Cousin Quartus

The Axehead Circular, Episode 9 – SPECIAL: “Matins and Vespers in the Life of the Church”

A special episode of The Axehead Circular featuring a reading of “Matins and Vespers in the Life of the Church,” by the Rev. Charles L. McClean, pastor of Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Baltimore. A link to a PDF of this article can be found in the show notes.

The Axehead Circular, Episode 8 – Daily Office

“Let all the faithful, whether men or women, when early in the morning they rise from their sleep and before they undertake any tasks, wash their hands and pray to God; and so they may go to their duties. But if any instruction in God’s word is held that day, everyone ought to attend it willingly, recollecting that he will hear God speaking through the instructor and that prayer in the church enables him to avoid the day’s evil; any godly man ought to count it a great loss if he does not attend the place of instruction, especially if he can read. . . . But if on any day there is no instruction, let everyone at home take the Bible and read sufficiently in passages that he finds profitable.” (Hippolytus of Rome, The Apostolic Tradition, Part IV.35)

The Axehead Circular, Episode 7 – The Consolation of Brethren

Today we learn what happens when the opening monologue doesn’t end, Trent doesn’t really have a topic, and the entire episode is a tangent. Not entirely, but close enough. Today we’re talking about the village again, but in a roundabout way. It’s called “the conversation and consolation of brethren,” and boy do we all need it. No, it isn’t a conference. It’s not not a conference. But if it’s only happening at conferences, something is very, very wrong. We discuss sharks in your living room, der ewige Porch, weaving, hymn-singing, and why you don’t need call documents to be a Christian, a friend, or a Christian friend.

The Axehead Circular, Episode 6 – McGuffey, Part 1

In this episode Trent introduces William Holmes McGuffey and his famous readers. He talks about why the idea of the tabula rasa is false and pernicious, the biological reality of the American people, and some lessons about national identity from Ancient Israel. The discussion moves to the topic of the great shift in language instruction in the mid-twentieth century, why you might want to think twice about Dr. Seuss, and why Calvinism is a whipping boy for historians of American education. Toward the end of the episode, Trent points out several instances of how the virtues of McGuffey’s readers are often made evident in the mirror of his enemies’ critiques.

The Axehead Circular, Episode 5 – Schedule, Part 1

In this episode Trent begins a survey of the weekly schedule used by St. Boniface. He discusses the significance of the week as a divine period of time, makes a digression on the worthlessness of modern American conservatism, and thinks out loud regarding the benefits of differentiated attendance and the variable shortening of the school day as a means of accommodating diverse academic abilities. As the episode wraps up, Trent makes the case for dialing down the academic rigor when teaching Literature and History during the elementary school years, not because these subjects are unimportant, but because the opposite is the case, and the readiness is all.

The Axehead Circular, Episode 4 – Calendar

In this episode Trent does a survey of the academic calendar used by St. Boniface Lutheran School and the St. Sarah Cottage School. He discusses the convention followed by the school for naming its academic terms, makes a digression on the propriety and rectitude of Thanksgiving as a civil Christian holiday, and gives the rationale for the liberal distribution of breaks throughout the school year. The episode wraps up with a discussion of the two testing weeks on the calendar, the reason for the variable lengths of the terms of the school year, why you should eat steak, and the rationale for tying “Spring Break” to Holy Week and Easter Week every year.

The Axehead Circular, Episode 3 – Classical?

In this episode we answer the question “Are you a classical school?” In the show opener Trent maintains that it does, in fact, take a village to raise a child. The episode moves from there to a description of what the term “classical education” meant prior to the turn of the century and a discussion of how the recent attempt at redefinition by the New Classical Schooling movement is fraught with problems. In the final segment Trent describes nineteenth-century German Lutheran parochial schooling in America, suggests that this historical model provides a better pattern for Christian schooling than the New Classical Schooling model, and hints that another episode on the topic might be warranted.

The Axehead Circular, Episode 2 – Architectonics

In this episode we consider the idea of architectonics, specifically how theology, not politics, is the true architectonic science. Trent discusses the meaning of “Evangelical Christianity” and comments on how Lutheranism is situated within this stream, and how a basic Evangelical confession is essential to the institutional character of St. Boniface. The show ends with a discussion of the school’s “Six Points,” the hoped-for relationship between the St. Boniface School and partner families, and the importance of being equally yoked.

The Axehead Circular, Episode 1 – Introduction

In this episode Trent Demarest introduces himself, The Boniface Group, St. Boniface Lutheran School of Western Idaho, and the St. Sarah Cottage School. He also gives a brief summary of the rationale behind the names for these organizations, discussing St. Boniface of Mainz, the so-called “Apostle to the Germans,” as well as St. Sarah, the wife of the patriarch Abraham.

How It Started

“Archangel Raphael and Tobias,” oil on canvas; Titian, 1540-1545

It was the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels, several years ago. At the time my family and I were blessed to be members of a Lutheran congregation that still observed this holiday— historically dear and precious to Lutheran Christians— with an evening communion service.