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 is 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. Beginning in 1981, his workshops helped to launch over 180,000 families into teaching their children at home. He has published the best selling book, The Christian Home School, (i.e. #6 on the Christian Booksellers Association list in March of 1988). Weekly MP3 files and podcasts of Gregg Harris' sermons are available for downloading at the church website and on iTunes.

[edit] Delight Directed Study & the Power of Companionship

One of the main 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.

Some of the fruits of Christian home schooling can be seen in the careers and activities of the Harris' older sons; 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. His second son, Joel Harris, is an accomplished worship leader, worship conference speaker and Director of The Academy of Worship Music in Gresham, OR. His twin sons, Alex Harris & Brett Harris, age 17, are internationally known as the young hosts of The Rebelution, a highly acclaimed "blog" dedicated to motivating and mobilizing Christian teenagers to think more deeply and write more effectively in order to have a greater impact on their generation. Alex and Brett Harris are also well known for their competition in the NCFCA in the club Rainmakers. Daughter, Sarah, 14, also writes a blog, Fearlessly Feminine, on feminism as God intended it and a call to young women to come into that intention. Gregg lives with his wife Sono Harris and their five younger children in Gresham, OR, where he serves as a Teaching Elder of Household of Faith Community Church. HOFCC is an on-going experiment of six congregations in local church reform.

Mr. Harris serves as the Director of Noble Institute for Leadership Development, a non-profit educational organization. NI's current projects include founding the National Association of Christian Home School Journalism Clubs and the coordination of Full Page Gospel a newspaper evangelism outreach in Portland, Oregon.