FUN News 1

THE FAMILY UNIVERSITY NETWORK NEWS
Issue #1 - February 14, 2005
Publisher: Dr. James Bartlett, PhD, PE ret.
Email: james@bartlettuniversity.com
Website: http://bartlettuniversity.com
© 2005 Bartlett University

DEFINING THE UNIVERSITY AND BUSINESS
FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS
(Psalm 78: 6-7 & 1 Corinthians 10:24)

Please forward this newsletter to students, teachers, pastors, and

other Christians who have an interest in business incubation, home

learning, Biblical thinking, Christian classical education, and or

networking to encourage multigenerational faithfulness to God through

1. Introduction to the Network
2. New Faculty and their Courses
3. Christian Mathematics
4. Biblical Engineering Program
5. Pastor's Page
6. Popularity of Progeny! The Worldview Board Game
7. What Else Has Been Happening?
8. Dumbing Down of America? Selah!

This is our first newsletter, intended to help keep network members

and others abreast of the developments of this Christian

alternative to the modern higher education stumbling blocks.

The Family University Network is composed of Christian families

pursuing higher education mostly at home. There is a great

need in our world today for Christians that think like Christians

and are bold enough to let God and His Word direct both the

means and ends of their education and business development.

This requires a thoroughly Biblical worldview as well as approach

If it has been several months since you viewed our website, it may

be worth another look, since we regularly add products, content,

courses, curriculum, seminars, and experiences from which students

may select. Your suggestions for new items are most welcome,

because this network reflects the involvement of Christian families

and is growing to demonstrate how God’s people can work together

to accomplish quality higher education and business

development…from the Bible, through the family, by the Spirit, unto

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord

Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Colossians 3:17

At this time, the Family University Network has approximately

5 seminars, 50 courses, 24 programs, and 5 experiences in various

stages of development. The number of teachers working with us is over 14.

The Family University Network is unique in that it is a grass roots

fellowship of Christian individuals and families who are sharing

their knowledge in Biblical worldview context. Our teachers are

people who know their subject and have the God given desire to

share this knowledge with others, as a part of their loving God and

The new faculty include home school dad Reverend Paul Michael

Raymond, who is also the Executive Director of the Institute for

Theonomic Reformation (http://hisglory.us). Pastor Raymond

teaches several courses in the areas of Theology, History, Political

Science, and Family. More details about Pastor Raymond’s courses

Pete and Maribel Hernandez , Cofounders of Alternative Phyto-Med

Researchers, are developing products, courses and curriculum for

individuals and families to learn medical subjects in a Biblically sound

and family friendly manner. An introduction to the Hernandez’s work is

Thanks to the leadership of Dennis Woods, Headmaster of Classical

Free Virtual Academy (http://classicalfree.org) the upper division

courses listed with ClassicalFree are also listed with the Family

University Network. This brings us the rich knowledge base from

Peter Roise, Author and Brightrock Press Publisher. Mr. Roise

teachers logic and rhetoric. Dr. Peter Leithart, PhD Div, Ordained

minister with the Presbyterian Church in America teaches Shakespeare.

Mr. Brian Baugus, MBA, Senior policy analyst for budget for the

state of Maryland, teaches economics. Miss Susan Beisner,

classically trained pianist and organist, teaches music

history. More about these people and courses can be viewed at:

Most Christians are learning math in a secular manner, but a few

are finding how grand it is to deliberately give glory to God in both

the study and use of mathematics. Toward this end, the Christian

Mathematics course was developed. This is a course which a

student can take to complement any math class from high school

Last night I added a section to the course titled “Berean Mathematics

and the Sands of Time." This section shows how important both

Bible knowledge and mathematics are in the defense of the faith.

I also wrote a Special Report titled “Did Jesus Learn Algebra?”

The Bartletts have opened a Biblical engineering program for home

educated students. The courses within the program equip students

to launch private technology based companies. General

engineering and emphases in manufacturing, industrial,

mechanical, and electrical engineering are available at this time.

A student can accomplish this engineering program as a replacement

to a traditional engineering program or selectively accomplish portions

of the program to complement a traditional engineering program.

Students complete much of the learning at home using distance technologies.

There is a great need in the world today for engineers who think and

work from a Christian worldview. These engineers are needed to design,

prototype, develop, and manufacture goods that support family economies,

as opposed to city-corporate-paper economies, which strain the traditional

Since pastors serve the Lord as shepherds of God’s people, they have a

special responsibility to guide their people into Biblically sound higher

education. I have often noticed how important it is for pastors to know

what their people are doing with their “souls” in verses such as:

Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they

watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it

with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you. Hebrews 13:17

Since the human soul is comprised of mind, will, and emotion, the education

of both parents and youth is a high priority for pastors. To help pastors

encourage people toward Christian home-based higher education, we posted

We recently completed an introduction to “Progeny! The Worldview

Game” titled THE GAME OF LIFE or HOW TO RAISE A PRODIGY.

This has been used with the http://classicalfree.org free e-course and

resulted in about one sale every other day since this introduction was

You can read more about Progeny! The Worldview Board Game at:

A lot has been happening. In fact, every day there is a new positive

The local newspaper (Bottineau, ND) interviewed us recently, just in

time for announcing our free lecture series that is being conducted

Our research paper titled Secularization by the Christian Educator

On the discussion board, we have started threads on Christian farming,

Biblical medical systems, and more. We have also been posting some

of the press releases that are going out at http://bartlettuniversity.com/discussions.

