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ILLA Blog Posts

"A Mighty Fortress" (Luther's paraphrase of Psalm 46) has been translated into English at least seventy times and also into many other languages. It has also inspired many adaptations by such musicians as Bach, Telemann, Mendelssohn, Wagner, Debussey, and Ralph Vaughn Williams as noted in the Wikipedia article on "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God."One of the most unusual,...
Years ago, in a school attic, I came across the Concordia Edition of the Bobbs Merrill Eighth Reader originally published in 1923. Clara B. Baker (Professor, Curriculum and Method, National Elementary College, Chicago), and Edna D. Baker (President, National Elementary College, Chicago) compiled these readings – and A.C. Stellhorn (Executive Secretary, General School Board...

ILLA Discussions

Latin Textbooks and Classical Education
What textbooks do you use to teach Latin? How many varieties of Latin curricula have you reviewed? What were the key factors in deciding which textbook you use?...
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In Latin
Standardized Tests and Classical Education
Does your school / make use of standardized testing? If so, which tests do you use? What do you think about standardized testing in general?...
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State Accreditation?
Should classical Lutheran schools be accredited by the state? Should classical Lutheran educators be state-certified? Should classical Lutheran schools worry about hiring teac...
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Luther on Education

Classical Lutheran Education Defined

LutherSchool Web

There are many and various definitions of classical education, but our definition of classical Lutheran  education is simply this:

"We teach children to look to God in faith and to care for their neighbor in love by means of the Six Chief Parts and the Seven Liberal Arts."

The first part of this definition is drawn from Luther's post-communion collect. It represents the two tables of the Law ("Love the Lord your God with all your heart soul strength and mind . . . and love your neighbor as yourself"), but it does so in the context of Word and Sacraments, the means by which the Lord enables His people both "to will and to do according to His good pleasure," (Philippians 2:13). Where there is forgiveness, there is life and salvation.

The second part of the definition refers to the six chief parts of Luther's Small Catechism (The Ten Commandments, The Apostles' Creed, The Lord's Prayer, Holy Baptism, Holy Absolution, and Holy Communion) and the seven liberal arts (Grammar, Logic, Rhetoric, Arithmetic, Geometry, Astronomy, and Music).

Our intention is not that you have to try to remember this definition, but rather that you won't be able to forget it.

Become a Member

searchRequest a member login in order to access additional documents and resources which describe not only the philosophical and theological distinctions between progressive education and classical Lutheran education -- but also practical resources for teaching and promoting classical Lutheran education. Send an e-mail to classicaled [at] gmail.com.

The Pleasure of Studies

world2"I shall say nothing here about the pure pleasure a man gets from having studied, even though he never holds an office of any kind, how at home by himself he can read all kinds of things, talk and associate with educated people, and travel and do business in foreign lands; for there are perhaps very few people who are moved by this pleasure." -- Martin Luther

Good Books, Well-Read

guestan"It is not many books that make men learned, nor even reading. But it is a good book frequently read, no matter how small it is, that makes a man learned in the Scriptures and godly." -- Martin Luther

Instruct and Govern

romgrec"St. Paul enjoins his disciple Titus that he should properly instruct and govern all classes, young and old, men and women [Titus 2:1-10]. But today everybody just does as he likes. Unfortunately it has come to such a sorry pass that those places where something good should be taught have become schools for scoundrels, and nobody takes any interest in the high-spirited youth at all." -- Martin Luther

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