Today’s news headlines are more troublesome than ever. Stress levels are higher, people are more contentious than ever, yet our hope and confidence in Christ gives us the grace to love ourselves and our neighbors well. Russ Gregg has served faithfully for two decades at Hope Academy in the heart of the inner city of Minneapolis. He believes our classical Christian schools have a unique opportunity to display the grace and mercy of God, as evidenced by the beauty of living cultural harmony despite our surroundings. In this episode, Russ Gregg shares ten guiding principles he developed to lead his teachers and parents through the recent challenging days that had a transformative impact on his school community and the surrounding neighborhoods.

Russ Gregg (B.A., Global Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison) has served as Head of School since Hope Academy’s founding in 2000. He has been a resident of the Phillips neighborhood since 1994. In 1999, he was an administrator at Calvin Christian School in Edina, and quit his job to help lay the groundwork for a Christian school for his urban neighbors. Russ and his wife, Phyllis, who teaches 3rd grade at Hope Academy, live four blocks away from the school. They have three grown children. Russ serves on the Board of Directors of the Society for Classical Learning. Common topics include: The Achievement Gap, Urban Christian Education, The Case for Christian Schooling, and sermons on various biblical passages.