Introduction

Rev. Dr. Mark W. Lee, Sr.

I graduated from West High School in Akron, Ohio in June, 1940. That fall I entered a Christian institution of higher learning in New York (offering no degree programs at that time), graduated, married and spent a year in church ministry in Nebraska. I enrolled at an eminent Christian College where I earned both Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts Degrees, while being employed here and there, in either church ministries or the college – to support my growing family. I served as President of the students my senior year, and got to know better than before, the faculty, staff and administration and their functioning professionally. I also discovered the wide range of students. In the course of events, I was hired to instruct classes as a Teaching Assistant there (1946-48) while working on the M. A. degree. I launched my academic career that incorporated teaching, writing and speaking on an extensive schedule that included international appointments in both secular and sacred contexts. During my early and mid-professional years I attended two accredited public universities, and completed a Doctor of Philosophy Degree.

I have served as a faculty/administration person, at undergraduate and graduate professional levels, in five Christian Colleges, and as a teaching assistant in an advanced assignment at the University where I earned the Ph. D. degree. My life experience has included integral participation in both public and private educational institutions and participation as a consultant in business, religion and education, related to church ministry and other venues identified closely with family, business, government and public life as Christian in context, including varied secular/religious contexts in communications, administration, personnel and management effectiveness. Most of my years were occupied with both church and academic contexts in the same time periods. After semi-retirement I engaged in several business adventures, mostly with my sons, and later for several years with a friend who owned a business primarily related to church construction in California and other western states.

One of my major interests, to which considerable time has been devoted, has been taken with the value and meaning of education, both public and private, but especially related to the meaning and value of Higher Education related to Christian life and experience. During the decades I enjoyed and profited from each institution in which I served as student and/or in professional relationship. For me, the experience cannot be readily measured except by my own evaluation and beliefs. I do not imagine my life without the personal, intellectual and spiritual benefits gained from extensive experience. Both academic and experiential educations have served me very well to my personal satisfaction. This project of Today’s Page is meant to fill in personal factors that need to be addressed while the student is in the process of formal education so to advance maturity in the matter of the Christian context for life in a largely humanistic world, and all that in good timing.

The specialness of Christian education was carried over to my four children. All are graduates of Christian oriented colleges, sometimes dubbed church related in context. Three of my four children hold graduate degrees. All of us have high regard for our formal educations, both in public and private institutions. Of the mates of my children, three attended Christian colleges, two have been ordained in Christian ministry. One spent a full career as a teacher in a public school, and presently serves on the school board in our city, receiving the highest votes for board members when it fell her turn again to be presented at the polls. Another daughter-in-law is a nurse and administrator in the area, and her husband, in years of retirement, is employed in the school bus program in the county and managing family property. My younger son has been engaged in a major company related to education of leaders in major business corporations around the world, and has retired at the standard age for his related firm but continues on a contractual arrangement. My family is formed by persons who have been immersed in the education of students at various levels in our society. A granddaughter has already established herself as an elementary school teacher, with her husband engaged in the cultivation of youth in various nature programs. Other grandchildren are engaged in post-high school programs, almost entirely related to institutions founded in Christian context. One of my great-grandsons has already launched in the college from which I earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees seventy years earlier. His elementary and secondary academic record was excellent, and included advance collegiate studies during his high school experience. He is also well situated in his spiritual experience, which I perceive is in advance of his years. I engage with him as something of a mentor. His sisters have graduated from a Christian oriented college, where I was engaged as an Associate Professor, 1948-1957. This family context and my concentration with it suggested to me this writing project introduced in this introduction. My professional sketch appears at the close of these Pages. The above recital is offered as justification for my project for communicating with my own emerging family generations in the ambition to keep our involvement in education and Christian life with extension to Christian collegians and their parents relating to personal life formation. The value of the material rests with the response of any reader engagement with it.

