I’m not sure I am ready to stir up this bees nest and I think I am really late coming into this conversation controversy, but…
In the nearly two weeks that have passed since my local homeschool conference, I haven’t been able to get the topics out of my mind.
I have grown ever more disturbed by what Rick Boyer said during his sessions. It has forced me to do some serious soul-searching, as well as Scripture- and blog-searching.What I have found is that Rick Boyer is part of the “patriocentric movement” (I think that word was coined by Karen Campbell, aka ThatMom, although I may be mistaken). I have questions, and concerns. I will intersperse them as I write ramble, and think of them.
1. How do we keep these twisted and false teachings (and teachERs) from infiltrating our homeschool groups?
2. How do we identify these people before they are put on the calendar?
3. Is it necessary to include views on patriocentricity in a homeschool group’s statement of faith, to keep things on the right path? (As in should we?? I’m thinking YES!)
My thoughts are a jumbled mess at this point, as my very indignant 17 year old daughter and I have had many conversations in the past couple of weeks on this subject, and I try to separate my feelings with facts, and vice versa. I will be very transparent here, with you. When we first began homeschooling years ago, and I met some families who followed these teachings. I was also a fairly new Christian, and I saw these families as the ideal homeschool families. I bought it hook, line and sinker.
The only trouble was that my husband DIDN’T. I didn’t see at the time that the Lord gave me a blessing there, keeping E from paying any attention to the homeschool community in any way. (I do wish he would be more involved! but it was a blessing in the long run.)
Many years ago I received a Vision Forum catalog, unsolicited, in the mail. I read the articles, looked at all of the resources, saw all the well-dressed mothers and children in matching outfits, and thought THEY MUST HAVE IT ALL TOGETHER. THEY have fathers who lead. THEY homeschool perfectly and teach their children to follow the Lord perfectly. THEY… what? I thought wrong. I had no idea what it was all about, because I never really investigated the whole package. I just saw the external and thought “THAT is what I want.” However, my God knows best, and said “No, THIS is what you NEED.” Thank you Jesus!
If you are not familiar with VF, go to their site (linked above) and read the articles. It will turn your stomach, especially if you are a woman. So now we have these teachings invading our homeschool groups. I have always seen “those families” but not many of them, around. Lately, I am seeing more evidence that so many have been deceived and bought the lies that Vision Forum and others have been selling. We had originally had Chris Klicka scheduled to speak, but ended up with Rick & Marilyn Boyer, due to Chris’ health.
4. How do I peacefully and appropriately bring my concerns to the board of my HS group?
So let’s chat. Please let’s keep it civil, as we are all sisters and brothers in Christ. I honestly want to know more about this, as well as hear others’ opinions and personal experiences. I have been doing a lot of reading at Whitewashed Feminists and ThatMom’s blog, as well as a few others. Off to stir up the bees…
I know a few leaders personally and I have had dialog with several others. I also know “friends of friends” with their own stories to tell. One thing that I don’t seem to get anyone to really understand is that these authors, speakers, etc… are JUST LIKE US. They are in NO WAY better. There are so many issues and problems in their lives (because they are all fallen humans just like us) that people would be shocked. Reb Bradley is a prime example of this- not very many people know about this. I don’t think we really know how to hold others accountable, yet in the same breath show grace and not get into the gossip territory.
We are all so much more capable than we give ourselves credit for. We rely on pastors, teachers, and books to help us when God has equipped us more than we realize. There is a place for teachers for sure but we do tend to elevate them too high and then when they fall the fall is much farther and it drags us down also.
Very well said, wysiwyg.
You mentioned your husband not buying into this stuff. When I first encountered it, I was intrigued, but I knew my husband wouldn’t buy into it, as I know him so well. Oftentimes, when I would run into ideas and opinions, I could hear, in my head, what his response would be and know instinctively that something was wrong with it even as I was moved by the apparent outward perfection of the families in the materials. We have 6 girls (no boys), and there was no way under heaven my hubby was going to allow anyone to tell him to teach his girls that they are inferior. Or ” a lesser light”, like the moon, while the man is the sun. I really heard this!
