as an "ecosystem"
1) artifacts - literary forms, novels, etc.; anything material - car, buildings, etc
2) institutions - examples: The New York Times, schools, sports leagues, government
3) practices - holidays, proms, weddings, vacations, funerals, half-time shows
4) beliefs - *this is what many evangelicals consider to be the sum total of culture - important but only a part*
5) moods, styles, 'ethos' - Texan Confidence, Yankee Ingenuity, Rugged Individualism, "Fast Paced" vs. "Strolling"
6) meta-beliefs - intuitive sense of purpose; "gut instinct"; "a posture toward creation"

Dominant patterns define the culture but there are deviations. A particular belief or practice can have a "poetic resonance" with these 6 elements. Practices/belief lacking resonance with the elements is "counter cultural".

Form and content are symbiotic - they sustain each other. Can't separate content from forms and structures. Church tries to fit its message in context of structures that are incompatible with this type of message. This is how cultures work - we must understand ours to engage it faithfully.

James Davidson Hunter - "True character requires moral communities that enforce limits and establish boundaries" .."but modern culture desires liberty over limits - we want what we can't possibly have in the way we want it"

Significance of "culture" in light of the work of the church:
Romans 1 - God's character evident from material creation- form/message linkage
Daniel Bell defines Modern culture as "open to newness" - a meta-belief that disagrees with biblical Christianity

Post-Modern? Ken says we're really hyper-modern - "plowing on" through mistakes Modernity has made.

Role of Christian Education
- orientation of the soul; not just information transfer but consciousness reoriented
- not a "worldview" only; reality is less "Powerpoint" and more like "counterpoint"
- goal is "reordered affections", not just "edited ideas"
Psalm 1 is a good example - trees and righteousness mysteriously linked somehow

Proper engagement - through a well ordered life, we can recognize disorder and seek to transform it.

Well this is a pitiful attempt to reduce a masterful oration to a few key points - I hope it gives you a taste for it. I'm looking forward to the CD arriving so I can hear it again 2 or 3 times. Ken's lectures should really be delivered in 1 minute segments, followed by 20 minutes of silence to allow reflection. So his 4 hours of speaking would have lasted over a week. That'd be just fine with me....

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!

G.K. Chesterton says it so well:
"Living in a world that worships swiftness and success no longer means living in a world of new things.  Rather it means living in a world of old things; of things that very swiftly grow old.  The actual sensation of novelty lasts for a much shorter time than it does in a world where there are fewer sensations."  Illustrated London News, August 3, 1935

Evidence of this in our day are the stuffed closets, attics, and garages - overflowing into rental storage units that pervade our cities.  All full of things that were once new and treasured, now broken and abandoned as our cast off surplus.  Too busy to enjoy a few simple necessities, we rush to acquire, clean, preserve, sort and store our vast hoards that we really don't treasure.  For if they were treasure, it would be enough.  We'd stop the rush to acquire, clean, sort, and store.  We would enjoy.  We live among old, broken things that smother our capacity to truly savor authentic, lasting treasure.

Mr. Chesterton said it well, but Christ says it even better:
"Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
Matthew 6:20-21

Treasure the ancient truth of God, which is new every morning...

I've always appreciated Rick Saenz's perspective. I'm catching up on some of this blog posts and really enjoyed his series "The Lost Tools of Living". This is a clear, thoughtful examination of a "simple" agrarian life. Not an easy life, but life well lived. I recommend this especially to young men pondering their life's calling. Here's a link to the first of the series. At the top of the article, there's a link to the next, with about 5 total in the series:

Lost Tools of Living by Rick Saenz

In pondering free markets and democracy, I've wondered if the bloated bureaucracies (public and private) we have in the US are indeed what the "free" market has produced.  After all, our freely elected representatives have implemented this.  We say we don't like the result...

We visited the weekly Farmer's Market in downtown Austin last Saturday, dropping by the Ardoin family's booth...