Kepler Eccentric Vo. 8

Volume 8, December 2023

Kepler Education’s Student Magazine

What’s Inside: The Cathedral Amid the Calamity Essay by Carly Raquipiso

Is Pre-Christian Humanism Just Christian Humanism?

Essay by Silas Schlax

Silent Joseph, Rood Maker Poem by Joffre Swait

Contents Letter from the CEO of Kepler

3

Note from the Academic Advisor

4–5

Note from the Student Council President & Kepler Life!

6–7

The Cathedral Amid the Calamity (essay) by Carly Raquipiso

8–10

Untitled Photo by Shannon Beauchamp

11

Cracks of Dawn at the Crack of Dawn (photo) by Wesley Johnson & Sunset at Emerald Isle (photo) by Silas Schlax

12

Is Pre-Christian Humanism Just Christian Humanism (essay) by Silas Schlax

13–15

Silent Joscph, Rood Maker (poem) by Joffre Swait

16

Study by Candlelight (photo) by Ruth Lawton & Untitled Photo by Wesley Johnson

17

Frigore ad Mortem (poem) by Marley Evers & Untitled Photo by Wesley Johnson

18

The Life of a Quantum (essay) by Evalyn Schlax

19–20

Oliver's Race (photo) by Ruth Lawton

20

Trouble (two photos) by Georgina Strawbridge

21

An Artist's Arsenal (photo) by Renee Kelly & Animal Sculptures (artwork) by Evalyn Schlax

22

Self-Portrait in Analogous Colors (artwork) by Andrew Jones & Terra Gigantum (artwork)

by Marley Evers

23

Cover image Sunset at Emerald Isle by Silas Schlax Magazine design and layout: Carissa Hale Kepler Eccentric logo design: Josiah Nance Copyright December 2023 Kepler Education

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A L etter from the CEO of K epler

Dear Kepler Students and Parents, By the time this issue of the Eccentric makes its way to you, the Christmas season will likely already have enveloped us in the warmth of its joyous and hopeful embrace. Nevertheless, I wish to extend my heartfelt greetings to you, our Kepler students, and wish your cherished family a very Merry Christmas.

This Christmas, amid twinkling lights, giddy gift-giving, and the joyous hymns that fill the air, I want you to know that it is each one of you who makes up the rich fabric that has woven the unique tapestry of our Kepler community. You are a blessing!

Ours was a homeschooling family when our children were little, and it seems to me homeschooling during the holidays holds a special significance—an opportunity to incorporate the Christian calendar into our daily pursuits. Your homes are sanctuaries of learning, which includes Christ-centered celebrations, where the festivities of our faith have the potential to permeate every lesson and moment shared with your family.

In the quietude of your homes during this season, may you find the time for reflection and gratitude for the great gift of Jesus, as well as the continued joy of discovering new depths to your faith. And, just as you have delved into the narratives of the Great Books this academic year, it is my prayer that you will allow the Christmas stories of the Greatest Book to resonate in your hearts, and remind you of the profound and transformative power of a truly Christian classical education.

May your homes be filled with laughter, love, and the good news of the glorious gospel of Christ that has shaped and animated the best of Western civilization. Merry Christmas and may the coming year be another chapter of joyous growth and academic flourishing.

By God’s Grace and for His Glory,

Scott Postma CEO, Kepler Education

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N ote from the S tudent L ife C oordinator Be Honest and Read Pensées Of course we should all be honest. We know that. Honest like boy scouts and German shepherds. As honest as the day is long. But perhaps we should desire more for ourselves. Perhaps we ought to be hommes honnêtes, honest men and women, noblewomen and gentlemen.

To be honest is not simply to tell the truth, or even more poorly, simply to avoid telling untruths.

Although, that is precisely what our dictionary says it is.

Let us have a richer, fuller, more human, more Christian idea of what this word means, and what it might mean for you to be an honest man.

According to our dictionary, the word honest was first used in the fourteenth century (so, basically as early as a modern English word could be used), and it comes from the Latin for honorable, and honor.

To be an honest man was to be a worthy man, a good man, an honorable man.

According to the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy, honesto, which we translate “honest,” is defined as decent, decorous, modest, honorable, reasonable, just, upright, honored.

If one is a sincere and dedicated practitioner of religion, we say that one is devout or pious. In Spanish that person is said to be honesto.

The French word for honesty is honnêteté. It is integrity, wholeness (which is integrity, non?) sincerity, truthfulness, and even innocence.

Before the age of modernity and the expert, before Descartes and Montaigne defined how all men would think to think, the dying Middle Ages in France expressed one last enthusiasm for the good man, through the words of Blaise Pascal.

