Originally posted on June, 5, 2008

Is the Trivium, then, a sufficient education for life? Properly taught, I believe that it should be. – Dorothy Sayers (1893-1967)

I first read this presentation my Dorothy Sayers four years ago. To be honest, I understood very little of what she spoke of. Still, I understood her case and could see, all too well, the consequence of departing from the tools of learning. The evidence was painfully obvious in my own life. However, apathy once again got the upper hand and I did little to nothing with the information presented. I am thankful that I took a little initiative and purchase a book entitled “The Trivium” by Sister Miriam Joseph, which I am currently reading. It wasn’t until I studied the life of Saint Augustine that I began to take an understanding of the trivium seriously and put into action the words from Sayers that had stirred me years before.

Since coming to reformed theological conclusions, I have tried to give my very best to study and preparation to future ministry. At times this has been very rewarding, and at other times, very frustrating. It was during a bought with frustration that I was listing through a series on church history and the life of Saint Augustine. In learning about one of the most gifted theologians of antiquity I was struck by what he accomplished even though his conversion came later in life. As the series in church history went on, the same could be said for many other great men. This gave me a certain degree of hope. But I was still faced with what I perceived to be a slow growth process in my study of theology and to compare myself with these men wasn’t the most motivating exercise. It did, however, bring my to question what it was that these men possessed, outside of the work of the Holy Spirit, spiritual disciplines and prayer, that enabled them to make such a great contribution.

I am sure that question could be answered in a variety of ways. However, one thing that came to mind was the education that these men received prior to their conversion, which in turn, brought to my memory the lecture that I had read from Sayers many years before. So, in my pursuit and preparations for a future church plant and pastoral ministry, I have taken up the task of reading what I can in an attempt to grasp the lost tools of learning in the hopes of greater comprehension in my theological training and seminary work.

I would like to commend Sayers’ lecture to you. There is a lot of truth in what Sayers shares and this is becoming increasingly evident as time goes by. One look into our current educational climate should show that, even through the eyes of a pure pragmatist, all is not well. Unfortunately, the state of the evangelical church at large is a mere reflection of the same educational deterioration.

You can read the full lecture which was originally presented at Oxford in 1947. A further search for classical education tools would prove fruitful for anyone inspired by this lecture.

Update: This was originally posted in June of 2008. I have continued to work my way though Joseph’s treatment of the trivium and have continued to glean from the wealth of information presented there in. It is an outstanding work, but not one to be read quickly. This is a book, as well as a subject, that should be read for the purpose of comprehension and application.