A DARKLING WORLD

There is a saying that someone or something is “mad as a box of frogs.” That seems to neatly summarize the world in which we live. We have broken our Creator’s Law by our self-worship and ingratitude, and this spirals ever downward toward ever-darker madness. We despair of the Kingdom ever coming, or we try to force it to appear by fallen human effort.

In the midst of this, parents might reasonably feel anxiety about their children’s future.  And whilst it becomes easy to join the many who simply curse the darkness, there is a better way.

Light a candle…

FAITHFUL WAITERS

The faithful are supposed to hold vigil at the gates, the everlasting doors, so that they may be lifted up when the King of Glory comes to enter.  [Psalm xxiv, 7-10; Isaiah lx, 28-31; James v, 7; Revelation xxii, 17; et al.] No true believer questions the many admonitions to wait faithfully for the Kingdom.  But this is not to say we are to be idle whilst we wait.

THANKFUL WORKERS

The King seeks a thankful people who are busy about His business when He approaches the gates.  These parables are formed in the language of occupation, because we are to be occupied with the will of the King, with the business of The Realm.

Imagine a Master Craftsman passing on his wisdom. In this moment of eternity, our hearts, our heads, our hands, and our entire person (souls) are in the process of being fitted for the Master’s use, in much the same way that an apprentice learns not only a trade, but all of life, from the Master or Mistress of the shop. This kind of formation best takes place daily – organically, if you will – in an environment where the voice of Wisdom can be clearly heard, and where humble reliance on the Master’s benevolence is gratefully acknowledged.

A KINGDOM HERITAGE

We stand in agreement with the many proponents of Classical Christian education, acknowledging that this robust approach formed Western Society over many centuries. It imbued our “social imaginary” – viz., our view of human flourishing, our laws and customs, our definitons of human dignity and treatment, and our quest to understand Creation – with a fundamental assumption of God as Prime Mover. Moreover, this philosophy inculcated the idea that Truth, Goodness, and Beauty were not subjective, not changeable.

Alongside this education of great minds ran the guilds and apprenticeships – an equally-important approach to education which contributed much to the aforementioned ideals, though sometimes more tangibly and sometimes less as a matter of academic principle. Nevertheless, this is the second “great river” which joined with Classical education to form so much of what we know and hold dear.

How these two approaches might serve great ends can be seen easily in the Apostle Paul, who was both a classical scholar and a craftsman.  As a scholar, he would challenge the great Athenian philosophers at Mars Hill.  As a craftsman, he worked with his own hands, both to avoid being a burden to those he served and to provide an example of “Christian work ethic” and godly charity. [Acts xx, 24-25; et al.] And there are many such examples throughout history…

A KINGSGATE PHILOSOPHY

Our vision is to come alongside parents as “curates” – viz., those who have “cure” or care of someone (syn., “tutors,” “governors,” “overseers,” &c.) – during the often-challenging secondary education years of their children’s formation. God willing, we will be able to likewise offer the same to “the fatherless,” through benefice programs.

In the Kingsgate model, scholastic teaching through preceptors (viz., academics teachers) is reinforced in the workshop by master artisans, who bring the concepts to greater clarity by Socratic conversation and applied workmanship. In turn, the preceptors reinforce the concepts of craftsmanship in their daily lessons, illuminating in the liberal arts the fact that we are, in one author’s words, “sub-creators” under a Master Creator. Still further, the faculty, staff, parents, and scholars covenant together to foster “life liturgies” which shape and rightly order our loves toward Our King, and to that which is true, good, and beautiful.

Thus, the Kingsgate graduate does not merely receive a high school diploma; he or she receives confidence and skills which can be committed to their trade in adult life, or which can be applied to other professions (e.g., a surgeon having excellent sewing skills, a civil engineer having experience with strong, timber-framed structures, &c.). With this approach, we believe that future generations of men and women may be not only raised up, but formed and equipped in head, heart, hands, and soul to ably, faithfully, and gratefully work whilst we wait for the King.