There had been the saint. He had been shown to be a fraud. There had been the courtly lover. His sonnets had been mocked near to death. There had been the knight, and he had been shown to be at best a fool chasing windmills. There was even the knight’s son, the cavalier. His mustache would soon be made to droop in the dismal battlefields of Flanders and Edgehill.

After what ideal was the Christian man, whether Protestant or Catholic, to model himself ? How to describe such men as Coligny or Philip Sidney?

Why, as honest men, of course.

Blaise Pascal was the greatest, but far from the first, explainer of what l’homme honnête was. If you read his Pensées, which you should do, you will often find the term translated as “gentleman.” Montaigne

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ridiculed the homme honnête, the gentleman, primarily because he was a wicked and godless heathen, and secondarily because he believed that the ideal man should be an expert. Pascal’s honest man, in contrast to this heathen Enlightenment concept, is a generalist. He is balanced, reasonable, and well-rounded. Not only does he comprehend, he apprehends. He is as poetical as he is mathematical.

He is cultured without affectation and eloquent without artifice.

He would not be ashamed to embrace G. K. Chesterton’s twentieth-century maxim that anything worth doing is worth doing badly.

He sees no contradiction in being a poet and a warrior, or in using the word philosopher to describe what today we call a scientist. Philip Sydney is best remembered for The Defense of Poesy, but died as a result of wounds suffered fighting the Spanish; he had waged war and politics his entire life. He was an honest man. Gaspard II de Coligny was a French naval admiral who navigated the politics and combat of the Wars of Religion skillfully and raised sons who did the same, until he finally went crashing out a window to his death, one of the first victims of the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre plot. His last words to his assassin were “you are too young a soldier to speak thus to an old captain.

At least have respect for my age.” A mob cut off his head, hands, and genitals, and paraded his body through the city. He was an honest man.

The honest man doesn’t just tell the truth. He can see the truth, because he can see. He sees all men, and their God, and the image of God in all men. He does not suffer from the myopia of the expert.

If you, dear student, desire to be an expert, consider that you might grow blind. Be honest with yourself: generalize. If you wish to be an engineer, read a poem. If you wish to be a poet, build a PC. Strive to live a full life, an honest life.

The truth of God is one. And it is everywhere. The diversity of the Trinity is manifest. It is not chaos, and it is not monad. It is one and many, and, honestly, only honest Christians can see that.

Also, read the Pensées, dear student. It will grown you good.

In Christ,

Joffre Swait Student Life Coordinator, Kepler Education

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N ote from the S tudent C ouncil P resident Hello Fellow Keplerites!

I am excited to finally be releasing our very first Eccentric for the 2023–2024 school year! The Eccentric is just one of the many tasks the Student Council takes on each year, but it is by far one of my favorites. I love seeing or reading everyone’s submissions, and it’s even better once it has been made into a masterpiece which is made with little parts of you all. My Favorite part about Kepler Education is not just its great classes and teachers, but the community we as students build on the Quad, through events, and in the Eccentric. Everyones’ creative endeavors and cheerful spirit are what make the Quad and Kepler Life worthwhile.

Before you go on to read the rest of the Eccentric, I would like to thank the students, teachers, clubs, and Mr. Swait for making the Eccentric possible. Another part of Kepler Life as many of you may know is our clubs. Clubs are a large part of Kepler Life and are super fun. This year we have two familiar clubs, that being Photo Club and Writing/Poetry Club. We also have two new clubs, Art Club and Fireside Club. I encourage anyone who has some time to spare to join a club or two.

As we come to the half-way mark and the holiday season, I hope you all stay strong in your studies till that 3 week break we get for Christmas! I know some of you are new highschoolers, and I know highschool can be rough to start, but if you are struggling, know that you are not the only one, there is someone else. But I will say that it gets less scary the more you endure.

Sincerely, Silas Schlax Student Council President

"The mission of Student Life is to provide Kepler students with a full-fledged student experience that teaches them leadership and management skills, while providing them with the tools to integrate their education into their lives. Student Life seeks to help in preparing them for their future lives as men and women of God, whether in church, in college, at work, or at home."

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Greeting, Kepler family I am honored to announce that there is a new club, Fireside Club. In the Fireside Club we encourage an informal approach kepler fireside club as we discuss a slew of topics and questions. Your questions and topics can be as small as a bug or as big as the cosmos.

