CMP Review 2023-06-13

June 13, 2023

Laura Teeple had been reading Charlotte Mason’s books for a number of years. She was sensing that there was something more to Mason’s philosophy than the joy of nature study and living books. Then for her Graduate Diploma in Christian Studies at Regent College, she wrote a paper on Charlotte Mason.

In the process of her extensive research for her 2023 paper, she found a dizzying array of interpretations of Mason’s thought. Commentators often seemed to contradict one another. Teeple found that clarity could be enhanced by delving into Mason’s historical and theological context.

But then Teeple realized that “if Charlotte Mason’s educational philosophy is to be understood, never mind practiced, more than a historical-theological contextualizing is required.” In a moment of stunning clarity, she grasped that “Mason must be understood as establishing, not primarily an educational philosophy, but a distinct Christian spirituality that … has a unique comprehensiveness and focus—the spirituality of mothers for the sake of their children.”

Charlotte Mason’s wonderful method is enjoying ever-increasing popularity around the world. But as wonderful as narration and habit formation may be, Teeple found something more. At the heart of the method is something exquisitely beautiful that gives it all life. Read or listen to Teeple’s inspiring and challenging paper, a paper which celebrates Mason’s glorious vision for the spirituality of motherhood. Find it here.

@artmiddlekauff