Trevor,

I know you're very excited and proud about your calling to foreign missions but please refrain from hijacking my threads. I'm not asking for your opinion about learning Latin; I'm asking for input from those who are currently doing Latin programs with their children.

There are plenty of good reasons for learning Latin. They may not be good enough for someone who thinks that evangelism is the only worthwhile use of one's time, however (although, as I will show later, it can be useful in that context). I chose to study Latin in high school and am still doing so in college. It serves a much greater purpose than just sitting around and reading classical literature, although there is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoyable leisure reading. It was through the study of Latin that I developed a much stronger grasp of grammar. English started to make more sense (since the public school system doesn't teach English grammar anymore...only literature) and the foundation was laid for me to learn other, easier languages much more quickly (which addresses your concern about learning other languages). There are not many resources for 7 year-olds to learn Tamil or Indonesian. But if they understand how languages work and have studied very difficult ones like Greek and Latin, then they can choose to study other languages later in life. I started German as a freshman in college and, because of my work with Latin, am able to read at a fairly high level and carry on conversations with native speakers with ease after only two-and-a-half years and a minimal amount of time spent in Germany. I could learn French, Spanish, Romanian, Portugese, or Italian in my sleep. Latin also builds one's English vocabulary since up to 60% of our words have Latin roots. Studying classical civilization also helps one understand the context in which the New Testament was written and provides background info without which some references in the scriptures are indecipherable. Furthermore, the study of grammar and rhetoric produces intelligent, articulate individuals. This is helpful because we need such people in the public realm defending the faith and glorifying God in regular secular vocations. These are just a few reasons.

__________________
Davidius
Husband of Emilia
Member: First Reformed Presbyterian Church of Durham (RPCNA) - Durham, NC
Currently in the process of transferring membership to an as-yet-undecided church in Chapel Hill
Student: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, German Literature and Classics