Self Education: The Way to High Culture : Pastor Doug Wilson

Video from Cannon Press

In this talk, originally given to the Association of Classical Christian Schools, Pastor Doug Wilson discusses self-education as the way to high culture. Enjoying this video? Check out Doug's book "Why Christian Kids Need a Christian Education" https://canonpress.com/products/why-c... This video is presented by Canon Press.

Pastor Doug Wilson has long been a proponent of Christian education. As we witness our American educational system devolve into a secular dumbing down of intellect we must seek to educate our children in what Doug Wilson has rightly pointed out as the "Paideia of God". What is the 'Paideia of God"?

"Paideia"(Merriam Webster) training of the physical and mental faculties in such a way as to produce a broad enlightened mature outlook harmoniously combined with maximum cultural development the long and noble tradition of paideia, which made it impossible for a Greek or Roman to write a worthy book merely to record facts— Gilbert Highet

In as much as our current culture has dumbed down education we all must then self-educate to achieve any high culture. We must as Wilson says be an "autodidact" a self taught person. If you remain a life long learner as I endeavor to be then we follow in theses footsteps.

"Over the last two or three years I have spent a fair amount of time thinking about and studying the concept of Paideia. Paideia is a Greek word that referred to in classical texts the whole instruction, education and training of children. In the New Testament, Paideia and it’s close corollary Paideuo (basically the infinitive root of Paideia) can be translated in terms of nurture, learning, instruction or discipline... from the article: The Paideia of God

Ephesians 6:4

4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

"In the ancient world, the paideia was all-encompassing and involved nothing less than the enculturation of the future citizen. He was enculturated when he was instructed in the classroom, but the process was also occurring when he walked along the streets of his city to and from school. The idea of paideia was central to the ancient classical mind, and Paul’s instruction here consequently had profound ramifications." from the overview of "The Paideia of God: And Other Essays on Education by Doug Wilson

Our call today in theses evil days is to immerse ourselves in God's word and world, to teach our children in such a way that they are not tempted into the sinful "paideia" of this world. Pick up your bible, read as much as possible and work with other Christians in your community to put Christ above all else.

THE GREEK CONCEPT OF PAIDEIA—PAIDEIA (article link)

The Paideia of God: And Other Essays on Education by Doug Wilson (link)