american christian education

The state of our union – with Christ

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My nomination for greatest master-teacher in the field of Providential History and Governmental Principle – – James Rose, American Christian History Institute.

Like so many of those involved in restoring awareness of the subject, Mr. Rose studied under FACE (Miss Hall & Miss Slater). Their wisdom and foresight impress me more each day I study and teach! James Rose authored, “A guide to American Christian Education for the Home and School.” [1987]

On page 10 of, “A Guide …” is a quote from another master-teacher who was inspired by FACE – Miss Kathy Dang:

“In ignorance, Christians are aiding and abetting anti-Christianity in America. More than any other factor, it is the weakness of Christian character and scholarship that is responsible for this country’s apostasy from its founding Christian principles of education, government and economics.

“The pagan remains true to paganism. Spiritual backsliding is a believer’s trait, not a pagan’s. The dissolution of Christian character has resulted from generations of unbiblical education among Christian institutions of teaching and learning.

“Christians are duped to believe that the ‘forces without’ are mightier and inevitable; thus they isolate themselves, calling it separation, only to breed more cowards after their own kind.1 The battle is within; the enemy is within the camp; that enemy is American Christianity’s own ignorance to effect superior spiritual armerments.

“Impotent and unequipped to supplant or displace, Christians tacitly consent to creeping socialistic policies in their own institutions: homes, churches, and schools, advancing the kingdom of Satan.

“The need is for a soul-searching of content and methods in pastoring and teaching, to consider their implications for home, church, school and state.

“The need is for a generation of American Christians who know God and His word, and by their own scholarship know how to implement their knowledge. It is the duty of Christian educators to lead in advance of their students, not only to stem the tide of anti-Christian socialism, but to seek an effective alternative in schooling parents, pastors, businessmen, and statesmen. American Christianity must first sanctify itself before this nation can be purged of her enemies and reclaimed for Christ.”

Hmm – I wonder what she really thinks! I have always respected Miss Dang for her no-nonsense teaching. There is more to the quote – but you get the idea. Mr. Rose adds the footnote:

1There is, of course, a Biblical basis for separation – ecclesiastically, morally and socially (II Cor. 6:14-18), but the emphasis here is on false isolation in the name of separation. …

If what I have quoted (and endorsed) from Miss Dang rings true to the reader, it will surely inspire and encourage efforts to humbly cooperate with God’s efforts to “heal our land” [II Chron 7:14].

If, on the other hand, the reader reacts against the challenge and wishes to contradict her / our view of the American church – or has the view that America is beyond redemption and needs to dissolve and get out of the way of “providence” – I suggest not throwing rocks at the messenger because you dislike the message.

Permit me, please, a last quote concerning “The state of our union – with Christ

The Astonishing Accomplishment of Christianity

"In proportion as Americans let go of faith in the absolute power of God, they have accepted the belief in an all powerful State. This is true of peoples or nations, for their idea of God determines the form of their civil, political, religious and social institutions . . . Each religion has a form of government, and Christianity astonished the world by establishing self-government . . . . Reading and studying American history revealed the fact that this nation is unique; it had a singular beginning; it has the sacred covenant of individual freedom or local self-government in all spheres entrusted to its care."

Verna Hall, The Christian History of the Constitution of the United States: Christian Self-government, 1960, pp II-III

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The significance of insignificance

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Miss Verna Hall and Miss Rosalie Slater, were founders of FACE (Foundation for American Christian Education), precursor to most of today’s efforts to restore America’s heritage and founding principles. They were sticklers for details – the little things that seem insignificant.

Miss Hall (though a close friend, when in public, it was always “Miss Hall,” or “Mister. Gilmore” – never – “Verna, or Ben”!). I recall her standard response to “The study assignment is too hard!” She replied, “Don’t lower the bar, challenge the student to reach for it.” She shunned paraphrases, insisting that the student struggle to understand the original text – even with ancient fonts where the f’s look like s’s!

Unlike modern cyberspeak “the ladies” never seemed to use abbreviations, or improper grammar, when they wrote. They often spoke of “Dress to honor your subject.” Contrast that with the trend away from use of capital letters (unless to indicate shouting), and the shift from IBM’s norm of suit and tie, to Apple’s sport shirt and jeans.

The popular series, “Downton Abby” illustrates the passing of aristocratic norms, like dressing up for dinner. Granted: American culture shuns (or used to shun) “class distinctions.” Still, something of personal and cultural self-image is lost by lowering the bar.

FACE initiated a term, “The Principle Approach” which appears to me to be a philosophy of teaching, that challenges the student to “4-R” a subject (Research, Reason, Relate, Record). PA students are challenged to study a subject, think through its purpose and origin, relate it to their personal life adventure, then record their conclusions in some form. Such “critical thinking” appears to be a lost art in today’s culture.

Miss Slater encouraged us to home school our youngest daughter way back, before it was a common practice. Folks use to ask, “Is it legal?” Sally Thoman, one among many we have since introduced to home schooling, had these golden words, “My greatest fulfillment as a parent is when I am home schooling my child.

If it be true – “The fear (reverence) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” [Proverbs 9:10] It follows that an irreverent teacher is incapable of producing a “wise” student! Our whole public school system has been made irreverent by fiat!

In the next generation, the pool of “wise” leaders will come from the knees of homeschool parents!

If it be true that no civil government rises without the hand of God. It should be possible to discover His “providence” in our states’ and national history [His-Story]!

My beloved wife, Fran, has been researching the “Christian history of our home state – Texas.” She came across a most interesting individual, Lorenzo de Zavala, a Mexican national, who was elected as the first Vice President of the Republic of Texas. A chapter of her research has been published as a text book in the “God & Texas Series.

Like Alexis de Tocqeuville, Zavala toured young America to discover its greatness. Zavala wrote back to his Mexican compatriots –

“Repair your roads; raise up houses in order to live like rational beings; dress your children and your wives with decency; don’t incite riots in order to take what belongs to somebody else. And finally, live on the fruit of your labors, and then you will be worthy of liberty and of the praises of sensible and impartial men.”

[Lorenzo de Zavala, Journey to the United States of North America. “Prologue.”]

As we seek to restore things of value – Let us not overlook the “insignificant.

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Ben Gilmore 1929-2023

On March 30, 2023 Ben Gilmore, the co-founder of ACHStudyGroups (co-founded with his wife Fran), went to be with the Lord in Glory.

A Memorial: https://www.mykeeper.com/profile/BenGilmore/