Conclusion To the JOURNEY series
A Literary Comparison Between Three Schools
Trinity - Lake - Oltman
with the addition of
The Holy Bible
and the REAL language of God's Word
God speaks into laws that govern the world,
and God speaks into Scripture.
Literacy and the Word was inspired by The Holy Bible and, in part, by a district news article titled, “LITERACY IS EVERYWHERE.” You may view this letter at the districts Academic Literacy webpage HERE. I will be referencing it in future articles.
The Bible does not change
Not For TIME, PEOPLE or POLITICS
The JOURNEY Series
In this series I have introduced three books read by three schools – The Hobbit (Trinity School at River Ridge), Serafina and the Black Cloak (Lake Middle School), and Slacker (Oltman Middle School).
So why talk about these books? What do they offer to the whole conversation? The school district of South Washington County is not the only one talking about literacy. We are hearing it on all levels of government – nationally here in the states and globally at the UN. Why does the United Nations care about what your child reads? It is impossible to understand without studying first what is REAL.
The Bible has proven to be the control factor of this literacy study.
Literacy and the Word
Summary of future topics
A Series within "the REAL and FAKE"
I am a connector. I am a thinker. I have never been content with one story. Even with multiple stories – and their context in time – I’ve never been satisfied with the acquisition of unlimited knowledge … Never, that is, until 2021 when I began reading the Bible. In it, I finally found one story that connected all stories together and that every other one falls into harmony with. And to think this great conductor had been sitting on my shelf unread for much of my teen and adult life.
" The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. "
Knowledge
I have learned since then not to just read for knowledge, but to read for wisdom … and that goes far beyond words on the page of a book.
I read the language that governs the earth and a people who inhabit its surface. No, that does not mean the news. Why? Because I want to know the truth about laws that govern this world, and no journalist or news channel or media outlet can give me that. I don’t seek to be media-literate. I seek to be bible-literate and relational-literate.
The only way to achieve that kind of literacy is to learn to read the language of God – His creation and all he speaks through it.
It is not necessary to “know” everything in order to feel secure because I know God’s got this. Biblical prophesy gives Christians everything we need to “know” about the end times, and Christ taught us everything we need to “know” about Christian living. An upright human journey is built upon character and belonging, and these qualities are the means for humanity to reach the HEAVENLY End. Of course Heaven is one of TWO ends, right … I don’t want Hell for myself or for my children or for you.
So,”Why do I write?” This is why I write. I am more concerned about your soul than I am about your politics. I want nothing from you, and I want everything FOR you. Does this make me a selfish Christian? My vision for you is to live an eternity in Heaven (not the opposite).
If we continue to teach our at-risk populations with books that teach FAKE truth – like Slacker by Gordon Korman (the third book review in this series) – then WE ARE LOVING OUR CHILDREN INTO HELL. If we continue to teach our affluent populations with books that teach REAL demonic truth – like Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty (the second book review in this series) – then we are paving a road for them that leads to the underworld.
I don't want any part of that!
Instead, let us LOVE OUR CHILDREN INTO HEAVEN with words of REAL truth.
Relationally Armed
In the Bible, God speaks through the Prophet Ezekiel and the Apostle John of global power structures that organize into one Tower of Babal-like counterfeit god in the end times. There have been many a “Babylon” built since then – call it the Roman Empire or Nazi Germany or simply the technology which enables man the power to become god-like.
Isn’t it interesting though that God does not offer humanity worldly armor to defeat a worldly devil. He offers us a RELATIONAL armor that protects our spiritual core – one of personal connectedness to a world that he has given us the means to interact with through sight, sound, taste, touch and smell. This I do believe is because God, the Father, will take care of the global battle. HE will judge the worldly enemy and subdue him. The job of humanity is to be aware of this spiritual battle and understand the importance of that which we ARE commanded to do …
The FIRST covenant God established with his people
The Government of FAMILY
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
This is NOT oppressive. This is actually the most revolutionary idea of all time, and it can only take place at the personal, relational level … between dad and mom and siblings and grandparents.
YOU AND YOUR FAMILY ARE THE REAL GOVERNING BODY OF THIS LAND, NOT STATE GOVERNMENTS OR WORLD “UNIFYING” ORGANIZATIONS.
