Pilgrim Institute

An Individual’s Journey With The Principle Approach
First in a Series
Ruth J. Smith
www.PilgrimInstitute.org

It was early in the 1970’s, my husband, Allen Smith, and I found our lives were extremely busy — three children attending Christian school, working in a church ministry and Christian school, which was very demanding in time and commitment.

The school administrators were introduced to two ladies from California who had published two large red books, and there was much discussion about using the “Principle Approach” in the school. There wasn’t any published curriculum that taught using this approach, most Christian schools had never heard of it, and so the question had to be answered: How do you have a school that uses the Principle Approach?

The principal of that Christian school taught a class on Sunday evening, which was open to anyone who wanted to attend. Interested in learning what the school was teaching, my husband and I attended that class. Little did we realize that this class would change our lives!

Principles of government were introduced, and we began to think through some very basic ideas which had been part of our thinking. Who controlled history? Was it God’s Hand that controlled, or was Satan controlling through a great conspiracy? What does it mean to govern yourself? What was our view of individuals? How were we training our children? What was our view of each of our daughters?

But the Lord wasn’t going to let us just attend a class and think through these ideas in our home. He had different plans!

Check back for the next in the series on the Pilgrim Institute blog! Or follow us on Facebook.

This Thursday, June 16, is the live Question/Answer time. If you entered the Giveaway, your invitation for the Q/A should have been received. We used PunchTab to process all entries for this Giveaway, but it appears that a number of individuals may have simply used the Facebook “Like” button, rather than processing through the PunchTab form. A limited number of spaces are still available for the Q/A session. If you thought you had entered but have not received your invitation, please send us a quick note, Info@PilgrimInstitute.org, and we will process your entry. Please forgive any inconvenience.

MARY-ELAINE SWANSON: AMERICAN CHRISTIAN BIOGRAPHER
James B. Rose, President, American Christian History Institute

Quickened by the research and remarkable testimony of Verna M. Hall, American Christian Historian, Mary Elaine Swanson (nee Adams) has devoted her spiritual and intellectual gifts for the last fifty years to documenting the Christian history and character of the men and women God used to advance individual liberty and self-government in America.

Equipped with a background in journalistic writing and research, fluent in French, and enriched with a unique English heritage, Mary-Elaine has lectured and written on the history of freedom and civil government as Vice President of the American Christian History Institute, Resident Scholar for the Mayflower Institute, Resident Scholar for the Foundation for American Christian Education, and Guest Lecturer for the Pilgrim Institute, among other ministries.

She has written concise biographies of the character and contributions of nearly sixty historians from Simon Adler and Clarence Alvord to John Witherspoon and Rev. John Joachim Zubly.  Her life and works are examples of American Christian scholarship and insistence upon accurate, honest representations of man and government.

Mary-Elaine wrote two comprehensive biographies: The Education of James Madison – A Model for Today (1992) and the soon-to-be released John Locke – Philosopher of the American Revolution (Nordskog Publishing, 2011)  These two works alone cite over 160 individual historians, confirming her commitment to thorough research and devotion to primary resources.

Among the cherished personal recollections of this beloved sister in the Lord is my first impression of her, in 1958, over 50 years ago.  She was Co-Chairman during Verna Hall’s fifteen year Study Group on the Historic Origins of the Constitution held monthly at the Women’s City Club in downtown San Francisco.  A lively, quick witted, articulate discussion leader, she was gifted with a capacity to frame questions that compelled one to reason carefully from first principles and to quickly learn that any error in the premise would lead to an error in the conclusion. 

It is with great joy that her friends and associates celebrate Mary-Elaine Swanson’s life of Christian scholarship and her love of learning and teaching America’s Christian history and government and, in the spirit of the Apostle Paul, REMEMBER “without ceasing (her) work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, and in the sight of God our Father; knowing brethren beloved, (her) election of God” unto life eternal. [I Thessalonians 1:3-4]

“…and let her own works praise her in the gates.”  [Proverbs 31:31[

James B. Rose, President, American Christian History Institute
Printed with permission

Pilgrim Institute
Announces
Affiliate Program

 Are you interested in sharing America’s Christian history with others, or introducing friends and associates to the Principle Approach to American Christian education? Do you have a blog or website? Could you use some added income? If you answered yes to these questions, we encourage you to consider becoming a Pilgrim Institute Affiliate.

Click here to learn the details of the program.

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” I Corinthians 15:3-4.

