Author Archives: Theoclopedian- putting God into the circle of knowledge.

I loved it even though it was… shall we say… ? extreme in some rules. I began to understand not only the Benedictine Monastery, but the roots of all of other ‘separatist’ groups as well. The Order of St. Augustine, the Cappadocian Desert Fathers: Basil and Gregory of Nissa, the Dominicans, the Franciscans, The Carmelites,Continue reading “The Monastery: Backbone of western education”

In Books 5-7, in Plato’s Republic, we find 3 metaphors that pretty much sums up the Greek ( Socrates and Plato ) educational philosophy on how to educate the rising generation. They knew— we can’t educate until we properly think through the nature of all reality. My 2 summations don’t give due justice to theContinue reading “Plato: a footnote to western education. Why he matters.”

So, we are off … and I thank you for joining me. Here is a focal question for this week. In our attempt to reconstruct the Good, the True and the Beautiful. Which is primary? or Ultimate ? Does it matter? Our Crisis : Not all, but many young people are literally falling apart andContinue reading “The Transcendentals: Why our Alma Maters are no longer ‘nourishing mothers’.”

We have the mandate; so why do we hate it so much? Well, the enterprise can be tricky, and quite frankly, it can be mind-boggling. But we will be amazed how quickly the overwhelming task becomes much easier– simply by learning definitions to a few key words, recognizing names of people, separating and system-izing ideasContinue reading “Idea-ology — “Taking every philosophy captive……….””

“The only constant in life is change”. Who said this? When? Can we surmise it must have been someone living with in the secularized Modern Era? Actually, it can’t be true. The universal questions in life are still the same old, same old questions. The biblical answers are still the same old best answers toContinue reading “Braiding the Triple Strands of “Constants””

As I write, I hear Chuck Colson making these same comments some 15 years ago on Breakpoint radio. These are not new, but I hear them afresh today. Why does it matter? Perhaps more now than then. Today, the deteriorating cultural currents are deeper and wider and more swift. We can feel it; the fallingContinue reading “Please say: exactly, where is the Breakdown of Culture?”

Consider your present understanding of the Logos: Check all that apply. The Logos : is all Powerful Revelation Logos: Infinite and 75% intelligible A powerful phenomena of energy: the First Cause… or a” big bang” The Logos: Its all about a relationship with a Person, not about knowledge Reveals the nature of God and HisContinue reading “A Pre-Test On the Logos”

The Metalogican on behalf of the Logos–Truth and Logic gram-mar: the science of thinking, speaking and writing correctly First Art for the youngest of children The right ordering of words, symbols and meaning The First Art for acquiring wisdom The right ordering of virtues The First Nurse of the Letters [ aka Literature] The Mother/ArbiterContinue reading “The Vision of John Salisbury 1139 A.D.”

Answers to the Quiz: 1. epistemology, 2. teleology, 3. anthropology, 4. theology, 5.cosmology, 6. ethics/axiology, 7. immortality of the soul. And the missing category not on the quiz? Metaphysics/Ontology HERE it is: The Missing Metaphysical Framework in Public Education Sample of Biblical answers to The Universal Questions Proposition 1       The Nature of God                       Continue reading “Biblical Theism: The Foundational View in the West 313 -1750 A.D”

The “LOGOS revealed” is much more than “Jesus Loves Me this I Know”. Here is where we are tripping. Assuming that the “Logos” is no more than “Immanuel, God is with us” , we attempt to balance The Faith on a one- legged stool. The Church Fathers understood the LOGOS to be the fount ofContinue reading “Knowing and Owning our Starting Points”