Until Relatively Recently, the history of higher education in the West was the story of a Christian academic tradition that played a major role in both intellectual history and the history of the church. Over the last one hundred years, however, we have witnessed the progressive secularization of higher education. George Marsden goes so far as to suggest that the American university has lost its soul. But what was that putatively Christian soul? Precisely what in the Christian tradition has now been lost? And what should we know about that tradition as a condition of practical wisdom for the present? Seeking to answer these questions, Arthur Holmes here explores the Christian tradition of learning, focusing on seven formative episodes in history that pertain to building and maintaining a strong Christian academy today. Holmes's fascinating treatment is set within the history of ideas -- the early church in a pagan culture, Augustine's formative influence on monastery and cathedral schools, the rise and decline of scholasticism, Renaissance humanism's contribution to the Protestant Reformation, the utilitarian view of education that accompanied the scientific revolution, and struggles with Enlightenment secularization -- and incorporates the educational thought of Plato and Isocrates, Clement and Origen, Abelard and Hugh of St. Victor, Aquinas and Bonaventure, Erasmus and the Reformers, Francis Bacon and John Milton, and John Henry Newman.

Why we need to stop wasting public funds on education

Despite being immensely popular--and immensely lucrative--education is grossly overrated. In this explosive book, Bryan Caplan argues that the primary function of education is not to enhance students' skill but to certify their intelligence, work ethic, and conformity--in other words, to signal the qualities of a good employee. Learn why students hunt for easy As and casually forget most of what they learn after the final exam, why decades of growing access to education have not resulted in better jobs for the average worker but instead in runaway credential inflation, how employers reward workers for costly schooling they rarely if ever use, and why cutting education spending is the best remedy.

Caplan draws on the latest social science to show how the labor market values grades over knowledge, and why the more education your rivals have, the more you need to impress employers. He explains why graduation is our society's top conformity signal, and why even the most useless degrees can certify employability. He advocates two major policy responses. The first is educational austerity. Government needs to sharply cut education funding to curb this wasteful rat race. The second is more vocational education, because practical skills are more socially valuable than teaching students how to outshine their peers.

Romantic notions about education being "good for the soul" must yield to careful research and common sense--The Case against Education points the way.

Communicating the faith to children is one of the great responsibilities of Christian parents. In this book, Terry Johnson, a father as well as a pastor, shows how the Shorter Catechism can be of great help to parents facing this vital task.

Many generations of Christian parents have found the Westminster Shorter Catechism to be one of the most effective ways of raising their children in the 'discipline and instruction of the Lord' (Eph. 6:4); for not only does it provide a clear explanation of the gospel, but it is still one of the best introductions to the most important doctrines of the Christian faith.

Concise, brief, informative, and above all practical, this book will be a great help and a most useful guide to parents and grandparents, pastors and Sunday-school teachers.

No matter what the occasion, no matter what the topic, parents, teachers and home-schoolers can turn to the Celebrate! series of arts-and-crafts books for some creative inspiration. Each book in the six-book series is chock-full of fun, easy, educational crafts for children ages 6 and up. Simple lesson plans, Scripture readings, detailed instructions and reproducible pages take these books to the head of the class! Buy all six and teach your children about the wonders of God in a creative new way.

Get ready for what's coming next in Children's Ministry...
Here's how.

Ten front-line Children's Ministry experts peeked out over the horizon to identify ten trends shaping ministry in the next ten years.
See inside to discover...
How current culture is rewiring kids' brains--and secrets for connecting with children
The latest education trends embraced by schools--and how they'll impact your Sunday school
Morphing Children's Ministry into Family Ministry--and how that supersizes your impact
What kinds of children are about to land in your ministry--and how to be ready for them
Plus six more must-know insights--and practical activities that help you take advantage of shifting trends in your Children's Ministry.

Be prepared.
It's good advice for scouts...and even better advice for you.