I have given concentrated attention to several common questions and observations from parents and students related to institutions of higher learning – both secular and religious. Few negatives appeared, but some did relating to opinion and decision-making that may have affected Christian education, both negatively and affirmatively. Benefits were embellished by most of the persons

I engaged, and few negatives appeared. It was from the questions and felt concerns of decades of exchanges that I determined to prepare these Daily Pages, and focus on an important issue – the meaning of Christian education in personal life and thought, and directed toward personal fulfillment and service to life and wisdom in the world – and assisting devotional life and service. The large purpose of the Pages is to address Christian formation for me as one example of the process. These Pages often touch on devotional context. The Pages grow out of my experience as a person believing in holistic life – integration. I mean to be clear when referring to ideas and conducts generated from others. All this is meant to find the best for life in value education.

I determined to write a page for collegians for each day for four years, hopefully as a warm daily note to them about personal and social life, education, family, profession, service, government and Christian integrity in truth seeking. So it is that these pages will be found personal, with autobiographical and private experience with others as cause for themes and focus. These are pages reflecting one life of a pilgrim who wishes to share with the emerging generations the day by day experiences and beliefs related to Christian life, lessons that may be adaptable in the formation of life thought, experience and devotion in themselves and other persons. The pages will often appear as though they are meant for personal notes or letters to relatives and friends interested in what happened and might happen, in their own context in some form. My initial purpose was to write to my family and friends – until student interest became compelling for me, so to form this dual purpose for any audience I may garner to interest in my suggestions for Christian maturity in both natural and spiritual life.

I want to address life as it ought to appear in the maturing Christian, male and female. There appears here some comparison and contrast with secular life and education, without a spirit of confrontation or negativism. There is no attempt to enter into conflict with secular and public institutions. There is an attempt to recognize the benefits, both great and small, of private and public education in both the humanistic and Christian contexts. The clash between the two contexts that sometimes arises is deplored by most of the persons who have been a part of my experience. That clash, though remaining, has eased in my lifetime. My particular conviction about life and Christian higher education leading to this project grew as issues were openly verbalized, that it was felt that Christian education, to comfort the secular offices of accreditation and the increased popularity of public institutions, may have somewhat diluted its mission. There were refinements of the observations, and some were related to particular institutions more than for combinations of institutions identifying themselves as Christian. The purpose of these Pages is to address, in an objective, non-combative spirit and manner, some of the issues that have accumulated relative to Christian and higher education objectives – in educating for life and occupation. This is especially accented in the matter of inclusion or exclusion of human values. There is little attempt to address a major observation related to cost of private education in comparison to public, except to acknowledge that many students do not go to institutions they may prefer, religious or secular in personal orientation, because of cost. Both churches and interested lay persons are increasingly interested in assisting student aid so to gain availability.

There is an underlying feeling among some church parents that many Christian related institutions have diluted the Christian emphasis. The expansion of any curriculum will make the distinctive nature of that institution seem to be reduced. Some of these have directed their young people to public institutions. Objections may relate to cost, but some believe that the differences in values have been narrowed too greatly. These pages attempt to address the concern that some students should seek entrance in this or that institution rather than some other, as their objectives may dictate. What should Christian students look for? Will they gain their objectives?

These pages are dedicated to the concept of Christian life and the education of the individual for self and service. The assumption is that Christian life is the best option of several workable options, but also that there is a pattern of life in nature, that is acceptable to constructive meaning within its own secular context. This last begins and ends for the individual person with the span of mortality. Christian life includes the meaning of immortality as evaluated by God, and the place of the hope of immortality in unity with mortal life, especially related to values. From life and the individual, the sub themes of life and experience are developed for the individual in the contexts that people form, so to include and exclude some factors in the various contexts. That major context is personal, in some factors private, but should be expansive enough to include the context of the society of which the person is a part. Well integrated, this gift of choice, rightly taken and used, leads to a satisfying life – fulfilled. There is room for affirmation and negation in the humanistic order: affirmation in the spiritual. Christian students are called upon to engage the biblical affirmations as the guidelines for life.

