Serpents in the Classroom: The Poisoning of Modern Education and How the Church Can Cure It

by Thomas Korcok

Serpents in the Classroom answers questions that teachers, pastors, and parents often ask themselves. Despite their best efforts, why do children so often reject the Christian faith? The answer is found in the theological presuppositions that undergird much of contemporary education. Though the educational establishment often presents its models as products drawn from evidence-based research that is theologically neutral, they are anything but. Rather, they are founded on theologies that are diametrically opposed to orthodox Christian teaching.
Drawing on his experience as an educator, pastor, and professor, Dr. Korcok uncovers the theological tenets of some of the pedagogues who have been influential in shaping contemporary educational thought and discovers how they have intentionally designed education to turn children away from the Christian faith.
For the Christian teacher and parent, there is an alternative. Dr. Korcok presents the classical liberal arts education model that has served the church well for almost 2,000 years as a practical and theologically sound model of education for training a child for a life of faith.

Genres: Education

176 pages, Paperback

Published February 22, 2022

Reviews

[Joseph Henry Kester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction to and defense of classical Christian education.

This book has two parts; the first is an analysis of the problem of modern education, and the second is a proposal for the solution of CCE. Korcok occasionally overstates his case in the first part, but the main thrust of his argument is spot-on. His chapter on the "Timeless Standards" of truth, goodness, and beauty is one of the best discussions of the subject that I've read.

[Becky Filipek · Rating 5 out of 5]

A useful exhortation for Christian schools, churches, and parents to return to a classical Christian way of educating our children.

[Grete Telander · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a classically homeschooling mother with an education degree from a state university, I found this book useful and interesting. The heroes of my education college teachers, Dewey, Vygotsky, Montessori, and Piaget are discussed in terms of their theological perspectives, and Korcok exposes their atheism, gnosticism, and Marxism. I appreciated Korcok's uniquely Lutheran approach, especially to the "why" of Christian classical education -- it's not an attempt at creating a Christian utopia.

[Elise Temme · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a former Elementary Education major, this was an eye-opening book. Korcok presents 4 key educational philosophies that are being taught in both secular and Christian universities; he reveals the hidden agenda embedded in these philosophies, which are ultimately man-glorifying and man-centered. He then continues to argue for a Christ-centered liberal arts education, similar to the educations the early church fathers and Lutheran reformers advocated for in the past. I would recommend this book to any teacher, parent, or college student going into an education program.

[Philip Bartelt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introduction to the problem of modern pedagogy and the solutions that classical liberal arts provide. Very practical but not overly prescriptive. Good for parents, pastors, and teachers alike

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars for originality of information. What Dr. Korcok presents about the personal lives and philosophies of education's 20th-Century Big Names (Dewey, Vygotsky, Montessori, and Piaget) has, I feel reasonably confident, never been gathered and presented in such a way. What he presents is a clarion reminder that philosophies -- educational or otherwise -- are never "neutral." They grow from beliefs about God, man, and nature which direct both their questions and answers.

In the weeks I was reading this book, I often found myself mulling over what I'd read and assessing how educational philosophies that were originally intended to inculcate Marxist principles, say, are now assumed as simple, good teaching practice. In terms of its value to Christian educators in assessing their practices and whether they reflect a Biblical view of children and learning, this book is a great resource.

That said, I cannot unequivocally say that it is a well-written book. It suffers from some editorial oversights, but it also reads as though it could have been more thoroughly "over researched" to allow culling of best information rather than cobbling together of every shred the researcher discovered.

More importantly, the second portion of the book particularly feels too much like a manifesto for a specific form of current classical education philosophy rather than a generous gesture towards universal truths. I am very glad that Dr. Korcok seeks to provide solutions for the problems he identifies, but I think his view of the "correct" educational model is skewed a bit by the good things he has personally encountered, whereas there might be a broader picture of good Christian education that could be offered as the alternative to the disastrous 20th-Century educational philosophies. (Please note, I say this as a proponent of classical education myself!)

Still, for the revelatory information Dr. Korcok has collected here, this book is worth reading by any Christian teacher who has ever encountered the usual bastions of educational philosophy and psychology. It is good to examine such things, just as it is good to examine our own educational philosophy and methods.

[Ari Damoulakis · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is basically your standard, intolleran, evangelical screed written by a fossilized, evangelical church, bitter about the power it has lost in the world. Oh for the glorious days we could go back to the wonderful times of Luther and Calvin, those great men of learning who burned herretics, wrote works such as the Jews and their Lies, conducted and believed in the absolute science of witchcraft and witch hunts, wrote aggressively against their enemies and knew exactly who would go to heaven or hell. Inerrant Bible and all power to parents and church to conduct schooling. Distopian. Grew up in a church school. Hardly any good scientific education. No critical thinking. Authoritarian. Disgusting.
This book disparages so many great educational thinkers who want the absolute best for the progress of the world and children.
These people will always stagnate if they don’t discard nearly all of the Bible with its savagery, immorality, barbarity and fury.
Thank heaven liberal, good Christians are trying to reformulate and rescue Jesus from these people, their totally depraved man and hell.
If church ever got power back, US wouldn’t be as great as it is.