Education Resources

April 21, 2006

Gregg Harris

Filed under: Education — @ 8:55 am

Gregg Harris

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Gregg Eugene Harris (born November 23, 1952 in Dayton, OH, USA, as the second of three children to Eugene Harris and Francis Harris) was a pioneer in the Christian home schooling movement beginning in 1981 ^{[citation needed]}. In addition to his training at Centerville Bible College, in Centerville, Ohio, Gregg studied at the University of Dayton and Wright State University. He claims to be an internationally recognized author and conference speaker whose work helped to start the Christian home-schooling movements in the U.S., Canada, Australia and Mexico ^{[citation needed]}. Beginning in 1981, his workshops helped to launch over 180,000 families into teaching their children at home ^{[citation needed]}. His has published the book, The Christian Home School, and weekly MP3 files and podcasts of Gregg Harris’ sermons are available for downloading at the church website and on iTunes.

Delight Directed Study & the Power of Companionship

One of the key ideas promoted by Gregg Harris, in his seminars, books and in his work as a Teaching Elder at Household of Faith Community Church, has been what he calls the principle of Delight-Directed Study. It is based on Psalm 111:2 “Great are the works of the LORD, they are studied by all who delight in them.” Harris has proposed that because God is good, everything that is necessary for God’s purpose in human life is also a source of great pleasure. It is only when the pleasure is separated from the purpose that an activity becomes sinful, “God dishonoring” and self-destructive. Harris claims learning is no exception to this principle. Delight Directed Study holds that the absence of learning is boredom, or mental hunger and the absence of social connectedness is loneliness or social hunger. Harris has developed an approach to instruction and study whereby this principle of delight, defined as a stable mental appetite for knowledge and understanding, is cultivated and nurtured through the power of social companionship among a small cadre of what Harris calls “fellow enthusiasts.” Such companionship, he claims, is a double edged sword that cuts both ways and it can be either wise or foolish, as seen in Proverb 13:20 “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”

According to this way of thinking, many social ills in human experience are actually the negative consequences of a delight-directed study among foolish, often age-segregated companions, while many of the greatest accomplishments in human endeavor are the consequence of the same delight-directed study processes among wise, age-integrated companions. This would explain why academic clubs are often more effective vehicles for learning than are most classes of the same subject. The social forces in the classroom are at odds with its very purpose whereas the social forces of a well run club are in support of excellence in the topic of interest to the club.

On this basis, Harris’ homeschooling, child training and church reform activities look for better ways to achieve and maintain age-integration and a high level of freedom from coercion so that Christians may delight in preparing and presenting the fruit of their studies in a routine social context where excellence is honored and novices are readily mentored by more accomplished students.

His first born son, Joshua Harris, is author of the bestselling book, I Kissed Dating Good Bye and is now serving as Senior Pastor of Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, MD. Gregg lives with his wife Sono Harris and their five younger children in Gresham, OR.