September 21, 2007
K4T and Pirates.
There are no pirates in K4T, thank God!
Founder and President of Kids 4 Truth (and friend) sent me an email with some concern that I had wrongfully misrepresented his program in the previous post when I told about my conversation with my daughter. This is something I certainly do not want to do. The program is outstanding, Bob Roberts is a friend, and two of our members are on the executive team and advisory board. (I’ve got some serious damage control to do!)
I need to clarify and I want to do more than clarify; I want to enthusiastically promote K4T as probably the best program for kids available to the local church. And I mean that. This is not some desperate, pastoral politicking.
Our K4T program is a smashing success. It starts every Wednesday night at 6:30 and concludes at 8:15. The whole program is directed by people in our church who are very gifted, very creative, and very dedicated. Each week the kids enjoy a crazy exciting review game that is usually the brain-child of one of our workers. This particular week the review game included some kind of pirate talk. As my good friend who actually came up with the idea clarifies:
But, for the record, we did not teach about pirates, or glorify piracy. The two things that we did were play Shipwreck as our game, and require the kids to answer questions in the review game like a pirate. Also, in the interest of full disclosure, I was not wearing authorized K4T apparel.
Phew! As good as our friendship is with K4T, we might’ve had to pay some kind of serious fine for playing a pirate game while in K4T apparel! I have no interest in exposing the guilty gamer, but I’m glad he is a lawyer. Only a lawyer could think of that loophole! As far as I can tell anyone that was in K4T apparel was either living by the book or sleeping. No harm done.
As anyone can see, I wasn’t particularly shouting, “Ahoy! Ahoy!” with enthusiasm once I heard about it, but I didn’t go apoplectic nor did I tremble in righteous indignation. I merely offered via my blog a counterpoint, or a different way to consider the choice of using pirate talk. I didn’t feel like my daughter was any more contaminated by the game than she was by the bubblegum sundae. I wasn’t upset at anybody. Folks here know that.
Unfortunately, I ran the risk of giving the very opposite impression of a great kids program than what it was that attracts me to K4T in the first place.
Kids-4-Truth is serious. It’s serious about doctrine. It is serious about catechizing children systematically in 120 theological questions. I personally think that there is more value to this kind of catechizing than the random memorization of verses disconnected from context and unlinked to sound teaching.
K4T not only teaches the children solid doctrine, but it has a unique methodology that would not seem strange or unusual two hundred years ago. It is tiered, so to speak. In other words, the children learn the same questions four years in a row. They just get deeper answers.
This is a classical approach. In the classical approach to education a child learns the grammar (the raw elements and basic rules) of any given subject and then builds upon that foundation year to year. I love this approach because it gives a framework upon which a young person can hang everything he learns.
K4T is also very impressive to the eye. It is high-gloss, very colorful, very professional, and very affordable.
One of the best things about K4T is the total absence of moralism, cheesy illustrations and pirates. I highly recommend it!
In closing let me say three things:
1. I LOVE K4T because there are no pirates.
2. I LOVE K4T because there are no pirates.
3. I LOVE K4T because there are no pirates.
Plus, when the President and Founder of the esteemed organization does come to visit again, I will personally buy his lunch instead of requiring the meal that he owes me.
Posted by Bob Bixby at September 21, 2007 10:51 AM | eMail this entry! | 696 WordsThis entry was posted in the following categories: Church Ministry
Who knew that my quick audible to tie the review game into something silly that I heard on the radio would turn into pirategate. For those that were truly offended by my swashbuckling instructions, let me apologize. I’m fairly certain that this very small portion of the review game did not do any lasting harm to the participants.
As for your lunch with the President and Founder…as an olive branch I’ll pay for both of you to have lunch, as long as you go to Long John Silver’s.
Posted by: Pat at September 21, 2007 11:21 AMYou guys are funny.
Might I join the farce?
You should know that “Ahoy” does not belong to the lawless pirate. It is a greeting or hailing used by sailers, good and bad, and other regular folk until recently.
If Kids 4 Truth is so serious, why don’t they spell out the word “for”? Or in the K4T version why don’t they spell out any words? Instead of pirates, are they training secret agents or advertising agents or something?
I’ve never seen the K4T materials, but sometimes “high gloss . . . very professional” are more scary than a pirate — especially a really cheesy pirate.