We hope to allow people to be comfortable enough to simply muse over a topic or question, or, perhaps, get into a friendly debate. In Fireside Club we allow the members to come to the discussion with some of there own questions or topics. With that in mind we welcome you to bring your warm beverage and a chair and join us for some fun banter.

Wesley Johnson Fireside Club President Hello Kepler Family!

Many clubs can be found throughout Kepler. The photography club specializes in capturing the story of our three dimensional kepler photo club world in a two dimensional format. There are so many amazing, intricate, and breathtaking things to photograph, like golden sunlight, the laughter of family, or dew on a rosehip. Mr. Eads, our mentor, helps us navigate the confusing realm of cameras, lenses and f/stops so we can capture what we see. Currently we meet 1st and 3rd Thursdays at 7:00 EST, 6:00 CT, 5:00 MT, 4:00 PT. Even if you can’t make the time, consider joining our active Slack channel! What I love about photography is that it helps us to see the world from different viewpoints and angles. It lets us tell a unique story about what we see. Come share your story with us!

Ruth Lawton Photography Club President Hello, Kepler students! Kepler’s Writing Club is back and even better than before! This year, we have absorbed the poets of our age and now look at all facets of writing! Here, we observe kepler writing club both the grammatical and structural side of writing as well as the flow of poetry.

We welcome everyone, whether you desire to work on group projects or if you wish to find the constructive criticism, assistance, or brain storming of other members. We encourage the fictitious writings of our prospective authors, applaud the thoughts of our rhetorical geniuses, and behold in wonder our poetical marvels.

I encourage all to come, witness, and learn the nuances of writing!

Elaina Nabours Previous Writing Club President Kepler Education’s Student Magazine / December 2023

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The Cathedral Amid the Calamity

by Carly Raquipiso

S

ituated between two great civilizations, in the eyes of Enlightenment thinkers the Christendom age has been considered a mere bridge that harboured darkness, occultism, and religious oppression. What then has a time of miracles and lowly saints to do with the glory of Rome or the brilliance of the Enlightenment? In reality, the Middle Ages formed an era that had its own virtues which preserved but also redeemed and edified civilization, and it is this same desire to multiply the gifts of God’s dominion that Christians ought to practise in modern times.

Benedict, seeing the corruption manifested as tribulation stirred the masses to show themselves as wheat or chaff, fled to the wilderness for solace with the Lord. Though suffering murder attempts when he first became an abbot, when he had grown more advanced in years and wisdom he wrote a monastic rule, exhibiting the desire to balance discipline and lovingkindness. To cure the spiritual pestilence of idleness, Benedict prescribed that “the brethren ought to be employed at certain times in labouring with their hands, and at other fixed times in holy reading,”1 and concerning obedience even in hard trial, he wrote “if he shall see that the burden then altogether exceeded the measure of his strength, let him patiently state the cause of this inability to his Superior.”2 When one reads that, con-

cerning those who commit fault in Oratory, Benedict wrote “for such a fault, let children be beaten,”3 one strongly feels that Benedict was a cruel despot, and that he had no consideration for the weakness of a child’s frame.

This, however, is proven false, as Benedict writes “let their weakness therefore always be taken into account, and the rigour of the Rule with regard to food, be by no means kept from them.”4 It must also be considered that it was in a monastery that a child was best provided for in spirit, education, and physical nourishment. The abbots also were expected to discipline themselves, that they may protect their flock. Gregory, who, already being a good bishop, helped Italy in their hour of need, and wrote the Book of Pastoral Rule, in which he described attributes befitting not only pastors but any man who is in a place of leadership.

He wrote that a ruler ought to be “pure, in action chief; discreet in keeping silence, profitable in speech.”5 Gregory recognised also that some creep in unawares and masquerade as being virtuous, saying “niggardliness palliates itself under the name of frugality,—and prodigality hides itself under the appellation

1 Benedict, “The Rule of Saint Benedict,” in Old Western Culture, vol. 9, Early Medievals, ed. Daniel Foucachon (Moscow, ID: Roman Roads Press, 2020), 32.

4 Benedict, “The Rule of Saint Benedict,” in Old Western Culture, vol. 9, Early Medievals, ed. Daniel Foucachon, 27.

2 Benedict, “The Rule of Saint Benedict,” in Old Western Culture, vol. 9, Early Medievals, ed. Daniel Foucachon, 46.

3 Benedict, “The Rule of Saint Benedict,” in Old Western Culture, vol. 9, Early Medievals, ed. Daniel Foucachon, 31.

5 Gregory the Great, “Book of Pastoral Rule,” in Old Western Culture, vol. 9, Early Medievals, ed. Daniel Foucachon (Moscow, ID: Roman Roads Press, 2020), 93.