God, the Son, used metaphors for gardening, fishing, mountains, plants and animals to teach humanity about spiritual truth.
Our personal connection to each other and to nature is a microcosm of the world we live in. To know how to read (with our senses) the physical social and emotional pairings of people, animals, life, logos, is to know how to read (with our soul) the spiritual pairings of good and evil at play in the world. Extrapolate on that truth by projecting it out into the world, and we have wisdom beyond any textbook written by mere man.
" The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. "
The Bible iS Literature
It is significant - Historically, Culturally, and Spiritually
and it’s roots run deeper than any book in publication.
Learning
to play the game
... is to understand the language of that sport.
Generally, to be the author and creator of any school curriculum means to KNOW the Bible and to direct its teaching and learning in a way that either aligns or contradicts biblical truth. Conversely, to be the student and recipient of knowledge generally means to NOT know the Bible and to be absorbed by the ideology of the one who DOES.
The student who is biblically IL-literate is made more vulnerable to the methodology being used on them and is left weak to the possibility of deceit by highly educated scholars.
For this reason, putting a Bible in the hands of ALL K12 students is best for educational literacy – public or non-public, progressive or traditional, secular or spiritual, big or small – it does not matter the model of learning. The biblically educated student is equipped with a WHOLE understanding of truth that the biblically IL-literate learner is denied.
Since American compulsory education is not quite there yet, maybe it is time we, as parents, begin to recognize the Bible for its valuable literary contributions. Let us each teach our children about the mountain we stand on (that is the Bible) because our view of all other literature depends on it.
REAL or FAKE
"Christianity"
The REAL follower of Christ GROWS
in quality and quantity – both spiritually and physically
"The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.
The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful."
"But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
Book Review
Genesis to Revelation
The Holy Bible is a collection of texts, scriptures, letters, and research. The Old Testament writings predate Jesus Christ, and they focus on God and God’s chosen people. The New Testament writings reflect on Jesus Christ, his relationship to God, and what it means to follow Jesus.
The Holy Bible
Approximately forty Authors wrote the 66 Books (73 Roman Catholic) of the Bible in a span of about 1000 years between 1000 BC and A.D.100. There are over 450 known versions of the Bible in English alone. The most popular are
- King James Version (KJV)
- New International Version (NIV)
- English Standard Version (ESV)
THE OLD TESTAMENT includes 39 books starting with the laws of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). The historical writings tell the story of Israel. Wisdom and poetic writings encourage God’s people to act justly, wisely, and righteously while enjoying his gifts and fearing his wrath (Job, the Psalms, the Song of Solomon, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes). The writings from major prophets tell what will happen to Israel and the Promised land (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, and Ezekiel), and the writings of minor prophets support all in telling that God will prevail over every world government (Amos, Joel, Hosea, Malachi, Amos, Jonah, Obadiah, Micah, Nahum, Haggai, Zephaniah, Zechariah, and Habakkuk).
THE NEW TESTAMENT writings include 27 books starting with the four gospels describing Jesus’s life (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). The Book of Acts is Luke’s sequel and explains how Jesus earned His following. Paul’s letters to the churches were an instructing for them in good operating practices (Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians), and Paul’s letters to church leaders further guided those of influence (Timothy 1 & 2, Titus, and Philemon). The final category is miscellaneous letters, or general letters, sent to large groups of people spread throughout the Roman empire (Hebrews, James, Peter, John, Jude, and Revelation). (Paraphrased from Super Summary’s Holy Bible Summary HERE)
The JOURNEY – This story is about ONE mighty God who created the heavens and the earth and all living beings. When death entered the world in the form of a snake (Satan), mankind cursed itself to live and die in sin, eternally separated from the perfection of their Maker (God). But he didn’t give up on his creation. God revealed himself, and his Law, to the nation of Israel and established with them his FIRST divine covenant – FAMILY.
The unblemished lamb was a required sacrifice meant to cleanse the nation of their sins, but as is the case with all events in the Hebrew Bible, the lamb is a foreshadowing of that which is to come … Jesus Christ is sacrificed on the cross as the perfect Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world once and for all. Despite being persecuted by His very own people, Jesus released both Jew and Gentile from the sin that holds us in bondage to death (Satan).
