Gregg Harris
Encyclopedia
Gregg Eugene Harris was a figure in the Christian
homeschooling
movement from 1981 through the mid-1990s and now serves as a teaching elder at Gresham Household of Faith, which serves as an experiment in local church reform. According to the Home School Legal Defense Association, his work helped launch the Christian homeschooling movement in the United States
, Canada
, Australia
and Mexico
. Over 180,000 families attended his seminars. His book The Christian Home School was a Christian Booksellers Association best seller in March 1988. The list was published by the CBA and is on file in the offices of Noble Institute for Leadership Development.
Gregg's wife, Sono, died on July 4, 2010, after a short battle with cancer. Gregg and Sono's three younger children Sarah, Isaac, and James live in Gresham, Oregon
. He is the director of the Noble Institute for Leadership Development, a non-profit educational organization.
Harris bases this principle on Psalm 111:2, "Great are the works of the LORD, they are pondered by all who delight in them." He reasons that because God is good, everything that is necessary for human life is also a source of pleasure. It is when the pleasures of God are separated from the purposes of God for those pleasures that an activity becomes sinful, "God dishonoring", and self-destructive.
Harris interpretes this principle to state that boredom is the absence of learning (or mental hunger) and loneliness the absence of social connectedness
(or social hunger). Therefore, education and study, for good or ill, is nurtured best through what he calls the "power of companionship" among "fellow enthusiasts". All of these ideas are laid out in his various seminars and workshops.
According to his principle, many social ills are actually the negative consequences of delight-directed study among foolish, often age-segregated people, (e.g. drug abuse and gang membership), while many of the greatest human accomplishments are the consequence of delight-directed study among wise, age-integrated fellow enthusiasts (e.g. in science clubs, hobby groups and other affinity groups). Harris argues that this is why academic and hobby clubs are often more effective than classes offered on the same subjects. The social forces in a classroom are often at odds with its very purpose, whereas the social forces in a well-run club are more supportive of excellence in the topic of interest to the club.
His oldest son, Joshua Harris
, is the author of I Kissed Dating Goodbye, Boy Meets Girl, Sex Is Not the Problem (Lust Is), and Stop Dating the Church, the first of which has sold over 1 million copies according to Multnomah Publishers. Joshua now serves as Senior Pastor of Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, MD.
His twin sons, Alex and Brett Harris, age 20, are the hosts of The Rebelution
, a Christian teen website and authors of the book Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
homeschooling
Homeschooling
Homeschooling or homeschool is the education of children at home, typically by parents but sometimes by tutors, rather than in other formal settings of public or private school...
movement from 1981 through the mid-1990s and now serves as a teaching elder at Gresham Household of Faith, which serves as an experiment in local church reform. According to the Home School Legal Defense Association, his work helped launch the Christian homeschooling movement in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Over 180,000 families attended his seminars. His book The Christian Home School was a Christian Booksellers Association best seller in March 1988. The list was published by the CBA and is on file in the offices of Noble Institute for Leadership Development.
Gregg's wife, Sono, died on July 4, 2010, after a short battle with cancer. Gregg and Sono's three younger children Sarah, Isaac, and James live in Gresham, Oregon
Gresham, Oregon
- Demographics :As of the census of 2000, there were 90,205 people, 33,327 households, and 22,695 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,071.6 people per square mile . There were 35,309 housing units at an average density of 1,593.8 per square mile...
. He is the director of the Noble Institute for Leadership Development, a non-profit educational organization.
Delight-Directed Study
One of the main ideas promoted by Gregg Harris is the principle of delight-directed study. This is the basis of Harris's homeschool, child training, and church reform activities.Harris bases this principle on Psalm 111:2, "Great are the works of the LORD, they are pondered by all who delight in them." He reasons that because God is good, everything that is necessary for human life is also a source of pleasure. It is when the pleasures of God are separated from the purposes of God for those pleasures that an activity becomes sinful, "God dishonoring", and self-destructive.
Harris interpretes this principle to state that boredom is the absence of learning (or mental hunger) and loneliness the absence of social connectedness
Social connectedness
Social connectedness is a psychological term used to describe the quality and number of connections we have with other people in our social circle of family, friends and acquaintances. These connections can be both in real life, as well as online...
(or social hunger). Therefore, education and study, for good or ill, is nurtured best through what he calls the "power of companionship" among "fellow enthusiasts". All of these ideas are laid out in his various seminars and workshops.
According to his principle, many social ills are actually the negative consequences of delight-directed study among foolish, often age-segregated people, (e.g. drug abuse and gang membership), while many of the greatest human accomplishments are the consequence of delight-directed study among wise, age-integrated fellow enthusiasts (e.g. in science clubs, hobby groups and other affinity groups). Harris argues that this is why academic and hobby clubs are often more effective than classes offered on the same subjects. The social forces in a classroom are often at odds with its very purpose, whereas the social forces in a well-run club are more supportive of excellence in the topic of interest to the club.
The Harris Family
Gregg Harris's seven children have also gained varying levels of fame within the homeschool and wider Christian community.His oldest son, Joshua Harris
Joshua Harris
Joshua Eugene Harris is an American pastor and author, perhaps most widely known as the author of I Kissed Dating Goodbye , in which he explains what he believes to be the biblical approach to dating and relationships.He is currently senior pastor of Covenant Life Church, the founding church of...
, is the author of I Kissed Dating Goodbye, Boy Meets Girl, Sex Is Not the Problem (Lust Is), and Stop Dating the Church, the first of which has sold over 1 million copies according to Multnomah Publishers. Joshua now serves as Senior Pastor of Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, MD.
His twin sons, Alex and Brett Harris, age 20, are the hosts of The Rebelution
The Rebelution
The Rebelution is a Christian ministry/organization directed at youth, describing itself as "a teenage rebellion against the low expectations of an ungodly culture." It was founded in August 2005 by now 22-year-old twin brothers Alex and Brett Harris, younger brothers of best-selling author and...
, a Christian teen website and authors of the book Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations.
Controversy
According to records from the Pierce County Superior Court and the US District Court for the Western District of Washington in Tacoma, Gregg Harris was named in an anti-trust suit by Cheryl Seelhoff, publisher of Gentle Spirit Magazine, in 1995 http://wahomeednet.homestead.com/lawsuit.html. Seelhoff mentioned Harris in her original complaint of various causes of action including defamation, slander, intentional infliction of emotional distress, intentional interference with commerce, and violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. Harris' insurance company insisted on settling out of court before legal proceedings began.http://www.heir.org/oldsite/nw90626.htmExternal links
- Household of Faith Gresham
- Gentle Spirit Lawsuit – Information regarding the Cheryl Seelhoff controversy.