Classical Christian education in Africa is not a cultural import or a luxury reserved for the materially secure. It is a humane education that equips students to think, speak, serve, and flourish within their own communities.
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July 22, 2026
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What Does Athens Have to Do with Abuja?
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Read on SubstackClassical Christian education in Africa is not a cultural import or a luxury reserved for the materially secure. It is a humane education that equips students to think, speak, serve, and flourish within their own communities.
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Executive Director, Rafiki Foundation, Inc.
Rafiki Executive Director Karen has served with Rafiki since 1990, including 12 years on the mission field, primarily in Nigeria. Upon returning to the U.S., she became the Director of Africa Operations, responsible for managing the Orphan Care and Education Programs and curriculum development for all ten Rafiki Villages. In 2012 she was named Rafiki's Executive Director. Prior to joining Rafiki, she worked for ten years in the banking industry as a commercial lender, management trainer, and Vice President. She holds a BBA in finance/accounting and a music minor from Southern Methodist University, a Master’s degree in Education (Curriculum and Instruction) from the University of Texas (Arlington), and is currently pursuing doctoral studies at Faulkner University. Karen served as a founding board member for LifeHouse, a home for unwed mothers in Houston, Texas. She also serves as President of the Rafiki Education Foundation, the umbrella organization of the Rafiki Classical Academy in Eustis, Florida. Her paper was published in The Consortium: A Journal of Classical Christian Education with an article entitled "What Does Athens have to do with Abuja?: Why a Christian Liberal Arts Education is Appropriate for and Essential to African Church Schools."
What if mathematics is not merely a tool for solving problems, but a way of encountering reality? In this episode of Forged, Brian Williams talks with mathematician and educator Jake Tawney about the beauty of number and shape, why wonder belongs at the heart of education, and what we risk losing when technology begins doing our thinking for us. From Euclid and fractals to calculators and artificial intelligence, Jake makes the case that education should begin with real things worth knowing and loving. Their conversation ultimately turns toward a larger question: What habits, practices, and encounters help us become more fully human? Jake and Brian explore why mathematics has so often been reduced to computation, how teachers can invite students into genuine wonder, and why AI raises deeper questions than efficiency alone. Jake also reflects on the practices that have shaped his own life as a husband and father, including prayer, cooking, wine, reading aloud, and the conviction that our first calling is to give ourselves for the good of others. Books & Resources Mentioned Another Sort of Mathematics: Selected Proofs Necessary to Acquire a True Education in Mathematics by Jake Tawney Euclid’s Elements A Mathematician’s Lament by Paul Lockhart The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis Gaudium et Spes (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World), especially paragraphs 22 and 24
Students at Charleston’s American College of the Building Arts are finding hope for a stable future in mastering crafts like blacksmithing and architectural carpentry.
What helps a child learn, a family flourish, or a community grow strong? Elizabeth Lynn suggests that the answer often begins with things that can seem almost invisible: order, repeated rhythms, presence, attention, and the willingness to delight in one another. In conversation with Christine Perrin, Elizabeth reflects on the “liturgy” of a classroom, the surprising gift of being known by name, and why beauty and rest depend on patterns that make room for genuine learning. She also considers the challenge many families know well: how to cultivate an inner life when the tempo of the world refuses to slow down. For Elizabeth, Scripture has become a lifelong anchor, calling her again and again toward humility, stillness, gratitude, and a life attentive to God and neighbor. Their conversation offers parents and educators a hopeful picture of formation. The small practices of showing up, praying for people by name, making room for wonder, and refusing to let busyness dictate our deepest commitments can slowly shape the atmosphere of a home, classroom, and community. It is a vision closely aligned with the Humanitas Institute’s commitment to education as formation through relationship, beauty, truth, goodness, and wonder.