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of liberality.”6 As a Christian environment of order and peace according to Christ’s dominion, monasteries grew into enclaves in which entire communities thrived, developing orphanages and hospitals, which were aforetime almost unheard of, and edifying the arts of agriculture and animal-husbandry. In the modern church, the congregants are ardent in complaint and slothful in rebuilding from the ruins, because they do not love the Body of Christ nor do they discipline themselves to disdain the worldly, but the monasteries serve as an example of fruitful servitude to God. When the Roman frontiers were crumbling, the Irish abducted Patrick, a young man who had been raised among Christians but had yet to accept the Lord. In his Confession, Patrick wrote that when working as a shepherd in Ireland “the Lord opened up my awareness of my lack of faith.”7 When travelling back to Britain, his fellow travellers soon waxed in despair, but Patrick reassured them saying “turn in faith with all your hearts to the Lord my God, because nothing is impossible for him.”8 Patrick eventually returned to Ireland to share the freedom of Christ with those who once enslaved him. In the Scottish-Pictish islands, Columba evangelised, and, according to Adomnan of Iona, worked many miracles. One day, a child disturbed him, and the multitude said that the child was troublesome. Columba, however, saw sparks 6 Gregory the Great, “Book of Pastoral Rule,” in Old Western Culture, vol. 9, Early Medievals, ed. Daniel Foucachon, 113.

7 Saint Patrick, “The Confession of St. Patrick,” in Old Western Culture, vol. 9, Early Medievals, ed. Daniel Foucachon (Moscow, ID: Roman Roads Press, 2020), 163.

8 Saint Patrick, “The Confession of St. Patrick,” in Old Western Culture, vol. 9, Early Medievals, ed. Daniel Foucachon, 167.

of hope for the child, saying that “though this boy appears to you now to be contemptible and worthless, let no one on that account despise him.”9 Columba continued, saying that the boy would “receive from God the gift of both wholesome doctrine and eloquence.”10 And it came to pass that the boy Ernene grew to be a godly man.

Gregory, when the Lombards invaded Italy, helped provide support and safety. He did not neglect the heathens from afar, however, and sent Augustine to evangelise to them.

Reaching the Isle of Thanet, Augustine evangelised to king Ethelbert. Perhaps Hibernia was too wild and cold a frontier for the warriors of Romanitas, but Christ’s dominion conquers all. Today, however, congregants fear to offend the secular, and fail to recognise that Christ’s light fills the imagined corners of the earth, yet the Christians in the Mediaeval Celtic land are an example of courage.

In the collapse of Roman frontiers and in Anglo-Saxon invasions, literacy plummeted in Britain, but it was the Christians who maintained literacy and wrote down Anglo-Saxon poetry such as Beowulf. Instead of reintroducing the story as it had been, Christian scribes altered the story, making the antagonist, Grendel, “Kindred of Cain”11 and “the foe of mankind.”12 The people of Hrothgar are represented as syncretistic, for they “at the shrines 9 Adomnan of Iona, “Life of Saint Columba,” in Old Western Culture, vol. 9, Early Medievals, ed. Daniel Foucachon (Moscow, ID: Roman Roads Press, 2020), 191.

10 Adomnan of Iona, “Life of Saint Columba,” in Old Western Culture, vol. 9, Early Medievals, ed. Daniel Foucachon, 191.

11 “Beowulf,” in Old Western Culture, vol. 9, Early Medievals, ed. Daniel Foucachon (Moscow, ID: Roman Roads Press, 2020), 294.

12 “Beowulf,” in Old Western Culture, vol. 9, Early Medievals, ed. Daniel Foucachon, 296.

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of their idols often—promised Gifts and offerings,”13 but Beowulf, who descends into the monster’s swamp to vanquish the family of the foe, is a Christ-like figure who rescues them from this burden. Over time, Anglo-Saxon became a more prevalent language, with Latin in decline. Caedmon, an Anglo-Saxon not educated in Latin verse, was unable to join the monks in their poetry and singing. Inspired by the Spirit, however, he “sang the creation of the world, the origin of man, and all the history of Genesis,”14 and the people, being able to understand him, came and learned about God. The gospel comes to heal the sick, not to kill the patient. Gregory, in response to questions concerning the purification of culture, said that “things are not to be loved for the sake of places, but places for the sake of good things.”15 Scripture is the truest and most beautiful literature, and its beauty can redeem art from any culture. Modern Christians should take dominion over the modern arts.

