Basecamp Live

CS Lewis left an indelible mark on culture. On this anniversary of Lewis’s death in 1963, we enlist the help of Lewis expert, Diana Glyer, to explore the evidence that Tolkien and Lewis’s influence on each other led to some of the finest literature ever published. Can classical Christian schools be the type of community that spurs us on to greater things? Can a classroom be a version of the Eagle and Child pub giving us an opportunity to grapple with other thinkers on why ideas matter and finding out not just what we believe, but why we believe it? Listen in…

There’s an educational awakening going on. It’s not a new movement but it’s gaining momentum. It’s creating a national conversation that more and more people are getting in on because it's becoming clear that we are fighting for the last vestiges of western civilization. We're learning that if life is subject to a grand social experiment in human engineering, then there will be risks and losses and decay. So what is it we would rebuild? And how? And would we base it on the best ideas, the most proven, the most successful ideas?

"When you taste well prepared sushi, a McDonalds fish filet just isn’t so great." That’s what our guest today, Grant Horner, says when he talks about moving from being bored to having the fire of curiosity awakened in us…Listen in...

Ever feel like you walked in late to the movie when it comes to understanding this CCE thing? Does it seem like everyone else is getting it and you are playing catch up? My guest today, Mr. Keith Nix, like many of us went from being a public school veteran, completely unaware of CCE, to one of the leaders in the movement. You will want to hear his story.

The world is changing, spinning… what are the cultural forces at work and the trends that are impacting your children and schools today? Every type of media your child consumes is educational. How can you be intentional about every hour of your child's time and help them navigate the confusion in our culture today? Our guest Brooke Hempell is a senior vice president of Barna Group, studying the intersection of faith and culture. Join us as we discuss the trends they are seeing among Gen Z and how parents can influence their child's response to these trends.

There seems to be an epidemic today of young people who don’t know who they are. They grasp for affirmation and value through their performance or a social media like. Our guest today says that classical Christian schools are uniquely positioned to light a fire of hope, purpose, and meaning in our students as they discover what it really means to be made in the image of God. Listen in as I interview Peter at the Society for Classical Learning conference.

Oh ye classical people, why do you cling to your old ways?  With your ancient books and Latin drills… What's wrong with modern forms of education? Are we just like the old couple that thinks everything good in the world stopped happening 50 years ago? All fair questions.  When classical meets contemporary, what do we have to keep and what can we just throw out?  Listen now to what Chris Perrin has to say about how to evaluate old vs. new.

It has been said that, “the purpose of education is not thinking; it is acting. It is not just knowing what to do; it is doing it.” This means that worldview training, getting the right answers to the big questions in life, is in and of itself not enough since we are more likely to be directed by our longings and loves than our thoughts. We are tackling this topic and more with my guest Dr. Peter Vande Brake on this episode of BaseCamp Live.

Classical Christian kids are asked to give a lot of their time and mental energy to school and life in general. Parents can make the mistake of being too sympathetic (“oh, so sorry for your hard day at school…”) and risk making our kids soft, or we can fail to understand the real pressures and risk burning them out. Ultimately, life satisfaction is tied to our children’s ability to know they are valuable, are capable, and have a place to belong in this world. How we direct them with their work and responsibilities can make a real difference in how they answer those questions positively.

It is easy at times to get discouraged when we look at American culture and the state of education in most American schools. Can classical Christian education really be a transformative education that can deeply shape the affections and minds of our children? Sometimes it takes stepping out of our own familiar surroundings to see what God is doing globally with classical Christian education to appreciate the impact that is possible. The same education that is transforming students in America to love the good, true and beautiful is now radically transforming boys and girls in more than 10 countries in Africa, who are now standing for Biblical truth and looking forward to a life of healthy opportunities. Karen Elliot, Executive Director of the Rafiki Foundation, shares some compelling stories and will give you an even greater appreciation and understanding of this powerful form of education whether in American suburbia or an African small town.

