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Middle School Reading Lists 100 Years Ago Vs. Today

One of the striking features of the Edina list is how recent the titles are. Many of the selections were published in the 21st century. In fact, only four of the selections are more than 20 years old.

Published

12 years ago

September 22, 2014

Geoffrey Grider

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And you wonder why people were so much smarter a hundred years ago?

“I will fetch my knowledge from afar, and will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.” Job 36:3

I recently dug up a 1908 curriculum manual in the Minnesota Historical Society archives. It provided instructions on everything from teacher deportment to recommended literature lists for various grades. As a book lover, I was especially interested in the latter!

With the exception of a few textbook-like anthologies, the chart below lists the recommended reading material for Minnesota 7^th and 8^th graders in 1908:

With such a list in hand, I decided to examine if the common accusation that today’s education standards have been dumbed down is really true. To make sure I wasn’t unfairly weighting this survey in favor of the past, I went to one of the Twin Cities metro area’s finest districts, namely, Edina Public Schools. Again, with the exception of a few textbook anthologies, the list below offers the reading options for their 7^th and 8^th grade students:

In examining these lists, I noticed three important differences between the reading content of these two eras:

1. Time Period

One of the striking features of the Edina list is how recent the titles are. Many of the selections were published in the 21^st century. In fact, only four of the selections are more than 20 years old.

In comparison, over half of the titles on the first list were at least 20 years old in 1908, with many of them averaging between 50 to 100 years old.

Older is not necessarily better, but the books on the first list suggest that schools of the past were more likely to give their students time-tested, classic literature, rather than books whose popularity may happen to be a passing fad.

2. Thematic Elements

A second striking difference between the two book lists are the themes they explore. The first is full of historical references and settings which stretch from ancient Greece (Tanglewood Tales) to the Middle Ages (Harold, Last of Saxon Kings) to the founding of America (Courtship of Miles Standish). Through highly recognized authors such as Longfellow, Stevenson, Kipling, and Dickens, these titles introduce children to a vast array of themes crucial to understanding the foundations upon which America and western civilization were built.

The Edina list, however, largely deals with modern history, particularly hitting on many current political and cultural themes such as the Taliban (The Breadwinner), cloning, illegal immigrants, the drug war (The House of the Scorpion), and deeply troubled youth (Touching Spirit Bear). In terms of longstanding, classic authors, Mark Twain and Ray Bradbury are the only ones who stand out.

It’s good for children to understand the world in which they live, but as with any area in life, you can have too much of a good thing. A continual focus on modern literature narrows the lens through which children can view and interpret the world. Would it not be better to broaden their horizons and expose them to a balance of both old and new literature?

3. Reading Level

Many of the books on the Edina list use fairly simple, understandable language and vocabulary familiar to the modern reader. Consider the first paragraph of Nothing But the Truth:

“Coach Jamison saw me in the hall and said he wanted to make sure I’m trying out for the track team!!!! Said my middle school gym teacher told him I was really good!!!! Then he said that with me on the Harrison High team we have a real shot at being county champs. Fantastic!!!!!! He wouldn’t say that unless he meant it. Have to ask folks about helping me get new shoes. Newspaper route won’t do it all. But Dad was so excited when I told him what Coach said that I’m sure he’ll help.”

On the other hand, consider the first paragraph of Longfellow’s Evangeline:

“This is the forest primeval. The murmuring pines and the hemlocks,
Bearded with moss, and in garments green, indistinct in the twilight,
Stand like Druids of eld, with voices sad and prophetic,
Stand like harpers hoar, with beards that rest on their bosoms.
Loud from its rocky caverns, the deep-voiced neighboring ocean
Speaks, and in accents disconsolate answers the wail of the forest.”

The first example uses simple words and a casual sentence structure, while the second uses a rich vocabulary and a complex writing format. Naturally, some might look at the second selection and say, “Good grief! How do you expect a child to understand that?!?”

But that’s the whole point. Unless we give our students challenging material to dissect, process, and study, how can we expect them to break out of the current poor proficiency ratings and advance beyond a basic reading level?

My takeaway from this comparison? It’s great that schools today have students read contemporary literature. But we still need to make sure that students also read good literature from the past and are sufficiently challenged.

