Posted in History of Homeschooling, tagged Charles Darwin, Evolution, fundamentalism, George Marsden, historical criticism, HSLDA, James Dobson, Rob Kunzman on September 16, 2011| 4 Comments »
This post reviews Robert Kunzman, “Homeschooling and Religious Fundamentalism” in International Journal of Elementary Education 3, no. 1 (October 2010): 17-28. [Available here]
Kunzman, author of Write These Laws on Your Children: Inside the World of Conservative Christian Homeschooling and many articles on American homeschooling, here tries to explain why so many religious fundamentalists have found homeschooling an attractive educational option.
Posted in History of Homeschooling, Politics of homeschooling, tagged ACLU, American Civil Liberties Union, American National Religion, Atheism, Bill Gothard, capitalism as freedom, civil religion, cold war, Communism, Doug Phillips, Friedrich von Hayek, George Stigler, Governmental Theism, Harry S Truman, Herbert Hoover, HSLDA, In God we trust, James Dobson, John Maynard Keynes, Keynesian economics, libertarian, military supremacy, Milton Friedman, Mount Pelerin Society, Pledge of Allegiance, Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief, Soviet Union, Spiritual Weapons, T. Jeremy Gunn, Ten Commandments, Theism, war as watershed, World War II on March 8, 2010| 4 Comments »
This post reviews T. Jeremy Gunn, Spiritual Weapons: The Cold War and the Forging of an American National Religion
Gunn, director of the ACLU’s Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief (among many other assignments), here constructs a fascinating if flawed argument that the Cold War led to the unique blend of Christianity, militarism, and capitalism that is now the dominant religion in the United States. First I’ll lay out his argument and then say why I think it’s flawed. What does all of this have to do with homeschooling? I think conservative Christian homeschoolers are perhaps the purest expression of the sort of religion Gunn is chronicling here–fiercely committed to the idea that the United States is (or was and should be again) a Christian and capitalist nation, and strongly pro-military. Why are so many conservative homeschoolers like this? Here’s Gunn’s explanation:
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Atheism, Basic Life Seminar, Bill Gothard, Bonnie Richardson, Discipleship Training School, horrorcore, James Dobson, Joseph Stalin, Matthew Murray, Max Blumenthal, National Association of Evangelicals, New Life Community Church, Oral Roberts University, Rochelle High, Sports Illustrated, Ted Haggard, The Nation, Wynonna Judd, Youth With a Mission, YWAM on September 28, 2009| Leave a Comment »
I don’t have a piece of research to review for this week so instead I’ll briefly comment on a few homeschooling-related stories that have recently made the news or appeared in trade magazines.
First, there’s a great story in this week’s Sports Illustrated (28 September 2009) about Bonnie Richardson, who single-handedly won the class 1A Texas state track championship for her teeny school Rochelle High. (more…)
Posted in Family life, History of Homeschooling, Motherhood, Parental motivation, tagged Above Rubies, Allan Carlson, Bill Gothard, Birthrates, Botkin Sisters, Carmon Friedrich, Charles Provan, Constitution Party, Dawn Irons, Debi Pearl, Doug Phillips, Focus on the Family, Francis Schaeffer, Howard Phillips, James Dobson, Jan Hess, Jerry Falwell, Jonathan Falwell, Jr., Kathryn Joyce, Martha Peace, Mary Pride, Michael Pearl, Moral Majority, Nancy Campbell, No Greater Joy, Patriarchy, Philip Lancaster, Phillip Longman, Quiverfull, R.C. Sproul, Rachel Scott, Rick Hess, Rousas Rushdoony, Southern Baptist Convention on June 22, 2009| 4 Comments »
This post reviews Kathryn Joyce, Quiverfull: Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement
Joyce, a freelance journalist based in New York City, here pens an important book on one of the most dynamic subcultures within the homeschooling world: “quiverfull” families where father is patriarchal lord, mother is submissive breeder of as many children as God provides, sons are trained to be arrows used in battle against secularism, and daughters are given a sex-specific home education to prepare them to be obedient wives and dutiful mothers. (more…)
A second, fully revised edition of my 2008 book Homeschool: An American History, was published in March of 2017. Get it here!
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Homeschooling Research Notes 