The following explains the context of the four volumes (sixteen quarters) of Today’s Page. The volumes are identified as: Freshman, Sophomore, Junior and Senior, with each divided into four quarters. There is a page for every day in the full calendar year, for those interested in following the regimen in something of a venture for understanding Christian and secular education, with special insight for Christian life growth (formation to maturity in biblical context) – this with the understanding that there are extensive similarities and differences in the secular and spiritual factors chosen for any context. Friends hearing about my project have requested copies. The first year has been circulated to a number of persons who have encouraged the objective to circulation, beyond my family and college students who have appeared and remain in my life as friends. Some of the Pages have been circulated by these readers as a ministry in this or that personal study group, or professional interests. Several have been lifted and published in other contexts than the one dominant in my own projections. This material has not been copyrighted, and I have no plans to copyright it. If useful, it is to be circulated without further editing, unless the edited portions, or observations, are attributed to the editing person – and clear to the reader. My editor was a student of mine in my early professional years, and has long experience with a doctoral degree in language and literature. She has had input that is greater than an editor usually provides to a writer, and assisted in capturing insight, especially in gender issues, that relate to both public and private experiences.

It is my first objective to circulate these pages through a blog, and have it continued by a member of my family after my demise. Institutions may choose one or more pages to include in their documents, and may use the material freely – if faithfully reproduced. The circulation to students may be a part of general college discussion about the meaning of education and theistic interpretation for life, generated primarily and most authoritatively from the Judeo-Christian Scripture and observed personal experience by me and others. All this impinges upon the knowledge and understanding of life, family, community, and world service, especially related to the individual self in the aspects of life, including occupation and preoccupation – leading to wisdom. This is not to imply that wisdom requires acquiescence to what is presented here, but the readers are to be stimulated to form their life context, hopefully in wisdom as they discover and apply it for themselves.

To gain the best understanding from TODAY’S PAGE this Introduction provides some general orientation.

The project means to convey:

1. The forming of a context for life means that mankind is not to be seen as an element, but as a compound formed by many factors, the combination of which make up a context one chooses for his or her life. Further, that there are lesser contexts within life contexts, with some competition among them when competing factors are involved, especially when personal/human factors (like emotions and values) appear. Remember that CONTEXT is an important factor in back- grounding what is written here. How do the elements of life fit together for Christian life and learning – the compound that makes a person thoroughly furnished? Context is sometimes referred to as world view, and holistic. I prefer context in that it seems to stand for an individual’s own beliefs, choices and conducts that become customized to that person – as a suit of clothes is presumed to belong to the owner of the suit, not tailored exactly for anyone else.Dress suits are similar, but they are also individualized. The best ones fit the owners well, and they feel they are right and appropriate. This does not infer the factors are approved and equal, but the person holds full right to choose, if that choice does not violate the rights of another person.If impasse occurs in the functioning of rights, it is assumed that there is a studied and civil procedure to manage and accommodate differentials – for advancement or limitation.