On the serious side, glad to hear that some baptists are catechizing their children classically — Laudo.
But you really should lighten up a bit. I can’t imagine C.S. Lewis or G.K. Chesterton taking anything but pleasure in hearing a little girl talk like a pirate. The world is a wonderful place.
Posted by: Keith at September 21, 2007 01:24 PMThe Kids 4 Truth Police are appeased. That was very funny! :-D Thank you for your kind comments.
Thanks for the prayers for the meeting this weekend.
Posted by: Bob Roberts at September 21, 2007 01:30 PMFun? F - U - N? That’s a three-letter word. And while some of you who clearly know the sins of four-letter words may mock us, we have set the barrier standard as far away from the cliff as possible. We refuse to say even three-letter words lest we come to close to the forbidden four-letter words. We especially abstain from words like F - U - N.
Keith, what you clearly don’t understand about Baptists is that the BIBLE is our sole authority for faith and practice. C.S. Lewis? G.K. Chesterton? Who are those guys? And, besides, they sound like pirate names to me. . .
Oh, and being Presbyterian you also simply do not understand how impressed we Baptists are by high-gloss. We’ll never understand each other. As the old adage goes for the 18th century midwestern towns: the Presbyterians came to town on luxury train, the Methodists on stage-coach, but the Baptists came on foot, brother. We have always been a grass-roots people and we don’t care for your high falutin ways.
Chesterton, Lewis, Hook, and Silver: they all sound the same to us, brother.
Posted by: bob at September 21, 2007 03:17 PMAnd, Pat, Baptists don’t eat fish. They eat fried chicken, probably so as to not ever eat at a place called Long John Silver’s.
You add injury to insult.
Posted by: bob at September 21, 2007 03:21 PMHere’s proof.
Posted by: bob at September 21, 2007 03:23 PMBaptists don’t eat fish? Who woulda thunk it. But chicken is OK? I guess you guys could go to the LJS/KFC combo franchise on State Street. Don’t forget the crispers.
Posted by: Pat at September 21, 2007 06:23 PMSo, that’s why it’s Kids 4 Truth — “for” is a three letter word! Sorry about encouraging you to start down the slippery slope — I didn’t know. I’m working on my presbyterian ordination, and that’s kept me too busy smoking cigars, drinking, and listening to Led Zeppelin.
I know you guys claim that the Bible is your authority, but where in the Bible is there a prohibition on three letter . . . oh, never mind.
As far as the presby thing goes, you’ll notice that I am still quite catholic and ecumencial — in the good sense of these words. Brother baptist, trust me, there is more than one use for . . . you know what, forget it. Anyway, I just wanted to point out that Lewis was an Anglican and Chesterton was a Papist. What did those guys ride in?
Yo, ho, ho and a bottle of cheerwine brother.
Posted by: Keith at September 21, 2007 08:01 PMI’m always on the fringe (lunatic?) of being too serious, but we are dealing with children here…but I have been delighted with K4T…and
especially its founder
Hey, I didn’t say the art was great…but the program is stellar…and I’m not sure if he looks like a pirate, or has a wendy’s wig on…sorry, Bob…
uh-oh. this week’s review game involved purchasing imaginary animals for your imaginary farm. Don’t worry— there was no mention of farm subsidies so the government won’t need to be involved.
Posted by: karyn at September 28, 2007 10:08 AMJust so you know, Talk like a Pirate Day is not just a quirky little day known to only a few! Many people I know have been celebrating it for years now.
Our office celebrates it all day with phrases such as “Arrgghh, that be a long meeting!” and “Johnson, if I don’t get that report today, you’re walking the plank.” It’s all in good fun!
I know, I know the “office” is not “church” but I just wanted to say it’s kind of a new phenom.
I was there that night and agree that no children seemed traumatized by such frivolity. Lest we forget, all is to be serious. We are Baptists, after all. Let the Amish tackle this so-called “fun.”
Now I be walking the plank!
P.S. Pastor - Brett’s favorite ice cream is Bubblegum, and he’s a hulking 6’4” guy who wears biker gear! Strangely, no one’s ever teased him about it.
Posted by: Ann-Marie at September 28, 2007 02:51 PMWhy would anyone in their right mind tease a hulking guy who is 6’4’ about anything?! ;-)
Posted by: bob at September 28, 2007 03:04 PM
