There are no shortages of antidotal stories that demonstrate the impact CCE is having in the lives of students in K-12 and beyond. A few years ago a highly publicized study, Good Soil: A Comparative View, showcased impressive results. We discussed this study at length two years ago on BCL episode 145. But just this summer, Brad Doplloff, as part of a PhD program with the support of the folks at the Barna Group, set out to measure the ingredients that enable CCE graduates to go the distance in their lives and faith. Brad’s insights continue to illuminate the unique, proven, and measurable impact CCE is having on the next generation.

Classical Christian schools believe the Greeks understood something critical about human nature and how to raise up a fully formed human being. They missed out on the Christian answers but got the questions right. Their view of the ultimate end, or telos of an education, still rings true today. Ask a modern parent on the street corner what they want out of their child’s education and you are likely to hear something along the lines of to just “be happy, moral and get a good job” But the Greeks wanted more for their children, and so should we!

Counselor, Keith McCurdy, is back on this episode. He joined me onstage at this summer’s SCL conference, and we decided we should share that interview, where we discuss the truth of the mental health crisis, with all of you on the podcast. Keith’s wisdom on how to interpret what we are hearing, in terms of the statistics and reports that so often fill our news feeds, is invaluable. He puts it all in perspective, along with some sage advice. We also discuss ways we as parents and educators can be sure we are healthy and connected in meaningful community and relationships as an antidote to rising rates of isolation and ever-present screens and technology. How can we be agents of restoration and healing in our homes and schools while the culture continues to polarize and divide? There is good news! We covered a lot of ground. You don’t want to miss this episode of BCL.

His book review says it all – “In a world of 280-character social media posts, we desperately need to cultivate again our holy imaginations through good reading, especially with our children.” In The Sanctus Chronicles: The Plague of Tradium, author Dustin Leimgruber writes a new inspirational work of fiction in the tradition of Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia. Dustin joins me in this episode for a conversation on his new book and a discussion on the essential need for reading and writing new works to captivate and form us as adults and the next generation by offering an appealing, soul-forming alternative to the digital distractions in our midst.