But the story does not end with the Lamb … God, the Son, promises to return as the Lion of Judah in the end times when He will separate out, in perfect judgment, the Righteous from among the Unrighteous. Both will live in eternity, but Evil will be thrown into the Lake of Fire. For this reason, the second coming of Christ, God established three more covenants for living upright in the name of God, the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. These covenants include SELF, CHURCH and CIVIL government (to be later discussed in the series).
The END GOAL – The Bible tells us about Christ, in order that we may believe in Him and be saved from the sin which contaminates all human beings. “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ ” (John 14:6). In the end, those who follow Jesus will live with God in the new heavens and the new earth where there will be no more sin or pain or suffering.
" All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Literary Lesson
Spiritually, the take away from the Bible story is that we have been given a choice. Do we choose to live for GOOD or do we choose to live for EVIL? By living in fear of God, we put our faith in good. By living in fear of Satan, we put our faith in evil. Be informed about these spiritual forces by reading the Bible and becoming literate in the Word that governs the world. Historically, times and places in the Bible are real and can be referenced as such against other historical works. The Bible also points to many scientific truths that were not discovered until centuries later (to be later discussed in the series). Culturally, the Bible story has impacted everything from brand identity and marketing to movie icons and literary classics.
The HERO – Jesus is called the Savior because without His sacrifice on the cross, no human is capable of living up to the Law of God – the 10 Commandments of Exodus. Jesus is the only one who can wash our sins clean so that we may live in the presence of God, the Father, forever. He is beyond worthy for humans to follow because Jesus is as perfect, sinless, selfless, loving, just and caring as any teacher can be. He is depicted as the lamb AND the lion who will come to judge the living and the dead. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” -John 3:16
The VILLAIN – Satan is the ultimate enemy of God and humanity. He was originally an angel who rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven. He tempts people to sin and accuses them before God. He also has a host of demons who serve him and oppose God’s will. He is disguised as a serpent in Genesis and depicted as a dragon, a beast, and a false prophet in Revelation. (For more villains link to BibleVise HERE).
Literacy Is A Journey
and it appears to cost a lot of money
Throughout the JOURNEY series we have discovered that not all schools are created equal or equitable in South Washington County. The poorest student populations are receiving the lowest quality literature (while costing taxpayer more) in the school district. Meanwhile the affluent student populations are receiving the highest quality literature in the district (albeit bordering on dark magic and the dark arts).
The PATHWAY OF LOWEST PROFICIENCY
(through Oltman Middle School)
$12,133 / student each year (2022).
The PATHWAY OF HIGHEST PROFICIENCY
(through Lake Middle School)
$11,718 / student each year (2022).
PRIVATE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
(through Trinity School at River Ridge)
$14,000 / student each year + $1000 misc fees (2022)
+ $3,300 / household ISD#833 per year (based on $475k market value).
Total of about $18,300.
This private school family pays
$18,300
for their child to receive a rEAL education
since the boundary school their taxes pay for will not provide it.
Note : A private school parent pays 100% of the school expenses (unless the school takes government funds) plus taxes in their public school system of residence. A public school parent, on the other hand, does not pay 100% of the “tuition” because expenses are spread proportionally across district taxpayers.
(Allocation of fees will vary between the multiple government entities involved and each residential household.)
In the End
I am working with a local steering committee in the South Washington County area to bring Bible education to public school children through an amazing program this Fall. We are in the process of speaking to churches, growing our community interest list, hiring a Program Director, and taking donations, so please reach out to me for more information!
Dear Reader,
I can barely contain my excitement over this series because I get to talk to you about how relevant the Bible is to educational literacy! I am also a little overwhelmed. Where do I begin to summarize this book of books? I have attempted to do so in this article intro, but there are billions of ways the Bible has impacted 3000 years of literature, and there are just as many opinions …
Many of you in my audience believe, like I do, that the Holy Bible is a sacred text. This means that biblical literacy for your family is spiritually significant in addition to being historically and culturally significant. “FAMILY” was the first government God formed (Genesis 1:28). Ultimately it is MOM and DAD who are responsible for teaching their CHILD about God the Father almighty (maker of heaven and earth), Jesus Christ (His only Son, our Lord), the Holy Spirit, The Holy Christian Church, the Communion of Saints, The Forgiveness of sins, The Resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. A Sunday school program or a Christian K12 education can be a helpful ally in teaching biblical literacy skills to your child, but ultimately it is the responsibility of Christian parents to teach their children about Jesus.