May this Easter season be a time of remembering the blessed gift God gave of His Son that we might have eternal life. When an individual receives this blessed gift of the Gospel, Christ dwells in his heart. This indwelling Christ is ready to direct and control each thought and action of our life. However, we must consent to this direction and control. This is Christian self government, the spirit of the law.

As we rejoice this Easter season in this wonderful gift, may we be reminded that this gift of self government is ours throughout our life. We simply must consent to God’s government in our lives. As we pass on to our children and grandchildren the good news of salvation, may we also share the good news that we can be governed by God on a daily basis.

Let us never forget that Christ and Christianity are the basis for self government and self government is the foundation upon this nation was built and by which it must be restored.

Remembering –

Today, April 9, 2011, marks the 16th anniversary of the homegoing of my dear husband, Allen Smith. Though these many years have passed, his memory remains and I wanted to take a moment to recognize his faithful contribution to our family and to the ministry of the Pilgrim Institute. He served this ministry faithfully and at great sacrifice. Though his quiet demeanor often left many, who did not know him well, ignorant of the heart with which he served.

Recently, I came across a journal which he had kept during a visit to Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1983, as we prepared ourselves to lead an historic/literary tour later that year. Not disposed to writing, I enjoyed the depth of appreciation which his words represented and I am sharing a portion here, unedited:

Plymouth Rock — “Not impressively large, physically, it is nonetheless a monumental marker of great significance in the chain ever moving westward. ‘Not much of a rock,’ was a fellow visitor’s comment. This was promptly followed with ‘one of them must have stepped hard on it to make that crack in it.’ Thus within the first few moments of reaching that historic site, I was aware that many Americans are disappointed in the physical size of the monument and simultaneously either unaware of or untouched by the historic import of the place. From there we crossed the street and ascended the stone step up the side of the hill to the first burying ground of our forefathers. When mentally reviewing the records from that historic first winter and then seeing the granite sarcophagus in which the collected bones of those first pilgrim victims repose, I am made humbly grateful that their faith could envision and bring to be a small ‘stepping stone as it were’ on the pathway to a settlement, a colony and finally a nation filled with the greatest liberties ever yet held by mankind. On that granite monument are the names of those who, having reached an unknown continent, yet were not long permitted to enjoy the bounty that dominion over that portion of earth would surely have been theirs in the years that were in time to follow. They had given their property, efforts and ultimately their lives to obtain a place for a new nation to be formed.”

Yes, it took great sacrifice to produce this nation and, in retrospect, I realize that it takes great sacrifice to establish a ministry, but I am grateful for God’s goodness in giving me this godly husband for some 36 years and the vision which we shared for restoration of this great nation, America. My prayer is that God will continue to bless and that God’s Hand of Providence will be remembered in our nation and in each individual life who may read these musings. — Ruth Smith

Leadership Demanded by a Republic

As you watch the news, do you sometimes wonder, “Where is the leadership that is needed in our nation?”  Leadership has been defined as, ”to follow in advance of others.”  Perhaps this definition raises questions in your mind.  If so, take some time to reflect upon what a leader must follow–principles? a goal or purpose? a philosophy?

James Rose, President of the American Christian History Institute, declared “A Constitutional Federal Republic demands, calls for, requires, American Christian leadership be taught, illustrated, and demonstrated on four levels/arenas, simultaneously, for the purpose of advancing individual liberty and self government. As parents, pastors, pedagogues, and producers lead (follow Christ, the Bible) in these four arenas, simultaneously, a Republic can be preserved and perpetuated.

“The four levels are:

“LOCAL SELF-GOVERNING HOME/FAMILY – What would parents – Dad and Mom – be found doing in a local self-governing home to Teach, Illustrate and Demonstrate self-government?

“LOCAL SELF GOVERNING CHURCH – What would the pastor and members be doing to Teach, Illustrate and Demonstrate local self-government?

“LOCAL CHRISTIAN HOME OR DAY SCHOOL – What would the “pedagogues” – administration and faculty – be doing to Teach, Illustration and emonstrate American Christian Education for the purpose of sustaining and advancing the capacity to reason from the Bible and practice self government?

“LOCAL BUSINESS – What could a local, self-governing producer – employers and employees – do to sustain and advance individual liberty and self government under a Constitutional Federal Republic?”

Hear a clip from his presentation “Leadership Demanded by a Republic”, presented at a Pilgrim Institute Conference. Enjoy the full presentation on CD or DVD.