UPDATE: Battle for the American Mind
Thanks be to God
I plan to release a more substantive piece soon, but I just arrived home from 3 weeks of activity, much of it for Battle for the American Mind. Here are some highlights:
New York-- On June 14th Battle released. FOX had me join Pete Hegseth for a few "hits" as I've learned they call them. I was on Fox and Friends a couple of times. My kids (22, 21, and 16) joined me in New York and enjoyed seeing how FOX works behind the scenes.
Stanley, ID: June 16-18-- I joined other board members of The Ambrose School for strategic planning. Much of our discussion was how to meet the needs of a growing waiting list at the school. I appreciate Wade Ortego’s leadership through this growth.
Dallas, TX: June 21-- I joined the ACCS Board Meeting as we set our 3-5 year strategy for the coming year. Demand is high, and we're seeking resources to meet it. “The restoration of school” is underway! A special thanks to Keith Phillips for his leadership on our board (Schaeffer Academy in Minnesota).
New York: June 22-- Battle for the American Mind became the #1 nonfiction book in the country according to the New York Times. Soli Deo Gloria.
Dallas, TX: June 23-- “Repairing the Ruins,” the annual conference of the ACCS, set a record with over 1320 in attendance. Several people told me they had read Battle and registered for the conference to learn more. I was humbled by the response. One headmaster of a CCE school told me a donor showed up, unknown to him, Battle in hand, and made a significant donation. Grateful!
Dallas, TX: June 23rd-- I joined a panel on Battle on the main stage and appreciated the comments of Jeremy Tate of the CLT, Louis Markos of Houston Baptist and key contributor to “Miseducation of America” on FOX, Ty Fischer of the ACCS Board, and Bill Stutzman who moderated. I signed 300 books before we sold out. Special thanks to Eighth Day Books, who also sold many at the conference. I was humbled by the many grassroots workers in CCE who were encouraged by the book.
Dallas, TX: June 24th-- Roe vs. Wade was overturned and RTR spontaneously celebrated with George Grant, a rousing speech by Voddie Baucham, and the hymn "How Great Thou Art".
June 25th-- My wife and I hit the road en route to a packed house at Costa Glen in San Diego, CA for a talk on Battle.
June 28th-- I joined Pete Hegseth on stage at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, CA to talk about Battle. The house was packed, and we signed books late into the evening.
June 29th-- Stormy and I returned home and it’s time to get to work. We have much to do to transform education, and I'm grateful for the thousands of independent Classical Christian co-laborers in our membership that provide a truly distinct, Kingdom education for students across the country. May Christ be glorified.
June 29th-- Battle was named #1 for a second week by NYT, Amazon and others.
Please pray for our work as we try to be faithful to the call. And, please spread the word: Read the book and join the movement. We're seeking faithful Christians as we embark on a 100 year mission to reclaim education. Without Christ, we are lost. With Him, we cannot lose.
If you know others who would like to get involved, a place to start is to forward this and have them join this substack. Here, I’ll continue to connect the news of the day to the wisdom of the past.
I'm not sure what the ACCS can offer public schools, since our primary premise is that Christ is the center of all learning. I pray what you suggest might happen. More likely, the classical Charter movement would erode the influence of the public district school. As far as the ACCS goes, I think our calling is to educate the tiny percentage that will lead us out of this mess someday. That will take transformative action. That takes time. But, when you spend 120 years making a mess, it takes more than a few to clean it up.
It would seem public education is on the brink of collapse, more likely sooner than later. While our current ACCS schools have much to offer, I doubt they can accommodate such a massive influx of students. Yet, we create schools for the needy all over the world, so why not here? My guess is that if we have a plan in place, the public schools will be eager to contract with ACCS to administer our proven paideia in the schools. If we don't have a plan, who will fill the vacuum, and with what?