Anyway, thanks for thinking out loud and causing us to think, too.
I’ve never heard of any of this stuff. I must be way out of the homeschool loop. We don’t have many people that homeschool near me, so I guess I feel a little like a lone duck. I do go to a homeschool group, but it’s only about 5 families and we are all very unique. I’ll have to follow more of your links to figure things out.
-FringeGirl
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Whitney: Yes, that does help clarify things. Thank you!
I will create another post to try to fill in about this. I will include my observations, explanations I’ve found, as well as blogs and websites about it (or involved in it). Patricentric means centered around the father… not the Father, but the father in the family. Stay tuned.
Kathy: Chris Klicka cancelled because he was in a bad car accident, injuries from which his MS has complicated, and as of the start of the conference was unable to even turn himself over in bed. We were told it was the first time he has EVER cancelled a speaking engagement. He needs prayer!
Thus far, I haven’t had to delete a single comment. Hopefully they will continue to be civil and informative, from whichever side of the issue they come. I have already discovered John Holzmann’s blog and I will look specifically at those posts. Trying to jump around and read everything that’s been posted and podcasted about this is just insane. I just (a few minutes ago!) created a page here on my blog to compile all of it. Thank you for your insight!
LOL I changed it.
Pastor Jack: Pardon the title, but it is what you are.
You are absolutely correct! I am glad to see some men (and pastors, at that!) weighing in on this. Sometimes women get the feeling that men love to be viewed as “the king”, “because I’m the MAN”. I say that JOKINGLY… my hubby says that but it’s as a joke with a goofy grin on his face. I think the desire which most women have, for our husbands to provide us that covering, makes us susceptible to going along with such odd ideals. Given a strong husband, I am sure many of these women went along with it in the beginning because they didn’t feel they could object. Now, they show their submissiveness by going along with it and even proclaiming that it is the only way to show “biblical submission” to their husbands. Others are second-generation patrio’s.
I think it’s important to strongly emphasize that the Biblical principle of male leadership and patriocentrism are not the same thing, even though the latter equate them (thus calling anyone who disagrees with them ‘liberals”). I’ve had some interaction with Christian feminists who are excited to read my criticisms of Vision Forum, but then were very upset to discover my opposition to feminism, as if there are only two ways to think on the matter. Teaching the equality of women with men in essence, dignity, fallenness, dependence on saving grace, redemption, and giftedness doesn’t make one a feminist. Then teaching that there are authority distinctions in God’s plan for human beings — mainly that women shouldn’t be pastors/elders/overseers, husbands are intended to oversee the home — doesn’t make one a patriocentrist.
Vision Forum teaches a neo-Victorianism, mingling a glorification of 19th century America with some truths from Scripture, then changing what should be treated as Romans 14 freedom-of-conscience opinions into ironclad moral law. In that latter bit they cross the line into Pharisaical teaching, not unlike what’s wrong with Bill Gothard or Gary Ezzo.
Kathy from what I recall, Rick Boyer said Chris had been in a car accident about a week or so prior to our conference and that he was laid out flat in bed. I assume he was telling the truth. It doesn’t matter HOW Mr. Klicka didn’t make it. The end result was the same: We received a speaker who sought to glorify men over women, and the patriocentric agenda over what the Bible says about parenting and raising children. Also, in reading the recent post at Quivering Daughters yesterday, I realized that LAST YEAR’S speaker was also of this same mindset. I was working in the cafe and missed all the sessions, but the man’s name was Reb Bradley. I wonder if maybe I just hadn’t noticed the prevalence of this trend in our group…
And please pardon my being personal, but do I know you?
You are SO RIGHT! Why do we look to other people, fallen humans just like us, for all of the answers? God gave us his Word, and all the answers are right there. He gave us the Holy Spirit, our Helper, to lead us into the Truth. We have to be very careful which PEOPLE we look to for Truth. So many have been lead astray by these teachings!