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Dear Friends:
The other day I had the privilege of listening to
and speaking with David McCullough, the acclaimed author of the Simon
& Schuster best-seller, John
Adams. The first thing you notice about McCullough is that he twinkles.
His Rockwellesque countenance is supremely grandfatherly, yet there is a
boyish delight, almost a sparkle in his eyes, when he speaks of his two
favorite subjects: great men and books.
McCullough�s philosophy reflects something
slightly more than that of a classical humanist, and certainly less than a
biblical-worldview conscious Christian, but at times he appears to be
grasping very hard for a divine explanation of history. After all, his
message is peppered with musings about the inexplicable circumstances
surrounding the patriot�s victory in the War for Independence,
circumstances that can not be rationally described apart from a
supernatural worldview, because, in his words, they were "simply
miraculous."
Of course, McCullough falls short of connecting
the dots for the reader, and one seriously wonders whether he has even
connected the dots in his own mind. But there is no question that he is truly moved by
the overwhelming faith and character of many of the
personalities who populated the Founding Era.
It is the almost boyish wonder and appreciation
for the Founders which makes McCullough so very compelling. In a world in
which the historiographical pendulum swings from course cynicism to blind
idolatry, McCullough�s approach to the Founding Fathers is refreshing. He
sees these men and women as neither slave-holding hypocrites nor gods, but
as extraordinary individuals, living in a remarkable time, who must be
understood in the context of their age.
Though he falls short of presenting a
distinctively Christian (and thus, correct) interpretation of the Founding
Era, his book is highly respectful of the faith and fortitude of that
generation. The astute Christian reader will find much of value in John
Adams from which he can draw his own interpretations of the life of
this singular man and his family.
Especially helpful is the fact that McCullough has
offered a generous supply of communiqu�s between members of the Adams
family in which they express their devout faith in God and basic orthodoxy.
McCullough quotes John Adams, "What has preserved
this race of Adamses in all their ramifications in such numbers, health,
peace, comfort...I believe it is religion, without which they would have
been rakes, fops, sots, gamblers, starved with hunger, or frozen with cold,
scalped by Indians, etc., etc."
One sees in the Adams that McCullough gives us a
man of vision who is intensely concerned with multi-generational
faithfulness, as evidenced by the following quote:
I
must study war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and
philosophy. My sons must study mathematics and philosophy, geography,
natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce and agriculture
in order to give their children a right to study paintings, poetry, music,
architecture, statuary, tapestry and porcelain.
Furthermore, writing to her ten-year-old son John Quincy, then traveling
with his father, Abigail Adams would comment:
You
are in possession of a natural and good understanding and of spirits
unbroken by adversity, and untamed with care. Improve your understanding
for acquiring useful knowledge and virtue, such as will render you an
ornament to society, an honor to your country, and a blessing to your
parents�and remember you are accountable to your Maker for all your words
and actions.
Though there are significant
points with which we would diverge, McCullough offers a perspective which
many leaders in the home school movement would find refreshing: He loathes
textbooks. They are the bane of education, because they minimize history to
facts and dates and they are boring. If I may paraphrase, "History should
be joyous. Give children real books!"
And to this we shout a hearty "Amen!"
McCullough is in awe of the home education of the
Founders. His appreciation for Abigail Adams is almost gushing. Here is a
home educated woman with no "formal" education, who has memorized huge
portions of Shakespeare and Scripture, and is thoroughly conversant in the
literature and culture of her day. Her letters to John are quite simply
works of art, both in terms of their composition and content.
McCullough praises Abigail for home schooling her
children and providing them with what was arguably the greatest education
of their day -- a parent directed education superior to, from both an
intellectual and character-focused perspective, the best "schooling"
offered today.
Why were they successful? The Adams home was
filled with deep and meaningful discussion. The Adams family communicated a
vision for multi-generational responsibility; they made the reading of the
Bible a staple of life. Both parents were unified and involved in the home
education of their children. The Adams children had no time for foolishness
because, from their youth, they were in and around adults and adult
activities. They traveled with and learned directly from their parents.
And now to the punch line: I asked David
McCullough, "If Abigail were alive today and possessed the same worldview
she espoused in the 18th century, would she align herself with
modern feminism?" McCullough did not skip a beat, "No, she would have
considered it her role as a woman to care for the home, raise the children
and support her husband."
Friends, those are the words of America�s
foremost Adams historian, not some ranting patriarchalist with an agenda.
Sorry, Gloria Steinem, but the myth of the
feminist First Lady will once again have to be scrapped!
Blessings,
Doug Phillips
President, The Vision Forum, Inc.
P.S. For an update on Baby
William, click
here.
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