Related Topics:Public schools Reading Lists School Reading Lists

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9/11 Explained

THE PROPHECY NEWS PODCAST: 10 Things That Nobody Ever Told You About 9/11 That Began America’s Descent Into The Dystopian Surveillance Society We See Today

Published

2 days ago

September 10, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

SHARE NOW THE END BEGINS:

10 Things That Nobody Ever Told You About 9/11 That Began America’s Descent Into Becoming A Dystopian Surveillance Society

Twenty-five years ago, on September 11, 2001, America changed forever. Nearly 3,000 people were murdered, the World Trade Center disappeared from the Manhattan skyline, the Pentagon burned, and Americans watched in horror as the nation they thought they understood suddenly became something very different. We were told that 19 Islamic terrorists armed with box cutters had surprised the most powerful intelligence and military establishment on earth, penetrated American airspace, struck three of the most important targets in the United States, and changed the course of world history in less than two hours. I believed what I was told—until I didn’t.

“For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.” Luke 12:2 (KJB)

For me, 9/11 has always been personal. I worked at Deloitte & Touche in the World Financial Center directly across the street from the Twin Towers. I had a friend who worked for Empire Blue Cross and spent time working in Tower 1. I was there. I visited him. I personally saw construction activity taking place around those floors that we understood at the time to involve elevator upgrade work. Twenty-five years later, there are far too many documented facts surrounding September 11 that deserve to be discussed openly instead of mocked, censored or dismissed with the magic words “conspiracy theory.”

On this episode of the Prophecy News Podcast, we show you 10 things that no one ever told you about 9/11 and the events that ushered America into a dystopian surveillance society.

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“You are truly an end time ministry and I appreciate how our Precious Lord is using you to educate his very own flock. There is a lot of confusion , but your ministry is putting scripture in the right prospective. Thank-you so so much Geoffrey S Grider for standing firm and putting in a lot of hours of your time. God Bless You , also your Ministry and your family. IN JESUS MIGHT NAME.” T. Muto
“Jesus. I am now 64 years old and never in all the years I’ve been a Christian was I able to grow in the Lord as much as I have in the last past year. All because of our blessed brother’s work Geoffrey Grider who as the bravery of standing fast forward without fear of claiming the truth of God by the power of his love in Jesus Christ. May God bless you abundantly to the end my dear brother… ROMANS: 8: 36,37,38” Mireille Anderson
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“I really enjoy the emails and Bible studies! I haven’t found a church and enjoy your services very much! Be blessed brother!” Marcia Mann
“You and your organization are on the front lines in the Battle For Truth…. current events, end times, and trying to awaken a sleeping Laodicean Church. Thank you brother for fighting for us and all your teaching and insight God bless…” Daniel Cartrette
I just want to thank you for the teachings you give every Sunday night on radio. You are such a blessing to me. I absolutely love your way of teaching the scriptures. I don’t have a church where I can have fellowship and teaching, so you have been my teacher for many months now. Thanks God you are there for all of us who have no church to go to. I pray that the Lord will bless you abundantly in your ministry, and your loved ones too. You are such a blessing to me, and many others, in these last days before the rapture. Thank you so much Geoffrey, from the bottom of my heart. May the Lord keep you, until He comes back for us. You are in my prayers.” Donald Godin
“Thank you for the work you are doing brother. Your page and your testimony were a blessing to me this morning as I came across it for the first time. Thank you for the reality of your testimony and what God has done for you in introducing you to Jesus our Lord. God has brought me, in salvation, to Himself as well, through His love and mercy and grace in salvation. How can we praise Him enough? How can we not share this good news!? I pray this day for God’s blessing on your ministry that He may save many souls through the work He has called you to. Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)” Mark and Melissa
“Love the Sunday night bible study. I want to support someone who has the passion for the lost like Geoffrey does and rightly divides the word of God. God bless you.” Teresa Carey
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“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

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Donald Trump

Trump Attempts To Purchase A Republican Midterm Victory With A ‘$5,000 Dividend Promise’ Paid For By The Same American Taxpayers He Is Asking To Vote

Published

2 days ago

September 10, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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Where Are The DOGE Checks, Tariff Rebates, $2 Gas And Cheaper Groceries Donald Trump Promised Before Unveiling His New $5,000 Dividend last night?

Donald Trump has returned to the political stage with yet another spectacular promise of free money, this time pledging a $5,000 “Trump Dividend” to every American adult—but only if Republicans retain control of Congress in November. That is not an economic plan; it is an election-year cash inducement with Trump’s name stamped across it. Washington is already drowning beneath more than $40 trillion in debt, yet Trump is dangling a payout that could cost approximately $1.3 trillion without explaining where the money will come from. The message could hardly be more blatant: give Republicans your vote, and Trump says he will give you a check purchased with your own tax dollars. Now we see Donald Trump for who he really is, a shameless conman who will say anything, do anything, and promise anything to retain power. Please see the following 9 unfulfilled promises he has made over the past 18 months.