There were, however, flaws in the Mediaeval church. Gregory the Great, sadly, proposed the idea that church leaders are like the brother of a deceased husband who must provide seed for his line, saying “now the deceased brother is He, who, after the glory of the resurrection said ‘Go tell My brethren,”16 and this idea is perhaps the seedling of later idolatry of the office of pope. Trust in relics grew

prevalent, even as a catalyst to heated dispute, such as that over the body of St. Martin. What needless woe and strife soon ensued when the people of Poiters and Tours fought over the corpse, the former saying “as a monk, he is ours; as an abbot, he belonged to us,”17 and the latter saying “it is necessary that he complete for us after death what he did not finish in his lifetime.”18 Because of such flaws, many modern Christians raise impudent fists as rebellious daughters disdain the fruits of their father’s hard labour, for these Christians enjoy dedicated buildings, hymns, hospitals, and the fruit of great agriculture. The flaws of the Mediaeval church ought not to be an opportunity for scorn but a great lesson in the dangers of fighting a dark age.

Though alleged to have been ignorant and cruel, in reality, the Mediaeval church redeemed and preserved civilization. Its monasteries fostered love for the Lord and His Word, its priests spread the gospel to cold and treacherous frontiers, and it tempered barbaric rhythms to praise the Lord. By observing the Lord’s achievements through our forefathers with kindness and respect, and by learning from the tragedies of the Mediaeval church’s mistakes, Christians today must learn to spread the gospel and preserve civilizations.

13 “Beowulf,” in Old Western Culture, vol. 9, Early Medievals, ed. Daniel Foucachon, 296.

14 Bede, “Ecclesiastical History of the English People,” in Old Western Culture, vol. 9, Early Medievals, ed. Daniel Foucachon (Moscow, ID: Roman Roads Press, 2020), 475.

15 Bede, “Ecclesiastical History of the English People,” in Old Western Culture, vol. 9, Early Medievals, ed. Daniel Foucachon, 408.

17 Gregory of Tours, “History of the Franks,” in Old Western Culture, vol. 9, Early Medievals, ed. Daniel Foucachon, (Moscow, ID: Roman Roads Press, 2020), 61.

16 Gregory the Great, “Book of Pastoral Rule,” in Old Western Culture, vol. 9, Early Medievals, ed. Daniel Foucachon, (Moscow, ID: Roman Roads Press, 2020), 84.

18 Gregory of Tours, “History of the Franks,” in Old Western Culture, vol. 9, Early Medievals, ed. Daniel Foucachon, 61.

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Untitled Photo

by Shannon Beauchamp

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The Cracks of Dawn at the Crack of Dawn

by Wesley Johnson

Sunset at Emerald Isle

by Silas Schlax

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Is Pre-Christian Humanism Just Christian Humanism

by Silas Schlax

I

t is crucial for Christians to grasp Pre-Christian Humanism, Christian Humanism, and their relationship and disparities. With that in mind here are a few questions one can ask themselves. What is Pre-Christian Humanism? What is Christian Humanism today? Where do they conflict?

Where do they intersect in unity? How can Christian Humanism “pre-date” Christianity?

To understand Christian Humanism today, one must answer these questions and more.

What is Christian Humanism in general?

Christian Humanism is the message of Christianity that emphasizes Christ coming unto the world and God’s continual care and love for us. Christian Humanism focuses on the affirmation of human life and culture while being derived from the Bible and the Christian Faith. One should not get Christian Humanism confused with secular humanism–a religion itself–which focuses on the scientific exploration of explaining everything in human terms. Secular humanism even goes as far as explaining the supernatural and denying God. Christian Humanism has changed slightly on how it is practiced or thought about throughout time, but one thing stays true; God’s continual care and love for us.

What is Pre-Christian Humanism?

Pre-Christian Humanism is, as it implies, Christian Humanism before Christ came and died on the cross. For the sake of simplification, Pre-Christian Humanism will be called Biblical Humanism from now on. Biblical Humanism had no focus on the New Testament since it ended after the death of Christ and the meeting at Pentecost in Acts. The prima-

ry resources for Biblical Humanists were the Hebrew Scriptures, or the Old Testament. The Case For Christian Humanism breaks Biblical Humanism into groups called motifs, which is a distinct or dominant idea that is built upon throughout the text. Here is the list: Created In God’s Image, Liberation, Community, Prophecy: Judgment and Hope, Affirmation of the Future, and The Quest for Wisdom.1 These motifs are very helpful when trying to understand Biblical Humanism. Since they did not have the promise of salvation through Christ, the Jews needed to offer sacrifices to God for their sins. They did still know that God loved and cared for them by his acts.