2. The Grace of God for life identifies both COMMON GRACE, (provided for life with opportunity for belief, action and consequences in nature’s mortality for all persons); and, DIVINE GRACE for Christians (provided for spiritual belief, activity and consequences related to both the world of nature and the kingdom of God, which kingdom is supernatural – beyond nature and affirms immortality). This is to say that although the ideal for the individual is wholeness in his/her person, the concepts, even the applications of grace, may be understood as either Common Grace (natural and mortal, moderated in time that includes life and death), and Divine Grace (primarily spiritual which is eternal, but incorporating Common Grace in practical ways serving the person of faith in God as it does for persons without Christian faith). Divine Grace is transmitted spiritually in the work of the Holy Spirit, and Common Grace is transmitted through the laws of nature and society as God permits and utilizes that grace for all in his creation gesture related to mankind. Spiritual Grace, related to Christian and supernatural functions, is for faith orientation and conduct; and, Common Grace is for nature and natural life function with an overlay of legal values related to belief and conduct. Common grace does not require personal faith in God even though that grace also emanates from God. Spiritual grace, in the context used in these Pages, requires the beneficiary to hold genuine faith in God as represented in Jesus Christ. This grace is accessed and applied from the Scripture and prayer in the work of the Holy Spirit of God. There is little attempt here to address theological issues about which there are so many differences, but to accent the original source of Christianity from Scripture. This writing is not sectarian, nor anti-sectarian, but relies entirely upon Scripture for understanding and application of Christian life, belief and action. Application is to life, both mortal and immortal. It is dependent upon the meaning of the work and teaching of Jesus Christ as taught in Scripture, practiced by the apostles, and discovered as reality for individuals of any generation in life experience. Reading a well edited dictionary of the institutional church through history reveals the extensive range of ideas, practices and theologies of advocates that may reflect oddities of the human mind to various speculations. The ranges, often conflicting, are managed here by commitment to Scripture as sole source for the approved outline of Christianity. History and traditions are taken as secondary sources, but highly useful and clarifying for study and formation.Common Grace holds design for the natural world in a time warp. Spiritual Grace for the Supernatural is timeless. Within nature (creation), Common Grace is extended from God for all humanity. Spiritual Grace is offered to those persons of biblical faith related to God. Within nature (creation), Common Grace is unlimited in nature’s scope from God (sometimes resisted by mankind) for all humanity in a mortal context. Spiritual Grace belongs to those persons who incorporate it by virtue of relationship with Jesus Christ, who adopts his followers and provides what may be called gifts to them in the context of the Kingdom of God and immortality. As I perceive the matter, this is Christian doctrine and, in application becomes a guide to understanding these Pages. It is acknowledged that other Christians may define this doctrinal organization differently than that appearing here. Also, Spiritual Grace may be understood as mystery in some of the actions and beliefs of those who would benefit from its free flow. The willingness of God to Grace may not be met with equal attitude from mankind to receive the Grace, with understanding, either Divine or Common. Agreement is often hard to come by.

   These Pages represent daily life and learning as both experienced and studied by me, a lifetime student, believing firmly in Christian higher education, and experienced by family with the accent on my children, even children’s children to the fourth generation – to significant life advantage. It is a belief that has grown significantly for me. As noted above, my life has been occupied as a student, teacher, and administrator in several Christian institutions of learning with forays into public institutions – listed at the close of this Introduction and Recap. Further, the engagement in church ministry, and professionally in business, has been educational in working with persons of various orientations, often at odds about themselves, society and God, so to be instructive in engaging Christian maturity, and problem solving both personally and institutionally in a world of options that includes both humanism/secularism and Deity/Revelation. That person is most educated and wise who has learned to solve human problems: the problems of self-orientation and occupation, of family and community, of service and faith. This takes on problems and solutions for both natural and spiritual life.Maturity includes effective life occupation that serves mankind. Any work that serves the legitimate needs of mankind is noble. When well done, at nearly every venue, the solemn problem becomes a gateway to a gratifying resolution. Life and truth win the race (a time-measured sojourn). Christian students are seekers of life and truth to meaning that goes beyond the limitations of time and nature. Their purpose is to model Christian life in a context of affirmation of faith in word and model, and service to the needs of mankind.

3. The Nature of mankind includes sinner (depravity or imperfection inherited in human physical formation) and saint (redemptive by choice that accepts forgiveness from God in spiritual birth). Mankind is capable of right and wrong in thought and action through choice, accident, ignorance, or omission. This is addressed in the context of these Pages. The most important negative aspect is the influence of depravity (sin) as an inherited faulty factor affecting the total person, or in the emerging nature (from child to adult) of all persons, requiring attention and spiritual healing to gain ultimate relief and fulfillment for persons, and consequently to improve society. This writing is concerned with the matter of sin (violation of righteousness), not so much in the dramatic demonstration of the beliefs and conducts of strangers from revealed righteousness, but with the ordinary person whose personal orientation, way of life, prevent him or her from becoming the informed and spiritually mature person each of us ought to be in personal competence for character and responsibility. Secular literature recognizes the problem somewhat in identifying mankind as flawed, or imperfect. The secular solutions appear less clear than a thorough analysis of human need might indicate. The word sin has gained a severe reputation. Writers arguing strongly for the human flaw may resist any use of the word sin. To use the word sin has now come to mean there is a spiritual value system to be recognized, and many analysts do not wish to include deity in consideration. They prefer less intimidating language. Whatever term may be given to it, man’s condition without attention from God for treatment will not find recovery from imperfection or gain spiritual rest in God.