“I said in my haste, All men are liars.” Psalms 116:11 (KJB)

But before Americans begin spending this imaginary $5,000, perhaps we should ask what happened to all the previous promises. Where are the DOGE dividend checks? Where are the tariff rebate checks? Where is the 10% cap on credit-card interest? Where are the dramatically lower interest rates, cheaper groceries, lower electricity bills and $2 gasoline? Wait, I know! 4D Chess and the Art of the Deal!

TODAY’S NATIONAL GAS AVERAGE IS $4.27 PER GALLON – SOURCE

I’M STILL WAITING FOR…
1	THE DOGE DIVIDEND CHECKS
2	THE TARIFF REBATE CHECKS
3	LOWER ENERGY PRICES
4	THE 10% CAP ON CREDIT-CARD INTEREST
5	DRUGS THAT ARE “1,000–1,500% CHEAPER”
6	$2-A-GALLON GAS
7	CHEAPER GROCERIES
8	LOWER INTEREST RATES
9	A “GREAT HEALTHCARE PLAN” THAT ACTUALLY BECOMES LAW

Americans were told prescription drugs would become “1,000 to 1,500% cheaper,” a mathematical impossibility, while Trump’s so-called “Great Healthcare Plan” remains largely a collection of proposals waiting for Congress to act. Even where limited drug discounts have materialized, they bear little resemblance to the sweeping, fantastic claims repeatedly made from the podium. Liar, liar, pants on fire, Donnie.

Trump attempted to bribe the American people, with our own money, last night by promising us a $5,000 “Trump Dividend” if the GOP wins the House and the Senate. He never mentioned the previous $2,000 and $5,000 checks he promised and never delievered on. Truly shameful. He has… pic.twitter.com/GQ5lo9CsBK

— Now The End Begins (@NowTheEndBegins) September 10, 2026

This has become the Trump political formula: announce something enormous, attach his name to it, dominate the headlines and then move on before anyone asks whether it ever happened. The check is always “coming,” the prices are always “about to fall,” the healthcare plan is always just around the corner, and prosperity is always one more Republican election victory away. Now, with gasoline averaging more than $4 nationally and working Americans still being crushed by food, housing, insurance and borrowing costs, Trump is attempting to replace yesterday’s unfulfilled promises with an even bigger one. America does not need another campaign-show “dividend.” It needs accountability for the promises already made, and results that exist somewhere outside a Trump speech.

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When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.

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Headline News

THE PROPHECY NEWS PODCAST: How The ‘Strange Fire’ Of Azusa Street, Oral Roberts And The Charismatic Movement Replaced The Authority Of Scripture Part 1

Published

3 days ago

September 9, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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From Azusa Street To Kathryn Krick: How The Strange Fire Of The Modern Charismatic Movement Replaced The Authority Of Scripture With Signs, Wonders And Seducing Spirits

The modern Charismatic movement began at Azusa Street by elevating supernatural experience above the written word of God. Charles Parham declared tongues to be the evidence of receiving the Holy Ghost; William Seymour carried that teaching into the 1906 Azusa Street Revival; and Aimee Semple McPherson later joined Pentecostal manifestations to celebrity, theatrical production and mass media. After World War II, William Branham popularized the “anointed man” claiming angelic visitations and supernatural discernment, while Oral Roberts transformed the healing tent into a television empire and turned miracles into merchandise through “seed-faith.” What began as emotional manifestations had become a profitable religious industry in which the preacher possessed the anointing, the audience supplied the money and the sick were blamed when the promised miracle failed.

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1 (KJB)

The counterfeit continued mutating. The 1948 Latter Rain movement announced the restoration of modern apostles and prophets; the Charismatic Renewal carried tongues and manifestations into Protestant denominations and Roman Catholicism; Word of Faith preachers such as Kenneth Hagin and Kenneth Copeland turned faith into a force and giving into a formula for prosperity; Toronto and Brownsville normalized shaking, screaming, falling and uncontrolled behavior as evidence of revival; and the New Apostolic Reformation combined restored apostles, private revelation, territorial spirits, deliverance, Seven Mountain dominionism and Christian Nationalism into a global religious network. Through every stage, the same deadly exchange was taking place: “What saith the scripture?” was replaced by “What did you feel?” and the authority of the Bible was surrendered to whoever claimed to possess the newest prophecy, impartation or anointing.