This is displayed in many points throughout the Old Testament, like when God liberated Israel from the Egyptians, or from the Babylons. Biblical Humanism was built on these motifs, and they affected Christian Humanism in many ways, including the shaping of Christian faith and beliefs.

Now that one knows what Biblical Humanism is, what then is Christian Humanism?

To grasp the concept of Christian Humanism, one must look back to the Medieval era when it emerged in the Christian life. One of the first authors who wrote on this was Augustine in his City of God. In this book Augustine paints two pictures, the first he called The City of Man and the second perfect city he called the City of God. One key idea is that man is imperfect, sinful—fallen from Adam 1 R. William Franklin and Joseph M. Shaw, The Case for Christian Humansim (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1991), 51–61.

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and Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden—and ever-changing. Man has built an imperfect city where man chases after earthly possessions and power. The City of God is perfect, holy, and sinless, and Christians aspire to be there, but can never reach it without God's intervention. When Jesus died on the cross, he gave us a pathway through him to enter into God’s presence. Like it says in John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Augustine’s City of God is a great tool to help understand Christian Humanism, but it is not the only writing. During the Medieval era, with the rise of the monastery and church schools, education became more common. As many things do, this led to problems. One of the major problems is that Medieval Christians Humanists studied pagan literature with the Bible and its teachings. This led to them adding pagan views to their theology, and this became a problem when they tried “to make God seem human.”2 This is unlike the Biblical Humanists who solely studied the Hebrew Scriptures and prophecies.

Now that it’s clear what Biblical Humanism and Christian Humanism are, it is time to see where they differ and where they compare. First of all, both Biblical Humanism and Christian Humanism built most, if not all, of their theology on the Hebrew Scriptures.

William Franklin and Joseph Shaw said that for Christian Humanists there are five implications on building their faith on the Jewish Bible (Hebrew Scriptures), the first being: “Christians thereby inherited a vigorous Jewish humanism.” The second: “Christians and

Jews became partners in offering the world a noble humanism made luminous by the power of divine grace.” The third: “Christians have learned from the Jewish Scriptures that the Bible’s message is about God. God’s thoughts, words, and deeds.” The fourth: “that ancient Israel understood God as one whose will is revealed to humanity through particular events in history.” And the fifth: “Christian use of the Old Testament is the prominence of the idea of a special, holy community in both Judaism and Christianity.”3 These five implications both hold Christianity and Judaism together in unison under God the father. And shows how the early Christians got their ideas or theological beliefs, they took them straight from God’s word, as it is said in 2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” Biblical humanists did not have Christ; they were still waiting for him to come and defeat the Romans. Christian Humanism knows and believes that Christ came, died, resurrected, and now sits at the right hand of God. Jesus acts through the Holy Spirit, and through us to spread the gospel and save his lost children. The fact that Biblical Humanists did not have Christ and that Christian Humanists did is a momentous difference between Biblical and Christian Humanism.

All throughout the Old Testament, one can see the repeated emphasis on prayer, worship, the search for wisdom, and God’s continual care for them through his mercy and punishments. Christian Humanism and Biblical Humanism both have an emphasis on prayer, worship, and the search for wisdom. Worship

2 Charles W. Buzicky, R. W. Franklin, Harris Kaasa, and Joseph M. Shaw, eds., Readings in Christian Humanism (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1982), 140.

3 R. William Franklin and Joseph M. Shaw, The Case for Christian Humansim, 48–49.

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looks a little different for Christians without a need for the temple like the Biblical Humanists had. The search for wisdom changed from just asking God to also looking in non-Scriptures. In other words, Christians searched for wisdom and knowledge not only out of the Bible but also pagan literature. Today, Christian Humanists see God’s mercy through his promise of salvation even though no one is worthy; “As it is written: None is righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). For the Biblical Humanists, things were a little different as they only had the promise of Christ’s coming, and they had to constantly give offerings to God for their sins.

Both Biblical and Christian Humanism had rules, but eventually these “rules” became a source of power for those who made them up. Like for Biblical Humanists, the Pharisees took God’s ten commandments and turned them into hundreds of rules saying what one can and can not do. Same thing happened in the Medieval times with the benedictine rule, and even today with the church.. Rules are good, but can be used for evil. There is a saying that Stan Lee wrote in his Spiderman Comics, “With great power comes great responsibility.”4 Often these rules became a thing of great power and because of man’s sinful nature, were often used for evil.