4. The Education of human beings, secular and religious, when rightly employed, provides a holistic and unified self for the Christian as a physical/spiritual being. There are sub-themes here under generalized rubrics. There is an underlying assumption that one may be successful in human life by natural standards as provided in Common Grace, but this respected orientation is not sufficient for acceptance of persons into the kingdom of God. The matter of spiritual qualification is addressed under the context of Divine Grace. Jesus Christ demonstrated in model that a person can incorporate and bear the physical/spiritual context, free of self- contradiction when biblically understood and practiced. The person, in Christ, is made whole, which is to unite that life in both Common and Spiritual Grace. There appears a physical birth and a spiritual birth – for wholeness. This is not to deny that there is considerable paradox in nature, life and God for mankind – perhaps some form of contradiction. Christian education is perceived as one of the necessary means for making understandable and practical the ideals of faith in God. Education is made important for problem solving. As noted above it is also made to create a life of context that relates to the problem of seeking for the life that ought to be. The most important problems are cast in questions (issues) requiring learning for answers. Questions are issues: answers, if in truth, point to solutions – or indicate continuing need to search for solutions.

5. The Bible (Scripture) is taken as the primary source for information about Christian faith and life – as asserted above. This series is designed as reflections on the Christian context of life in the light of the interpretation of the Christian Bible, Old and New Testaments. There is no attempt to advance a particular sectarian position, although my own position is best relayed in the evangelical Christian context that, in essence, advances two premises: 1) -that God is, represented in Jesus Christ, a member of the Trinity of God; and, 2) -that God communicates, most clearly in the Christian Scripture, assumed to be without error for faith and conduct. It is most clear in the original languages in the definitions and connotations of words and meanings. The Bible’s main message is to recite the story of mankind’s redemption through Jesus Christ. From that base, Christians vary considerably on interpretations of various issues, including doctrines introduced in Scripture, but sometimes made contradictory (sometimes paradoxically) through variant interpretations. Traditions have been added and given force of authority by some Christians, but not necessarily defended or challenged here. It is to be understood that, except for the presuppositions that God has revealed himself, and Scripture bears his inspiration that freight his meaning related to mankind, my interpretations may or may not be correct. This understanding holds firmly to the deity and authority of Christ, who verifies Scripture. Any statement appearing in these Pages that may be found to be contrary to Scripture or the deity of Christ, so to grant him total veracity and authority – should be amended by the reader to follow the context taught by Scripture. In advance, I apologize for any poor scholarship of either secular research (in Common Grace), or Scripture (in Divine Grace).

I hold assumption that my suggested contexts will assist the reader in understanding the sentences of the Pages; will help the reader form his or her own insight for the topics; and, will appeal to the reader to find agreeable vision for the Christian context in which these truncated essays are cast.

I am aware that it is sometimes rather easy to amend, even to the point of distortion and error, the meaning of this or that passage of Scripture, or this or that factor in human culture. Even in humble and sincere search for truth, we are imperfect. There will be disagreement and contradiction. Even so, the encounter of concepts will serve for benefit. I have already enjoyed exchanges on emphases noted by readers of these Pages, but also with comfort that the ideas have been meaningful for them in forming or examining their own contexts for faith and life, for effective functioning and clarity of meaning.

I hold three reasons, meaningful for me, for writing these Pages.

