Welcome to Breakpoint, a daily look at an ever-changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth.

For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street.

Is this the worst ever era of American pop culture?

That was the question recently asked by an Atlantic article about the sheer number of prequels, sequels, remakes, and expanding cinematic universes.

Among the most notable recent examples in the world of film, Wicked, which reimagines the world of Oz.

The same creative stagnation can be seen in music.

While earlier generations could produce distinct kinds of music, it's increasingly difficult to find meaningful stylistic differences today.

Some of the most popular songs aren't

even composed by humans anymore, but generated by AI. Where has all the creativity gone? Well, many

explanations could be offered here, but one deserves particular attention. There's been a precipitous

decline of the kind of education in America that awakens the imagination, especially the moral imagination,

enabling students to think creatively and innovatively within a framework of what is enduring and true.

In its place is an education oriented around expressive individualism, in which children are

encouraged to follow their hearts and look inside rather than first know what is true, good,

and beautiful. Classical Christian education is uniquely positioned to fill such a void. At its very

best, the modern classical education movement seeks to recover what Dorothy Sayers described as the

lost tools of learning. Such an education, centered on great books, great ideas, and classical

languages, aims not merely at information transfer, but at the formation of a virtuous mind, heart,

and life. Students are trained in virtue, encouraged to emulate heroes, invited to explore

and embrace visions of greatness. In the process, many develop a lifelong love of learning.

The author Vigangorian offers a compelling account of this formative process and his book,

Tending the Heart of Virtue, how classical stories awaken a child's moral imagination.

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