We have begun recruiting engineering projects for our engineering teams

that complement the Biblical Engineering Program, with information

We wrote a Special Report titled “Pulling the Plug on Institutional Higher

Education” also titled “What is a Family University?” which exposes both

the problems in modern higher education and the solutions. This is

We experimented with advertising at home school conventions using

a 12 page flyer of information through a bag stuffing company with a

few additional Progeny sales and contacts resulting. This advertising

We acquired the desired property for a campus moved there during the fall of 2004

toward the development of a campus in the Turtle Mountains of North Dakota.

The New American (V 16, N 4, February 14, 2000) carried an article

titled "Education Matters" which was an interview of Charlotte Iserbyt

by John F. McManus. Mrs. Iserbyt held a high position in the US

Department of Education during the Reagan years and wrote the book

titled "The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America." If these thoughts

are new to you, you can get a quick glimpse of the magnitude of these

I'll quote just a couple of the questions and responses as they are

"Q. Is this why you compiled your new book, The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America?

A. Yes, I call it a "resister’s book." It’s a compilation of information from

a variety of sources going back over many years. It contains statements

and position papers issued by individuals and organizations that are deliberately

and maliciously working to achieve behavioral changes in students,

which will ultimately alter society in general. These ideas and individuals

have virtually taken over the schools of America, which are certainly

not providing what is commonly understood as education. They’re

Q. Can you be more specific in summarizing their overall goal?

A. They seek to destroy absolute values and cast aside the importance of right

and wrong that form the basis of any stable and free society. In other words, they

want to undo what our nation’s founders established. To achieve this goal, they

seek to train our children precisely as animals are trained, through a Pavlovian

conditioning process innocuously called outcome-based (performance-based)

education. Those who are "trained" instead of being educated receive tangible

rewards for their "correct" answers. A distinct result of such programming is

fear to take a principled or controversial stand, or at least a disinclination to

do so because there is no reward forthcoming. This is how animals are trained.

But human beings are possessed of free will, have intellects, souls, and

consciences, and are not mere brute animals. For years, the schools have

been giving children this non-absolutist trash, and it has ultimately resulted in

Outcome based education is also prevalent in all of higher education today. Faculties

are managed by outcome based objectives, accreditation is based

on outcomes, and students are managed by graded outcomes. As Mrs. Iserbyt

mentions, this all seems innocuous. However, this is "training" and not freedom promoting

"education . " Notice that the result is a "fear to take a principled or controversial stand."

Have you met any Christian faculty or students who have demonstrated this? They

haven't spoken the truth in the classroom or in public because they fear "not getting

into graduate school" or not getting the "A" grade, or not getting "tenure," or not getting

a new program accredited, or not getting a professional certificate, etc. This is just

another avenue through which the bold Church of Jesus Christ is being silenced to

a whisper ; beginning in grade school, continued through college, and because of

such thorough "training," continued into the rest of life. Selah!

A discussion has been initiated on this topic at: http://bartlettuniversity.com/discussions

Options and Resources
In general, network options and resources include an increasing

number of seminars, courses, curriculum, experiences, apprenticeships,

entrepreneurships, and reference materials for the students to

complement their family resources toward both educational and

business goals. Students are not limited to the network resources

Families and individuals with knowledge or products to share can

use the network to teach their topics of interest and even sell their

The Family University Journal is where students and teachers

communicate their subject specific knowledge, wisdom, and

understanding from a Biblical view to encourage and inform others.

Graduate work is accomplished under the direction of a family

chosen graduate faculty committee with family members also on

the committee. Graduate research involves both accomplishing

specialty knowledge and presenting in-depth Biblical perspectives

on that knowledge in the context of useful implementation and

cultural implications. By involving the family in each educational

program, utmost respect is given to the individual family’s Christian

The possibilities of family involvement with the family university

network are only limited to the Lord’s will creatively working

Interested high school students are equally welcome to join the

action. This allows young people to start their college experience

whenever their parents deem them ready. Families can also be

involved in the network with or without the use of computer

Forging Ahead
This model for higher education and launching of family businesses

encourages research, teaching, and service in all areas of knowledge,

by any family, with little or much educational background. Each

family simply starts where they are, and with what they have.

If God is stirring your heart and or your family toward uniquely managing

higher education in a family friendly manner, you may want to consider

networking with other like-minded believers through the family university

Feel free to call us with your thoughts or questions. Our toll free telephone

number is 1-800-477-8626. Our ND Business Incubator office line is 701-263-4574 .

P.S. If you are using an email filter program, please add
the following email addresses to your "safe" or "friends" list.
That will ensure you receive all of our newsletters.
james@bartlettuniversity.com
info@bartlettuniversity.com

Family University Network
Business Incubator Office
1854 107th Street NE
Bottineau, ND 58318
Tel. (701) 263-4574 or (800) 477-8626
info@bartlettuniversity.com http://bartlettuniversity.com

Copyright 2005 Reproduction Permitted Only in Entirety

The Family University Network is a project of Bartlett University and operates

under Montana Law with a Christian Business Incubator in North Dakota.

Christian people from across the globe are invited to work together to take

higher education captive to the obedience of Christ through this network of families.

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself

against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought

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