• The first is the motivation to share my faith and understandings with my children, their emerging families and any other persons sufficiently interested to read the Pages.
• The second is to call Christian college students (and their parents) to Christian maturity in a presentation that grew out of a life largely taken with academic interests, including both secular and religious contexts. (This is repeated several times in this Introduction in the hope it will help in belief that these factors are important, even when some seem to be marginal and practical – even if the reader has not yet encountered them.) I found omissions in some Christian educators (reluctance to identify some issues with Christian thought in concern that they might turn their classes into church services, when they were called to teach a secular subject especially when they were joined in context with secular colleagues. Many Christian teachers are intimidated in professional contexts. They may not be aware that they are. C. S. Lewis was not, and he taught at a world famous collegiate institution. Most secular approaches show reluctance to identify any spiritual meaning even when that meaning grows out of the context of the class progression. For the holistic Christian nothing in experience is wholly secular. Everything is a part of a natural/spiritual context for life. There is a holistic desire for life, for either the theist or atheist.
• The third reason is simply an inner drive that impresses me to life closure by expressing how I perceive life – personally and professionally, mortal and immortal, based on a context of experiences which has been satisfying for me, and I believe will be helpful to some readers in their own quest for life meaning and closure. (We want daily life to hold together in a sense of unified fulfillment.) The accent in these Pages is personal and biblical. Many personal experiences appear that may serve as reference in later life experience for students. The project focuses on what I know, or believe I know, that may be helpful to others in life formation, especially in the higher educational context that is best when it makes life students of us. The concern is to seek education for holistic life, and secondarily for finding a way of making a living that becomes service to mankind. It incorporates the factors, including beliefs, with which I want to be identified. There is the factor included – of persuasion aimed at readers of these Pages.

The emphasis here is more toward the tradition from the ancients that is identified as the Liberal Arts, but includes training for the expressions of personal gifts and skills given of God – as he chooses. In some mysterious way, it is both God and the Christian choosing together. Education is important in the training of a person for occupation. Training is for occupation, education is for the person. Adam was a farmer, Abraham a husbandman, Joseph in Egypt was a public servant and diplomat, as were others like Daniel and Joseph, son of Jacob. Paul made tents. Lydia sold fine woven materials. Jesus was a carpenter lad, and then a teacher – by Common Grace. He was and is a Divine Savior and teacher by Spiritual Grace. We find ourselves in what we believe and do is related to the points addressed in these Pages.

Because collegians, discovering life orientation, became strongly accented in my thinking during the first volume’s lengthy preparation, I determined to prepare four years of Daily Page(s) – four Volumes entitled: Volume One, Freshman; Volume Two, Sophomore; Volume Three, Junior; and, Volume Four, Senior. Usually there is topical follow-up for pages on the same dates in succeeding volumes. This relationship of dates is sometimes disregarded or not tightly drawn. That day’s topic thrust is often consistent for the date with other years, but not always, as also applies to change or no change in the biblical text of the Page for the ensuing yearly dates. The text may not be referred to in the body of the Page, in the belief that if the reader is interested in the point, that person will look up texts and treat the discussion in the light of the ideas of the Page, to be joined by one’s own evaluation and comparative texts. I encourage the reader to make full use of a concordance to review parallel passages of ideas. This becomes a study of Scripture. Further, the freshman student discussing a theme for this day, will find that the junior student has likely also reviewed the theme, with a different turn or context, so to stimulate the exchange of ideas among students, perhaps affecting belief and conduct. There is an Index that relates to all four years of Pages. This introduction is being written on the close of the second editing process. The date at the end of the Page indicates the date of release on the last editing. There will be future editing as I continue discussion with persons interested in the concepts and project. The first pages were written in this context in 2001, just after the death of my wife, but drawing on my materials and experiences of decades earlier and years since. The date following my name at the close of the Page refers to the latest editing for that page, not the date of its authorship. Some of the material was written decades past for professional purposes. This writing has taken much more time than was anticipated than when it was launched at the beginning of a new millennium.

