Mortimer Adler - A Transformational Marxist

Mortimer Adler is known by many as the author of "How to Read a Book" (1940) which he coauthored with Charles Van Doren. It is considered the classic guide to intelligent reading. I have read the book recently and was recommending it as helpful preparation for home based college studies. My reasons, and the reasons other Biblical minded people recommend this book is based on its practical ideas for getting the most information and learning out of a book. "How to Read a Book" also includes a list of the classic works considered the foundation of western civilizations, which is helpful to the Christian toward understanding our times.

Last Friday, Dean Gotcher (AuthorityResearch.com) and his wife Karen were having supper at our home when I mention this as a book that I found helpful. Dean then pointed out that Mortimer Alder is a Transformational Marxist, which I later learned is a "slow march through the institutions" as a strategy for changing the world, popularized by Marxist Antonio Gramsi.

Dean also pointed out that Mortimer Adler founded the Aspen Institute

According to the Apen Institute website: Paepcke created what is now the Aspen Institute. He was a trustee of the University of Chicago, and his participation in its Great Books seminar, led by philosopher Mortimer Adler, inspired the Institute's Executive Seminar. The seminar is a forum based on the writings of great thinkers of the past and present. Through reading and discussing selections from the works of classic and modern writers, leaders better understand the human challenges facing the organizations and communities they serve. "The Executive Seminar was not intended to make a corporate treasurer a more skilled corporate treasurer," said Paepcke, "but to help a leader gain access to his or her own humanity by becoming more self-aware, more self-correcting, and more self-fulfilling."

Understanding the history of western civilization does give people the tools to help transform society, toward their preferred worldview. Mortimer Adler apparently viewed having a Great Books understanding of western civilization as important for slowly implementing Marxism. Many Christians today see some of that same historical body of knowledge as valuable for Biblically discerning the times clearly enough to implement Biblical truths where errors have dominated.

I therefore see a need for someone, perhaps a home school or home college student interested in writing and worldview issues, to analyze "How to Read a Book" to discover and list any of its Marxist features and redeem the value of the book by taking its thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ.

Here is the entire book free online: How to Read a Book

Regarding the Tension between Home Schoolers and Public Schoolers

Home schooled parents and children sometimes feel a tension or unspoken resentment when in the presence of public schooled parents or children. If words were put to the thoughts occurring, the public schooled parents and children think: “You poor home schoolers just don’t know what you are missing with all the academic and social opportunities that are free at the local school! Your children are going to be social misfits and not be able to get good jobs. Who are you to think you can provide a real education when you haven’t even been to teacher’s college? You say you want freedom to teach your children, so you must be hiding something evil, because I’ve heard about child abuse and besides there is no other reason you could have for wanting such freedom.”

On the other hand, home schoolers may think with regard to their public school counterparts: “I am better than you because home schoolers do better on achievement tests. My son is smarter than your son and my school choice is better than your choice because my son is graduating from high school and starting college at age 16. We are also better than you because we are spending more time with our family.”

If you are familiar with 2 Corinthians 10:12, then you can see the root of the problem already.

For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. 2 Corinthians 10:12

Both sides with the above thoughts are guilty of the sin of comparison. The Bible does direct parents to home educate and all the statistics demonstrate the good fruit of home schooling in the areas of academic performance, and social behavior as well as success in college and careers. This success confirms the value of the underlying Biblical truths and the constitutional liberty understood by the founders of our country. However, this knowledge when coupled with comparisons and pride is destructive to individuals, families, churches and society, as evidenced in this tension and unspoken resentment between home schoolers and public schoolers.

Knowledge that is not thought, spoken, and presented through the Holy Spirit, in a loving context with the beauty of personal testimony (as gold in settings of silver) defaults to prideful comparisons and results in strife.

We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. 1 Corinthians 8:1

By pride comes nothing but strife, But with the well-advised is wisdom. Proverbs 13:10

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. Proverbs 25:11

If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. 1 Peter 4:11a

With pride revealed as a cause of the tension between public schoolers and home schoolers, then the first step toward resolving this tension becomes personal repentance and humility before God. The truth is that one’s educational choice does not make one person better than another. In fact, the truth is that we are equal in God’s eyes and have nothing to boast about except our infirmities and Christ (2 Corinthians 12:9).

The philosophies operating in the government school system are satanic at the root and destroying our country, which is an expected curse on a nation which has forsaken God. This has happened repeatedly in history as illustrated in 1 Kings and 2 Kings. It is the responsibility of Christians to understand our times, speak this truth in love, expect persecution if living godly, make disciples to Christ, and pray for Christians to awake to righteousness, which will necessitate home or Christian schools and an exodus from the public schools.

Home schoolers don’t need to compromise their convictions, they simply need to let Christ live through them, mind their own business and watch God answer their prayers. There will always be a tension and unspoken resentment between God and Satan as well as those following them and their agendas. As Dean Gotcher (AuthorityResearch.com) pointed out, the natural desire for peace between people with conflicting positions is understood by social engineers and is being deliberately used as a technique to lead Christians to compromise.

There will be true peace only when all people are in Christ. In the meantime, we have a secret to personal peace in the midst of the cultural conflict. That secret is to simply reckon our selves dead to the sin of comparison or other evil thoughts. The tension between home schoolers and public schoolers in the churches or the legislatures won’t bother any such “dead” homeschoolers as they teach and live the truth in love and allow their light to shine.

Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:11

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16