Last year, my family re-inherited a big box. The box came from our homeschool support group’s resource library – which was being broken up and its contents redistributed back to their original owners – and contained a set of no less than 40 Vision Forum CDs, purchased especially for the library by my mother several years earlier.
Much has been written online about Vision Forum and their heterodox teachings. I fully support this activity and the bloggers who spearhead it, as Vision Forum must be actively opposed and critiqued if their death grip on the Christian homeschool community is ever to be broken. Most of the digital ink, however, seems to have been spilled debunking their doctrines in the abstract, not critiquing the specific products that promote these doctrines and bring them into thousands of homes and families. Well, I happen to have a goldmine of specific Vision Forum products…and I’m finally going to put them to good use.
Welcome to The Big Box – a series in which I critique, one by one, each of the 40 Vision Forum CDs in my big box, and show how they promote the cardinal doctrines already thoroughly discussed and dissected by others. Hang onto your hats, and let the fun begin.
Scarlet Letters 
I look forward to reading your posts. Over the 10+ years that I’ve been homeschooling, I have heard of Vision Forum but never used their products. I have never even looked into them, so thanks for doing all the work! 😉
I just added a new blog to my “favorites”…I know it will be fun reading! You go, girl!
Ok, I’m officially excited! I agree, a specific and extensive critique of each of their points is much-needed. Something else to think about: It would be helpful (at least to folks like me, who’ve recently left this thinking behind but can’t always separate in my mind which things they teach are actually right, which ones are wrong, and why) to know which things they teach that ARE good and right and true… and at what point do they veer off the path and start twisting. I sure hope I’ll have time to keep up with this series! GREAT idea Hester!
I look forward to see you joining our voices against VF! We need to testify to these problems from every angle we can: Theological, personal, intellectual, emotional, spiritual…
I look forward to this as well ~ I’ve bookmarked your blog and thank you for doing this! I’ve been homeschooling for 20 plus years (almost done) and am concerned about the patriarchy crowd’s increasing influence. Unfortunately, many of my homeschool friends just aren’t aware or think it’s a problem. Just want you to know I’m excited for your input!
[…] post means that it is part of The Big Box series. If you’re new to Scarlet Letters, read the introductory post to see what The Big Box is all […]
So many good links have come from recent discussions on TWW, and this is certainly one of them. I’m particularly interested in your mention of Van Til’s denial of any sort of neutral ground. I trust you will address this in more detail as part any future posts on Young-Earth Creationism?
SMG
(BTW, thanks for the blogroll link to the Steam Tunnel. We’re hoping to get some new posts up before too long).
If it comes up I probably will mention it. I’m not sure if and how YEC will come up, as there’s nothing in the box that is overtly about it. Phillips does seem to automatically throw things out if he thinks their history/background/source is “evolutionary” (this is his reason for rejecting age segregated-education).
Steam Tunnel is pretty clever…I especially liked the post about John Piper’s toilet paper. : )
[…] this post means that it is part of The Big Box series. If you’re new to Scarlet Letters, read the introductory post to see what The Big Box is all […]
I’ve seen your name around on various blogs’ comments section, and I finally clicked over to see what your blog is about. Wow!!
As you know, VF is now closed, but while it was still in operation, they produced a series of CDs called Jonathan Park Audio Adventure Series. The series is about the Park and Brenan families as they go around the world telling the Creation. The series is produced from an anti-evolution pro-young-Earth Creation perspective and in order to make their case, many of the ideas presented are not in line with mainstream science. In addition to only presenting evidence in a way that supports a literal interpretation of Genesis, the series also misrepresents evolutionary views and ideas to make them easier to refute and discredit.
VF produced nine albums altogether before it closed. Each album has 12 episodes. Jonathan Park is now produced by Creation Works and they have produced Album 10. So, there are 120 episodes altogether.
I have listened to 97 episodes and wrote reviews for each one (eight complete albums plus one episode from Album 10): https://yewnique.wordpress.com/jonathanparkreviews/
I’ve seen your name around too. I think I read a few of your reviews, but it was a while ago. I know about Jonathan Park (it was everywhere at homeschool conferences) but I’ve never listened to it. I know it takes a lot of stamina to listen to that many hours of VF stuff and then write it up, so keep it up! 🙂
I know this will be a rather old comment, but would it be possible to get some of the mp3s of these CDs? Doug Phillips and his ilk have always fascinated me (in the worst way possible.)
Honestly, unless I were to send them to you, I have no idea. A lot of things became unavailable when Vision Forum’s website shut down after the Lourdes Torres scandal, and unfortunately I haven’t had a lot of time to keep up with the patriarchy news or the blog this past year or so (though I do try to respond promptly if somebody comments). I still have loads of material to go through (the rest of the Botkins’ book, some sermons I grabbed from VF before the site went down, the Pearls’ infamous parenting book, etc.), so I should probably try to get this back up and running in 2017…
Would you be willing to email folks some of the recordings off of the CDs?
Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I’m not sure if the file sizes are too big to send over email or not (I seem to run into that problem a lot when I try and email larger attachments). I suppose I could try but I can’t guarantee anything.
Thank you! I’d like the Strength and Dignity for Daughters talks by the Botkin sisters, if you have the time.
Hollyandivy17@yahoo.com