In Memory of James M. Bramblet

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints” (Psalm 116:15).

 

On December 1, 1988, the day Dr. J. Vernon McGee died, my wife Janet’s late husband, Ken Bonebright, came home and said to her, “A great man died today, and the world never even noticed.” The same could be said now about the death of my father-in-law, James M. Bramblet, on Saturday, January 25.

 

Jim Bramblet was not as well-known as Dr. McGee, but he was a great man and great servant of the Lord in his own right. He was a pioneer in the Christian school movement of the second half of the 20^th Century. Even though I had heard of him before I met and married his daughter Janet in August of 2003, I had no idea what a great man of God and a giant among Christian school educators he truly was. It has been my privilege and blessing to get to know him and benefit from his insight and wisdom. He is one of my heroes in ministry.

 

Janet had the privilege of helping take care of her mother in Tacoma, Washington for the final week of her life before she went to be with the Lord on October 4. We had her dad living with us here in Colorado Springs for the final three months of his life. He would have been 90 years old in March. We are planning a memorial service for him in early March in Tacoma.

 

During his more than 40 years as a Christian school educator, Jim Bramblet started a number of schools in Oregon, Washington, and California. He also taught in the state of Idaho. In addition to his work in Christian schools, he was also an interim pastor for a while.

 

During his college years, he began to understand the difference between secular education and truly Christian education. He said, “I had taken a course on the philosophy of education at the University of Idaho and realized it was all wrong … that it was not Christian. I began, from then on, to change my way of teaching so that it was definitely Christian rather than secular. … as far as I’m concerned, Christian schools are there to help parents educate their children.”

 

“Scripture makes if very clear that God created everything. In other words, all truth, then, is God’s truth. If it’s not God’s truth, it’s not truth. So then we need to realize that mathematics is not a secular subject, English is not a secular subject. History is not a secular subject. Even physical education is not a secular subject. Our God has created us in every aspect of our lives, and this too needs to be passed on to our children in every subject. This doesn’t mean that if we are teaching them mathematics, that every lesson is all about God. But they need to understand that God created mathematics. That he gave the truth about mathematics to us, and as they work these problems, they need to know that they are thinking God’s thoughts after Him. If they make a mistake, then they’re not thinking God’s thoughts. God stands for truth, and they need to try to strive to find the correct answer. And they need to understand that they’re dealing with things of God, because when God created the universe, He did it mathematically. Scientists who study the universe have to know mathematics. God created the universe after a mathematical formula. It’s very easy to demonstrate that, and the students studying math need to understand that so that when they come out of math class, they should have confidence that they’ve been studying the truth of God. It’s the same thing when they come out of their science class. They’ve been studying the things that God has created, and there should be rejoicing over all the wonderful things that He has made. … If it is taught correctly … they will appreciate knowing that they are not just studying dull old subjects, but that they’re studying the truth of God.”

 

These are just a few of his responses in an interview I did with him several years ago. You can read the entire interview here.

 

Jim Bramblet has gone on to be with the Lord and with his beloved Vivian. His impact on so many children and young people over the years will pay eternal dividends. We can be sure the Lord’s words to him are, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).

 

 

To read articles by James M. Bramblet, click here.