Kathryn Krick is not a strange departure from that history—she is its logical conclusion. Azusa Street now has a smartphone, the healing tent has become a viral video, the prayer cloth has become an online course, and the travelling faith healer has become a social-media “apostle” commanding demons before millions of viewers. From Parham and Seymour to Branham, Roberts, Copeland, Bethel and Krick, the faces and technology have changed, but the spirit remains the same: another Jesus, another spirit and another gospel wrapped in signs, wonders and Christian vocabulary. The modern Charismatic movement promises believers more power while quietly removing the only authority capable of exposing the counterfeit—the preserved, inspired and infallible word of God. The fire that began on Azusa Street is still burning, but Christians had better test the spirits before they call the fire holy. Because it’s not.

On this episode of the Prophecy News Podcast, we show you the strange fire and the counterfeit signs, miracles, wonders and seducing spirits of the Charismatic Movement. This is Part 1 in a series.

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Every Monday Wednesday and Friday afternoons from Noon to 1:30 PM EST, we examine breaking news and current events in light of bible prophecy.

The Prophecy News Podcast: Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at Noon EST, we review all the latest news and events related to bible prophecy, and examine what is happening in light of what is written. If you miss the live show, all of our Prophecy News Podcast programs are archived here.

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Listen to What Our Donation Angels Have to Say About the Ministry of Now The End Begins

“You are truly an end time ministry and I appreciate how our Precious Lord is using you to educate his very own flock. There is a lot of confusion , but your ministry is putting scripture in the right prospective. Thank-you so so much Geoffrey S Grider for standing firm and putting in a lot of hours of your time. God Bless You , also your Ministry and your family. IN JESUS MIGHT NAME.” T. Muto
“Jesus. I am now 64 years old and never in all the years I’ve been a Christian was I able to grow in the Lord as much as I have in the last past year. All because of our blessed brother’s work Geoffrey Grider who as the bravery of standing fast forward without fear of claiming the truth of God by the power of his love in Jesus Christ. May God bless you abundantly to the end my dear brother… ROMANS: 8: 36,37,38” Mireille Anderson
“I met you at the car dealership earlier this year. We spoke briefly, then you handed me a card and told me to check out the website. You left. A few minutes later, you returned to tell me not to forget to look up the website. I told you…” I already did. I already subscribed.” In that short time we spoke, I experienced from you…a total stranger…peace, joy, kindness, gentleness, compassion, and love. I am convinced that God sent you to share the Good News that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. For that, and for the work you are doing for the Kingdom of God, I say…Thank you and God Bless You.” Sonia Merced
“I really enjoy the emails and Bible studies! I haven’t found a church and enjoy your services very much! Be blessed brother!” Marcia Mann
“You and your organization are on the front lines in the Battle For Truth…. current events, end times, and trying to awaken a sleeping Laodicean Church. Thank you brother for fighting for us and all your teaching and insight God bless…” Daniel Cartrette
I just want to thank you for the teachings you give every Sunday night on radio. You are such a blessing to me. I absolutely love your way of teaching the scriptures. I don’t have a church where I can have fellowship and teaching, so you have been my teacher for many months now. Thanks God you are there for all of us who have no church to go to. I pray that the Lord will bless you abundantly in your ministry, and your loved ones too. You are such a blessing to me, and many others, in these last days before the rapture. Thank you so much Geoffrey, from the bottom of my heart. May the Lord keep you, until He comes back for us. You are in my prayers.” Donald Godin
“Thank you for the work you are doing brother. Your page and your testimony were a blessing to me this morning as I came across it for the first time. Thank you for the reality of your testimony and what God has done for you in introducing you to Jesus our Lord. God has brought me, in salvation, to Himself as well, through His love and mercy and grace in salvation. How can we praise Him enough? How can we not share this good news!? I pray this day for God’s blessing on your ministry that He may save many souls through the work He has called you to. Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)” Mark and Melissa
“Love the Sunday night bible study. I want to support someone who has the passion for the lost like Geoffrey does and rightly divides the word of God. God bless you.” Teresa Carey
“I give because not many news outlets are brave enough or Godly enough to tell these stories from a Christian’s point of view. I see stories here that will not be seen anywhere else.” William Grayshaw
“It’s hard to find solid biblical teaching in America these days. It’s a blessing to be able to take part in a ministry financially without being concerned about false teaching. All glory to God! God bless!” Maximilian Swan
“I donate because you are reporting the truth about the increasing wickedness of our time, as God’s word foretold. In so doing we are reminded to “Keep looking up” as we wait in joyful hope for the Lord’s coming, Maranatha! ” Anthony Sloane
“Geoffrey has the best End Times News out there. I have been receiving his emails for years now and always enjoy his Sunday night messages although I don’t always think exactly as he thinks. We are all in this “boat of life” together and as I come to the end of my life’s journey here, I am more aware of Jesus’s call for us to be one as He and the Father are One.” Deborah Cleaveland