Some of you in my audience may not regard the Bible as Holy or sacred in the same way as I do, but you are curious to learn more about following Jesus. Maybe you have had a negative experience with a church or with a “Christian” in the past, but then again you have questions about your identity, your purpose, or your place in this world that cannot be explained by a scholar or a journalist of the news. I invite you into this series. Much of it was written with you in mind!
I also fully recognize a small portion of my audience does not believe in the Trinity of God AND is offended by those who do (namely myself). You are offended by my forward expression of Faith, and you do not think I have the right TO it. Though I strongly disagree with your motivation for reading, I do empathize for your plight. As stated earlier about why I write : I do not want anything FROM you. I want everything FOR you.
The JOURNEY series was about “The End.” What does that MEAN to you? I invite you to read on as we continue to explore literacy in “Literacy and The Word – A Series about biblical literacy”.
– Jaime
Up next in “Literacy and the WORD” series
The Bible IS (at least) Literature
The English language is under construction as a Progressive form seeks to replace it. Redefining words to fit an inclusive ideology only causes ignorance and confusion. The Director of Teaching and Learning for Secondary education in SoWashCo Schools says, “Literacy is Everywhere” … and I wholeheartedly agree. The Bible appears to fit all their Core Values : Connections, Integrity, Equity, Excellence, and Educational Innovation. In fact, the Bible is everything the school district says literacy is :(lists, maps, numerical measurements, receipts, costs, contracts, recipes, art, music, how-to instructions). By reading the Bible with our children, and signing them up for bible literacy programs, we as parents are aiding in the GOOD of their literacy journey.
Like this article?
The REAL or FAKE Series
The Real or Fake Series set the stage for 2024 and is the foundation for this years articles. It builds off of the Christmas Gift poem written and published on December 15th, 2023 titled “The Maker IS”
Everything that “IS”, has been made, and all things made have a MAKER. Therefore, everything made has a purpose. This series distinguishes between the superficial and the substantive things we choose to surround ourselves with. Generation after generation passes by, and pretty soon fakeness become so embedded in a culture that reality is forgotten altogether.
The characteristic traits of REAL are defined here, and FAKE is called out for the counterfeit it is. Follow along as Jaime looks at all parts of the K12 education system, from tangible to complex, literature to curriculum, public to non-public, and the real and fake players within the Minnesota election process.
THE BIBLE IS: A Message for us
The Bible is a story from beginning to end that is so masterfully organized in its literary structure that no other story can compare – in depth, in metrical precision, in mathematical genius, in profound impact, and in communicating FUNCTION (purpose) simply through the Creator’s FORM (vessel). FORM TENDS TO NATURALLY FOLLOW FUNCTION in this way. There are three main aspects to every story – character, plot and setting. The first sentence of the Bible contains 7 Hebrew words, and the second sentence contains 14, and yet in just two simple sentences the Author establishes TIME, CHARACTER, ACTION, and PROBLEM. From there, we read about the SOLUTION to this problem, and it repeats in every book like the beat of a metronome to the end. Learn how to read the language of your child’s school by first learning the language of the Bible. The Good News may have more to teach us about our world than the news of man.
Game of Complimentary Opposites
Sometimes words just look like clutter on a page … Sometimes messages sound like noisy gongs and clanging cymbals (1 Corinthians 13:1) … especially with so many words being thrown at us day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, second… by… second. The Director of Teaching and Learning for Secondary education in South Washington County Schools says, “Literacy is Everywhere.” … To that I say, “Yes! Like most district communication, this is a message that SEEMS easy to understand.
In the same way as playing catch is about giving and receiving the ball, so too is literacy about messages given and received. Literacy is supposed to be a relationship of two after all … as in listening AND speaking … reading AND writing.
Not only is literacy everywhere, but so is the Bible, a book whose words miraculously harmonize with the Word of the world. As I turn my attention toward the Bible as Literature, the two-sided nature of literacy becomes very REAL. It cannot be a one-sided act or a single sensory experience alone.