The Classical Thistle

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The Classical Thistle

The Classical Thistle was founded in March 2017 and seeks to promote classical Christian education in a 21st century context.

The Classical Thistle was founded in March 2017 and arose out of conversations between its co-founders, Kyle Rapinchuk and Scott McElvain, over a two year period. The conversations centered on the relatively minimal online influence of classical Christian education in an ever-increasing digital age. Although there has been an increase in print publications in recent years, the classical Christian

education movement is still largely led by a few voices and a few publishers. We wanted to provide a two-fold service. First, we wanted to increase awareness in the broader community regarding the nature, purpose, and practice of classical Christian education. Second, we wanted to provide a forum for more voices to share their ideas and experiences with the hope that it will help instruct and encourage other classical Christian educators.

03/31/2026

Cultivating Love: Education as Discipleship

The following is the transcript of a plenary address I delivered on March 7 at the School of the Ozarks Classical Christian Education Conference. The theme of the conference was "Education as Discipleship." Davies Owens gave the first two talks and I was asked to give the third. We’ve already heard from Davies Owens a couple of times about education and discipleship....

The following is the transcript of a plenary address I delivered on March 7 at the School of the Ozarks Classical Christian Education Conference. The theme of the conference was “Education as…

01/30/2026

The Classically Dressed Child

By Joanna Haralson You will be hard pressed to find a person who is not moved by the sight of a kindergarten class in school uniforms - dress pants, polos, sweaters with an embroidered logo. What is it about this picture that touches our hearts? Is it the juxtaposition of the little size of the person and their adult-like outfits? Is it the contrast between their serious attire and joyful, playful disposition?...

By Joanna Haralson You will be hard pressed to find a person who is not moved by the sight of a kindergarten class in school uniforms – dress pants, polos, sweaters with an embroidered logo. …

12/02/2025

Waiting (Stories of the Kingdom, Part 7)

“Waiting” (Matthew 13:31-33, 47-50) Stories of the Kingdom: Part 7 This is the seventh of a nine-part series of mini-sermons designed to help students reflect upon Jesus’ parables, the kingdom of God, and living as kingdom people. A couple months ago we began a series called “Stories of the Kingdom,” exploring what some of Jesus’ parables teach us about kingdom living....

“Waiting” (Matthew 13:31-33, 47-50) Stories of the Kingdom: Part 7 This is the seventh of a nine-part series of mini-sermons designed to help students reflect upon Jesus’ parables, the kingdom of G…

11/18/2025

Buried Treasures (Stories of the Kingdom, Part 6)

“Buried Treasures” (Matthew 13:44-46) Stories of the Kingdom: Part 6 This is the sixth of a nine-part series of mini-sermons designed to help students reflect upon Jesus’ parables, the kingdom of God, and living as kingdom people. The Parable of the Treasure Hidden in the Field The first parable we encounter in this section is an account of a man who finds a treasure, reburies it, then sells all he has to buy the field....

“Buried Treasures” (Matthew 13:44-46) Stories of the Kingdom: Part 6 This is the sixth of a nine-part series of mini-sermons designed to help students reflect upon Jesus’ parables, the kingdom of G…

11/11/2025

“Lost & Found: Sheep, Coins, Brothers” (Luke 15:1-32) Stories of the Kingdom: Part 5 This is the fifth of a nine-part series of mini-sermons designed to help students reflect upon Jesus’ parables, the kingdom of God, and living as kingdom people. A couple months ago we looked at the first part of Luke 15 and talked about lost sheep and lost coins....

11/04/2025

“If You Build It, He May Come” (Luke 12:13-21) Stories of the Kingdom: Part 4 This is the fourth of a nine-part series of mini-sermons designed to help students reflect upon Jesus’ parables, the kingdom of God, and living as kingdom people. The Christian life is difficult. It is also beautiful, hopeful, and meaningful, but it is difficult. The Scriptures are clear with us that it will be....

10/28/2025

“Asking from a Friend: The Language of the Kingdom” (Luke 11:1-13) Stories of the Kingdom, Part 3 This is the third of a nine-part series of mini-sermons designed to help students reflect upon Jesus’ parables, the kingdom of God, and living as kingdom people. Kingdoms are typically defined by a series of features. A kingdom has a leader–the king–and his subjects....

10/21/2025

This is the second of a nine-part series of mini-sermons designed to help students reflect upon Jesus' parables, the kingdom of God, and living as kingdom people.

“To Whom Will I Be a Neighbor” (Luke 10:25-37) Stories of the Kingdom, Part 2 This is the second of a nine-part series of mini-sermons designed to help students reflect upon Jesus& #8217…

10/16/2025

What Hath Poetry to Do with Natural Science?

What hath poetry to do with natural science? Probably quite a lot, but in this post I want to reflect upon only one feature. Much poetic analysis and teaching makes the same mistake as most teachin…

10/14/2025

This is the first of a nine-part series of mini-sermons designed to help students reflect upon Jesus' parables, the kingdom of God, and living as kingdom people.

“What Do You Want?” (Matthew 6:19-34) Stories of the Kingdom: Part 1 This is the first of a nine-part series of mini-sermons designed to help students reflect upon Jesus’ parables, the kingdo…

04/12/2025

Join us June 7!

“The CiRCE Apprenticeship has been a deeply formative experience . . . I have grown in my ability as a teacher and am learning how to truly love my students.”

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506 Roselawn Street
Siloam Springs, AR
72761

Website

https://theclassicalthistle.com/

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