In St. Benedict’s book, Rule of Benedict of Nursia, Benedict writes out rules for the monks; they followed God’s commandments, but added rules here and there to have some “control” over the monks. “We shall run on the path of God’s commandments, our hearts overflowing with the inexpressible delight of love. Never swerving from his instructions, then, but faith-

fully observing his teaching in the monastery until death, we shall through patience share in the sufferings of Christ.”5 In just this small excerpt, one can see that the monks were to follow God’s commandments until death in the monastery. Throughout the rest of Benedict’s book, he lists many more rules or regulations that the monks were to follow. Another reason for all these rules is the Medieval thought.

The Medieval’s liked systems and therefore put everything they knew into them, this can explain their need for rules and regulations in the Church, and personal prayer.

Biblical and Christian Humanism are similar in many ways. They share the Old Testament and many theological beliefs about that.

They share this idea of rules to keep man from sinning, but are often used for evil. They differ at the point of Christ and God’s promise of salvation through Christ’s death on the cross.

They see the mercy of God differently, but this is due to Christ’s coming and giving us the ultimate gift of mercy; Salvation. In conclusion, the Christian faith and their humanism is built upon Hebrew Scriptures and in return God’s word, but also has its own “new” element that was gained by Christ’s selfless act to save us.

4 Stan Lee, Amazing Fantasy #15 (New York: Marvel Comics, 1962), 35.

5 Charles W. Buzicky, R. W. Franklin, Harris Kaasa, and Joseph M. Shaw, eds., Readings in Christian Humanism, 146.

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Silent Joseph, Rood Maker

by Joffre Swait The taciturn carpenter, Bearded and diligent to rise, But given silently to the shaving of planks Or fitting quiet joints to appropriate size.

Thus might Joseph be imagined, Who is given no lines to speak in Christmas’ tale.

But I have it on reliable authority That his laugh barked as loud as hammer on nail.

An artisan holy skilled and prominent, Seen as a man of garrulous joys, Good to women and kind to children, Making for Jesus’ friends their scrapwood toys.

In Nazareth, city of the branch, Lived he who crafted the Rod of Jesse, Turning the wheel, modeling for his Son The manhood of Men, which he knew to be messy.

Joseph it was who loudly showed Jesus How to pick up what had been laid down, How the rude rod and nail that pierces Can build ships, and worlds, and towns.

Kepler Education’s Student Magazine / December 2023

The Kepler Eccentric 17

Study by Candlelight

by Ruth Lawton

Untitled Photo

by Wesley Johnson

Kepler Education’s Student Magazine / December 2023

The Kepler Eccentric 18

Frigore ad Mortem

by Marley A Evers Today, this land is impossibly frozen.

Even more cold than the most shattered of hearts, It rises in me as the moon is risen.

I reach out, but become shattered as those hearts, My very veins turning to ice within me.

Solid as a fever, a stiff counterpart.

The cold clutches my lungs, so I cannot breathe; I cannot think, as the freeze halts my mind.

Down into my chest, my heart no longer beats.

Frozen, then broken like glass, I meet my end.

Untitled Photo

by Wesley Johnson

Kepler Education’s Student Magazine / December 2023

The Kepler Eccentric 19

The Life of a Quantum A Quantum’s Journey

by Evalyn Schlax

H

i, I’m Q. I heard that you need to learn about the journey of a quantum. Would you like to follow me?

If so then you better be prepared because we will start this journey the next time that I change energy types. To be prepared you will need to be sitting, though you don’t have to be, and you will need a paper and pen because your teacher told me to make sure that you are taking notes. Just a warning, some energy types we will be in for longer than others, so if you need more information you can ask me after the journey. Every time we move you will hear a ZAP, so if you hear this when I am in the middle of a sentence you will know that I will not be finishing that sentence. OK, I think I have everything, oh wait I forgot to mention…….ZAP. Ha ha, I didn’t think that would happen that quickly. Okay, so we need to be quick.

This is a good energy type to start with. We are in potential energy, this energy is waiting to act or do something, it is also called stored energy. Think of a bicycle at the top of a hill, it is waiting to go down the hill. If the bicycle were at the bottom it would have less potential energy than at the top. I have been potential energy many times and I always like it when I start a journey with people here. One time I was potential energy for over five hours, I got so bored I started to……ZAP. Not again, note to self do not ramble.

