Classical Lutheran Education

IELS’ Classical Lutheran Philosophy 

Wisdom, eloquence and virtue – these are the aims of a classical education. The patriarchs of western civilization understood that education was more than the acquisition of basic skills and mere competency. The purpose of education was to transform, to elevate, and to refine the mind and the soul. This was the standard, not the exception. At the center of classical education is an emphasis on the Good, the True, and the Beautiful. Because these universal values serve as the building blocks of classical learning, the classical arts are timeless and proven, and have been known to produce many eloquent confessors and wise leaders.

Our communities today are in dire need of just these sorts of men and women. In an endless pursuit of the latest educational dogma, many schools no longer have the capacity to judge what is Good, True and Beautiful, much less teach it. In forsaking the soul for the mind, they have forgotten how to educate both. Classical Education is a holistic approach to education, and a return to excellence in teaching, curriculum and expectations.
(The Consortium for Classical Lutheran Education – www.ccle.org)

 “Classical education is the inculcation of wisdom and virtue through [instruction in] the liberal arts and a familiarity with the Great Books.” (Classical Education Is More Than a Method, Memoria Press, p.11)

 Classical Schools typically follow the pattern of the ancient Greek Trivium and Quadrivium. The Trivium included Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric. While the Quadrivium included Arithmetic, Geometry, Music and Astronomy. In the ancient world, the Trivium was preparatory work for younger students, while the Quadrivium would be reserved for older students. While education today will not precisely follow the ancient Greek outline, we still recognize the progression from foundational studies to more complex and technical work, as follows:

 Taken together, the Trivium and Quadrivium are known as “the Liberal Arts.” In this case “liberal” refers to freedom. An education in the liberal arts is education for a free citizen, whereas only the most basic education in skills needed for work would be provided for servants. Ironically, modern education in its desire to be “relevant” and to provide students essential skills for their careers, reduces education to what the Greeks would have considered sufficient for servants, but inappropriate for free citizens. Much has been written over the last century about how this new form of education has actually caused a dumbing-down of our society and a regression in what it means to be educated.

Classical Lutheran Education at IELS

Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran School aspires to fulfill the ideals of a Classical Lutheran school. While understanding child development and applying the classical Greek ideas embodied in the Trivium are helpful and informative for our work, it is most important that we keep our fundamental goal in mind.

What is our goal? We seek to form the children entrusted to us into Godly and virtuous men and women, who love and serve God and their neighbor. We are helping them to become the people that God has called them to be, according to the Scriptures. We do not train children to endlessly pursue personal goals or worldly gain, but rather we train them to respond to the calling of our gracious and merciful God and to seek the fulfillment of His purposes in the world. To form our children in this way, we must provide them with an education in God’s Word and a Christian understanding of all things. 

With Christ at the center, we teach our students the whole Word of God. This wisdom from heaven instructs our students in God’s Law which shows them His perfect holiness and His standards of right and wrong; and in the Gospel of His love and forgiveness, shown on the cross of Christ. In addition, our students learn how God has called them in their vocations to a life of love and service toward God and their neighbor.

We also instruct our students in the very best human works of art, science, literature, music, mathematics and more. We do not teach these Great Books and Great Works without understanding them in relationship to Christ. Only with Christ at the center are we able to understand that all creation is His. And only with Christ at the center are we able to actually know what is beautiful, true and good. Apart from Christ, all areas of knowledge become unmoored from their anchor, and those who study them are tossed about by the wind and the waves of godless culture and philosophy.  

 But with God’s help, the firm foundation of God’s Word and a clear, Christ-centered understanding of all things will lead our students into a truly Godly and virtuous life of love and service to God and neighbor.

 In summary,