Classical folks make a big deal out of singing and knowing how to play music. Is there more to it than just wanting us to be well rounded? Even for those who can’t carry a tune and only know pop songs, it is important to raise a generation to know and experience music that has stood the test of time over the centuries. The reasons why may surprise you.

Alistair Begg has been a familiar voice around the world as a Bible teacher on Truth for Life. On this episode he shares his story of growing up in a Scottish school and then gives us insights on how to raise the next generation to not grow weary…

Oatmeal is bland stuff. It only tastes good when it has been flavored with lots of brown sugar! But education is not oatmeal; it isn’t neutral. You can’t just sprinkle some Christ on top of any form of education and make it effective. Join us for this episode as Doug Wilson, who is often credited with the rediscovery of classical Christian education 40 years ago, explains his vision for education...

Dr. MacArthur has been a pastor-teacher for more than five decades. His radio show 'Grace to You' airs on more than 1,000 stations per day and is downloaded more than 2 million times per month. And he is unashamedly confident that despite the constant changes around us in pop culture and technology, God’s Truth doesn’t change. He has recently put initiatives in place to help equip a new generation of teachers in classical Christian schools. Join us as Dr MacArthur shares practical wisdom on how to raise a generation to follow boldly after Christ on this episode of BaseCamp Live.

We often hear a lot about the importance of reading the Great Books, but who decided what is a Great Book? Captain Underpants and Diary of a Wimpy Kid are continuing to break sales records; are they the next Great Books? The answer matters, and you may be surprised why… Stay tuned as we hear from Dr. Louis Markos on this important topic.

Sports teams that go year round or travel most weekends appear to be the trend…but how is this affecting children and how can we navigate the pitfalls of an athletic industry gone mad? Today’s guest, Ken Sugarman, walks us through the problem and shares what he sees after 15 years of collegiate coaching and as a father raising two athletic sons. The landscape is strewn with burned out youth, pushy parents and more injuries than ever before. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Coach Sugarman encourages parents in practical ways how to affirm their little athletes while not letting sports control the life of the family or our hearts. "Rightly ordered affections" is what classical Christian education is all about, and that includes our response to sports and modeling it for our kids. Be encouraged by this timely conversation today with Ken Sugarman, a coach in the trenches.

My guest today, Nancy Pearcey, has been called America’s preeminent evangelical Protestant female intellectual. Her book Total Truth was a best seller along with the book she authored with Chuck Colson: How Now Shall We Live. In this interview she talks about her latest book, Love Thy Body, which asks the hard questions about life and sexuality that we hear in many of the conversations and debates in the broader culture. It is an excellent resource for anyone raising the next generation… Stay tuned….

20 years ago Robert Benne searched far and wide to find historic Christian colleges and universities that had remained committed to their founding Christian vision and mission. At that time he found six schools and today he is hard pressed to find any. But there is hope and ways to choose wisely, so stay tuned for this episode as we hear from Robert Benne - respected author, speaker and founding director of the Roanoke College Center for Religion and Society…

Colleges are increasingly challenging places for Christians. Austin Gentry is a 20-something millennial who has written a new book for surviving college. As this generation is increasingly exiting the church as they enter college, students from Christian schools are not immune.  In our interview, he shares some stories of what he is seeing on respected university campuses today and how he is helping a generation to rediscover the truth of the Gospel. His book, 10 Things Every Christian Should Know for College, is a practical guide to life in college that has good insights even for those whose children are not college aged.

Gordon Pennington is one of the best cultural translators out there. His life reads like a fascinating adventure novel. In his marketing days in New York as the head of marketing for Tommy Hilfiger, he was courted by MTV and jet setting with celebrities and stars including David Lee Roth, Prince Albert and Johnny Depp. Gordon has served in places of media influence and understands how culture shifts. As a Christian, he now works tirelessly as a visionary and cultural liaison to governments, corporations, non profits and ministries in all parts of the globe. His life is a rich tapestry but he always points to the transformative discovery he made when visiting a middle school classroom at a classical Christian school...