Now we are in kinetic energy, mechanical to be precise. So think about that bicycle again, as you are going down the hill you are using

mechanical energy. Actually, that is what we are doing right now. Wow this is a long hill and it’s sunny, that means we might………..ZAP. Okay, so let me explain what just happened. You see, as I said it is sunny, and the sun’s rays are what warm up the earth, as the bike heated some of the mechanical energy changes to thermal energy. So with this information can you guess what energy type we are now? If you said thermal you are right, if you didn’t, well you might need to pay attention better. But, I am confident that you all were right. A different way that thermal energy happens is friction. As something uses the stored potential energy some of the kinetic energy however is turned to thermal………ZAP. You would think after doing this for two hundred years I would learn to explain things faster, but nope. Well, I hope you knew what I was going to say. You see we are now potential energy again so I will not explain it again. I think this is a good place to stop if anyone has a question. If you do, you can just ask. “You said earlier that you have been doing this for hundreds of years and I was wondering how?”* That is a great question, you see the law of conservation of energy states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Does that answer your question? “Yes.” Ok. Good, any………..ZAP Let me say that again, any other question?

And I apologize for that zap, they are unpredictable. “I have one, it is similar to the last one * The italicized words are the questions being asked by the students

Kepler Education’s Student Magazine / December 2023

The Kepler Eccentric 20

asked, you said that you have been doing this for hundreds of years, but why not before? What did you do then?” You guys do know how to ask questions that are not what I am usually asked. To answer that question, I started to do these tours, you could call it when people started to figure out more about energy. Before that, I just went…………ZAP. Okay, to finish answering your question, I didn’t do anything, I just went from one energy to another. One more question, and then I

need to go, I have to do another tour. “Is there an exemption to the law of conservation of energy?”

Um……………. Why would you ask that?

“Because sometimes there is an exemption to rules, like in reading.” I do not know the answers to that, but for my sake and the sake of all quantums, I hope there is not. OK, time to g………ZAP.

Oliver’s Race

by Ruth Lawton

Kepler Education’s Student Magazine / December 2023

The Kepler Eccentric 21

Trouble (both photos)

by Georgina Strawbridge

Kepler Education’s Student Magazine / December 2023

The Kepler Eccentric 22

An Artist’s Arsenal

by Renee Kelly

Animal Scultures

by Evalyn Schlax

Kepler Education’s Student Magazine / December 2023

The Kepler Eccentric 23

Self-Portrait in Analogous Colors

by Andrew Jones

Terra Gigantum

by Marley Evers

Kepler Education’s Student Magazine / December 2023

Spring Courses at Kepler Education

Intermediate Logic

Speak Like a Roman

American Politics

Logic is the art of reasoning well. In this logic class, students will gain a foundation for reasoning from the truth of God, defining terms, determining the truth of statements, constructing valid arguments, identifying poor reasoning, and more. By providing students with the proper foundation for rational thought, this class will help students excel in any subject they study, as well as all areas of life that require reasoning. The course will cover Intermediate Logic, using the curriculum from the Intermediate Logic book published by Canon Press.

Languages develop in the ear and in the mouth, not on the page. The truest and fullest understanding of a language unfolds from the place where one can speak it and hear it spoken. This course introduces students to Latin as a spoken language in order to help them connect to a deeper love and understanding of Latin. Building on existing study of the language, students will learn the peculiarities of speaking an inflected language and will practice speaking through games, prepared dialogues, scenarios, and improvisaDr. Junius Johnson tional discussion.

This 16-week course is on American government. Students will take midterm and final exams and write two 1,000-word essays. This course is approved for dual credit through Colorado Christian University.

The World of Narnia (15+)

Grammar of Poetry

Music Composition Workshop

The Chronicles of Narnia are one of the most beloved series of children's books ever written. From the moment Lucy steps through the wardrobe and into another world, the reader is captivated.

Grammar of Poetry is a course designed to educate students in the mechanics and grammar involved in poetic literature.

Students will not only learn how to read a poem but they will learn how poems are formed by using 10 powerful poetic tropes while exploring classical poetic pieces throughout history.

In this course, students will meet weekly to discuss composition techniques, analyze pieces, and share original composition projects. Prerequisite for this course is an intermediate knowledge of music theory.

Students will not receive any grades, but they will receive direct feedback on their compositions throughout the semester from the teacher and their peers.

Josiah Nance

In this course, we will talk about the nature of atonement and sin in Narnia, and the lowliness of Aslan, and the mechanics of magic. Along the way, we will delight again in the joy of this incredible world; but we will not neglect to learn the hard lessons the children were drawn there to learn. After all, Narnia Dr. Junius Johnson is not a tame world.

We will discuss the ideas that shaped the American political system and political life, including liberty, equality, individual rights, self-government, federalism, Christian religion etc.

Dr. Stephen Wolfe

Clark Weidner William Daniels

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