CMP Review 2026-01-13

January 13, 2026

“Religion,” wrote Rose Amy Pennethorne, “cannot be taught, as it is a matter of faith, practice and experience.” Scripture, on the other hand, can and should be taught. “Private interpretation is a fruitful source of private difficulty,” she warned, and so “scripture reading should be combined with scripture teaching.”

Pennethorne wrote these words in her first year as Organising Secretary of the PNEU. Beginning with the principle that children are born persons, she carefully unfolded Mason’s method for Bible lessons in a powerful Parents’ Review article. She showed how Scripture teaching should be a “handmaid of religion,” where the knowledge and fear of God are not its prerequisite but rather its fruit.

Pennethorne’s 1921 piece is as relevant today as when it was published a century ago. However, it has been hidden away all this time in a few libraries around the world. Now, thanks to our transcription team, we bring it to the internet for the very first time. Read or hear it here.

@artmiddlekauff