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Doug and Julie Reynolds, along with several other young couples in the Wheaton, Illinois, area, came to the same conclusion about their children’s education. They wanted a rigorous course of study that would prepare their kids for the professional challenges of the future, and they wanted them to be instilled with a Christian worldview that emphasized a life of service to God and neighbor.
For Julie, the new school idea began to crystallize when she was told, as a public school parent, that her child was to bring in examples of Renaissance art. No problem there, the Reynolds family loves art. But Julie was also told that none of the examples of Renaissance art could have Christian themes in it.
As you’ll hear Doug explain in this edition of “Discourse,” the couple found this request to be intellectually dishonest of the school system. After all, the church was the main patron of the arts during the Renaissance, so finding any without Christian themes would be nearly impossible.
From this event has sprung a well-regarded private Christian school in Wheaton, Illinois: the Clapham School, named for William Wilberforce’s Clapham sect, which brought about the end of the British slave trade and the reformation of manners in British society in the early 19th century.
Doug has served as the head of school for Clapham over the past four years, guiding it to the point of quadrupling its student body. The school emphasizes classical education, Christian worldview, and a life of service. As you’ll hear from Doug and Julie’s son, Wilson, in this podcast, all three aspects of Clapham’s educational model work together in their intellectually and spiritually motivated students.
Doug is a graduate of BreakPoint’s Centurions Program and is an example of how a Centurion can bring his Christian worldview training to bear in his daily professional life.
For more information about how to start a classical Christian school in your area, take a look at the following resources:
“Discourse,” an occasional podcast on BreakPoint, applies a Christian worldview lens to a broad range of issues related to contemporary culture. Stephen Reed, a Centurion in the class of 2008, is a former talk radio host and serves as grants and foundations specialist for PFM. If you see any cultural issues out there you would like to see us address in a future podcast, e-mail Stephen at: stephen_reed@pfm.org.
Articles on the BreakPoint website are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Chuck Colson or Prison Fellowship. Outside links are for informational purposes and do not necessarily imply endorsement of their content.
