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.

Richard Edlin explores the reasons for and the distinctives of Christian education at the school and higher education levels. This book highlights foundational belief perspectives and shows how these apply in curriculum and related areas such as vision and mission, the place of the Bible, evaluation and assessment, the teacher as mentor, and professional development. It includes a special section for Christians in public school settings. Edlin is a recognized scholar and speaker in the global Christian education community. He writes from a background of 40 years international experience in Christian education. The book, described by a reviewer as a "must read" for anyone involved in Christian education, is an important resource for teachers, pastors, and parents, and also for university/college teacher training courses.

The purpose ofCelebrate Recoveryis to encourage fellowship and to celebrate God's healing power in our lives as we work our way along the road to recovery. As a leader, you are about to make a difference in the most direct way possible helping others discover hope and change they had thought was beyond their reach.

This Leader Resources DVD includes: The complete text of the leader's guide, with all 25 lessons in an editable format, enabling you to personalize the illustrations A message from Rick Warren and John Baker about the impact and importanceCelebrate Recoveryhas had since 1991, and how it can transform the people in your church as well

Celebrate Recoverydraws from the Beatitudes to help people resolve painful problems in the context of the church as a whole. Rather than setting up an isolated recovery community, this powerful program helps participants and their churches come together and discover new levels of care, acceptance, trust, and grace."