The First Graduation: One-on-One, No Usury, The Future Is Now

Last updated on: June 16, 2020 at 10:46 am by John Mark N. Reynolds

The First Graduation: One-on-One, No Usury, The Future Is Now 2020-06-16T10:46:21-04:00 John Mark N. Reynolds

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The educational establishment is not listening. Debt increases. Parents and students keep paying for exploited part-time workers. Christians refuse not to do better. You can get a college education, borrow no money, be in the city, and be a traditional Christian.

Orthodox. Classical. Christian. College. Debt free.

2020 Graduation. . . Not by might, not by power, by Thy Spirit Lord!

More than one expert suggested to me that the idea of K-16 education was not prudent. We should take more sensible jobs, they were there, and forget the weird notion that college could cut loose from debt. A group of people gathered on Saint Valentine’s and did for love what nobody would do for a pay check: started something entirely different. What if the persecuted church of Antioch started something new? What if we built off the teachings of Saint Basil and were unafraid of being Orthodox and served anyone who could put up with our views? Maybe a suffering church could start something new. What if all the administrators teach? What if usury, a practice the Orthodox frown on, was kept out of the ministry of education?

A group gathered on the Feast of Saint Valentine’s Day, battered, broke, and beaten. One older woman said: “I think the adventure is just beginning.” She was right and so we kept going. We found allies at places like The King’s College (NYC) with innovative president Greg Thornbury and a home at William Jessup University led by the fearless John Jackson. Robert Stacy took a chance on us and joined as Provost, putting his Ivy degree, and experience starting an honors program, to work for the School and College. The Society of Saint Valentine recruited with no address and no budget.

God provided through men and women, patrons and peers, who came and helped. Priests prayed, prodded, and produced something better than anyone could have dreamed. Just before his death, Phillip E. Johnson, UC Berkeley law professor, gave us direction and his papers. We read books from the battered East and forgotten poetry from mother Aksum and the islands of Greece. Hellenism was in our DNA with Latin, French, Spanish, and especially that most Christian of languages Arabic, adding to our Biblical and modern Greek. (We are eager to add Chinese, Hindi, and Russian to our offerings.)

Why?

We are Orthodox Christians and that means Romanian, Bulgarian, Swahili. . .every liturgical language is our goal. We are one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church birthed from Athens and Jerusalem drawn tougher with many chidlren.

Can you pay nine thousand dollars a year and get one-0n-one tutorials? What of writing guidance? What if you worked with a K-12 student and the elderly?

You can. Saturday we learned it could be done. There is a way to learn to read well, write well, be numerate, and prepare for work, graduate school, and life in general. These first immortal students took a risk, worked harder than they had to do in conventional education, and graduated. The average debt accrued was nothing. We gave them a guide to Houston sports, museums, diversity and charged nothing extra for the exposure.

What of the rest of debt based higher education?

Let the dead bury the dead.

Spiritual Reflections

Previous Post

June 15, 2020

Nessie versus Athena (without Ninjas)

Next Post

June 17, 2020 On Commencement

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Apologetics Art Culture Education On Books On Education Philosophy Politics Pop Culture Spiritual Reflections Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 July 2025 June 2025 September 2024 July 2024 June 2024 December 2023 June 2023 September 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What was a biblical talent's weight?

Select your answer to see how you score.

75 pounds 60 pounds 40 pounds 50 pounds

Books by This Author John Mark Reynolds

See All Titles »