elcome to Bartlett University and the Family University Network. We are Christian families implementing Biblical perspectives in higher education.

An Introduction

The essence of our work is to encourage and enable Christian families to bring higher education all the way home. The lure of secular universities and, unfortunately, the condition of Christian colleges have been stumbling blocks for many young people. Yet, the value of a genuine Christian higher education can't be underestimated in a society at war with God and its own history. Highly educated Christian people are needed to rebuild family, church, and culture according to Biblical principles, being led by the Holy Spirit, to bring glory to God.

Francis Schaeffer, one of the greatest Christian thinkers in the 20th century, articulated the problem of modern higher education, over 20 years ago, as a part of his book titled, "The Great Evangelical Disaster." The following quote applies to most of Christian higher education today also and points to the need for new directions in higher education.

"Evangelicals were right in emphasizing the Lordship of Christ over all areas of culture-art, philosophy, society, government, academia, and so on. But then what happened? Many young evangelicals heard this message, went out into the academic world, and earned their undergraduate and graduate degrees from the finest secular schools. But something happened in the process. In the midst of totally humanistic colleges and universities, and a totally humanistic orientation in the academic disciplines, many of these young evangelicals began to be infiltrated by the anti Christian world view which dominated the thinking of their colleges and professors. In the process, any distinctively evangelical point of view was accommodated to the secularistic thinking in their discipline and to the surrounding world spirit of our age." Francis A. Schaeffer, The Great Evangelical Disaster (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1984), 119.

Bartlett University and the Family University Network

The Family University Network (FUN) is a growing fellowship of Christian families pursuing higher education at home. FUN provides resources, experiences, and people for motivated learners to autonomously assemble and control their own higher education.

Bartlett University (BU) hosts the FUN and offers exemplary learning opportunities and support to help other families supply their expertise to the FUN.

The Need

BU and the FUN are boldly defining the university for future generations in a manner consistent with Biblical thought.

To dispel the myth that accreditation is needed for high quality university education, we encourage families and individuals to take Christian dominion of subjects and implement the Biblical worldview in every area of learning through family businesses that transform culture, with God given and Spirit led vision, gifts, and passion.

This exposes the modern secular credential chase as "a habit forming social gambling ritual" which promotes mediocrity, consumerism, and cultural decay.

The Method

After joining the FUN, learners communicate their interests by completing a simple form. People with knowledge and or skills to share convey their proficiency and teaching availability, regardless of age or educational pedigree.

FUN communicates with the teachers to identify the resources and experiences needed to convey their knowledge and skills, and judge learner proficiency.

The learners then autonomously assemble the resources, experiences, knowledgeable people, and peers to accomplish the learning. Both the teachers and learners can choose to demonstrate their knowledge and learning through publishing articles in the Family University Journal (FUJ).

The web communications softwares used are state-of-the-art with a demo available for potential teachers and students to experience how online communications can be as effective, even more effective and efficient than face to face communications. This software enables internet phone, chat, video, slide shows, assessment, group classes, and more. The demo is available upon request. Telephone conferencing is also used for some courses.

The Variety

One beautiful aspect of the US Constitutional freedom of speech is the freedom to teach what we know. Likewise, the US Constitutional freedom to assemble allows us the freedom to learn from anyone who already knows what we want to learn. In the FUN, every person can participate in both the learning and teaching of any issue, subject, book, course, or curriculum which the free-market supports. Likewise the level of the knowledge and skills are open to the free-market and therefore can range from introductory exposures to research programs.

Legal

North Dakota individuals and families may accomplish the same end as the FUN members by becoming members of the Family Business Network (FBN). If you are from North Dakota and sign-up for the FUN, you will automatically be considered members of the FBN.

Catalog

For additional information on the Bartlett University approach to higher education, along with an introduction to the Family University Network, download a copy of our catalog here and view it using the free reader. If you already understand the importance and exciting Biblical implications of this form of higher education then you are ready to...

Join the FUN!

"If the networks I have described could emerge, the educational path of each student would be his own to follow, and only in retrospect would it take on the features of a recognizable program. The wise student would periodically seek professional advice: assistance to set a new goal, insight into difficulties encountered, choice between possible methods. Even now, most persons would admit that the important services their teachers have rendered them are such advice or counsel, given at a chance meeting or in a tutorial. Pedagogues, in an unschooled world, would also come into their own, and be able to do what frustrated teachers pretend to pursue today." Ivan Illich, Deschooling Society, 1970.