As already noted, the writing is personal in that it is meant as a partial legacy to my children and family generations – the biological issue that goes from them to their children and onward for our family generations – who may have these Pages available to them. It is meant to be life serving for interested readers. It is not written with any false hope that it will demonstrate prowess for writing. It does not have to be a classic to be a legacy. Worthy or not, it is legacy, important to me in the witness of my life and interests to be commended not only to my family, but to any interested or accidental reader, but especially for collegians who value their Christian faith as guide for life. I was asked to write my autobiography, or memoirs, and did so. It is captured on a disc, hidden or lost somewhere in my stuff, likely never to see the light of day. It seemed to me that only a few would read it, what with the plethora of great chronicles, real and imagined, of eminent persons in history, available to the public. My grand project is that I may persuade Christian colleges and universities to adopt some of the four volumes as recommendation for a daily five minutes of focus on the issues of life formation that Christians, especially with formal education, might well engage as they seek Christian maturity. I would not be surprised if some Pages may be lifted, through oncoming years, and other signature Pages inserted for those dates, written by members of staffs using mentor sheets to help students focus serious thought on daily life, personal and professional.

Those Pages should be signed by the various authors, without reference to me, except for identifying their work from mine in the project. I am more interested in the process to address students in a manner not formerly used, than for adoption of my offerings. The only obligation a reader has to me is to leave unchanged what is ascribed to me. Instead of my writings, perhaps

Christian institutions may prepare such Pilgrim Progress pages suitable for their personnel, so to substitute for any date that it is felt the Page or Pages I have submitted are less useful for their context than that of a substitute. Edited Pages from me should not be further edited, although quotes may appear if credited, and not taken out of my contextual meaning without explanation. Other authors may wish to make substitutions, and give signatory to what they write, so that we share this privilege together, especially where we may be included in a group, perhaps offering opportunity for discussion. The authors should be designated so as to be clear about the specific Page source. In the decades ahead, others may write their versions, even intersperse pages – so a pattern of change may be identified, dated, followed and tested for usefulness. Remarks made currently by parents and students about higher education indicate that a form of communication dealing with the matter of education and life should be a casual written conversation carried on over a period of time, so to understand, perhaps indoctrinate persons, especially parents and students in the complexity of a pattern of education and life that has become costly in time and resources. At the time of this writing too few high school graduates have a grasp of what they need to encounter in life formation, so may not gain full benefit of whatever education they seek.

Part of my initial motivation, as noted above, came from the criticisms and articles and books I read that proved there were significant misunderstandings about education, both Christian and secular. This hope, for daily touch, was born from the observation I have heard often in recent years that Christian education seemed to be just about like secular education, and that designed for preparing students for making a living rather than for a life worth living. The rush of some

Christian institutions, after World War II, to meet the requirements of accrediting bodies may have diluted the emphasis on the value of Christian higher education. Modern secular education tends to work from some scientific formula for life, finding its base in nature and human aspiration for success, especially in occupation. Christian education seeks truth as a servant for mankind and society moving toward the individual’s maturity and service in response to a value system from God that includes service for benefit of society seeking better life – and so honors God in the creation. It goes beyond the limitations of nature (that includes space); and, seeks to understand the truth and application of the meaning of God and mankind. Morality, many analysts of modern education argue, is the business of the church or some entity outside of education. Without God it is difficult to find values, and make them stick. Many secularists have given up trying, perhaps because of some demise in human values, and with unwillingness to accept biblical values. Education without values is different than that with values. Values, as one educational goal, are a common point of difference between secular and religious institutions.

A summary of this Introduction, with additions about my pattern of writing guidelines, and personal background will appear in a ‘RECAP’ at the close of this sheaf of Pages. I appreciate a serious review of the Recap so as to achieve better hold on my procedure and both here and there to acknowledge the excellent assistance of Dr. Sara Robertson in various considerations related to this writing project including especially the editing of the four annual series of Pages.

November 1, 2015