http://blog.drwile.com/ Apparently, he sold the company in 2008 - which I did NOT know! - and now the new owners are taking it in a direction he finds impossible to stay with! I gather from the comments/responses to comments that they're publishing a new worldview curriculum that is way more Calvinist than he can stay with, so he's left, just the other day. He's planning other works, which he hopes will be ready in about three years, but in the meantime will continue to speak at homeschool conventions and such. He says that anything that continues to have his name on it will be essentially unchanged from what he wrote when he wrote it, and if the company changes it in any substantial way, he'll insist they take his name off.
Yes, he sold it to Carmen Davis. I've spoken with Carmen a couple of times, and he's a very nice guy - so don't let Dr. Wile's recent decisions affect your view of Apologia. I may not agree with everything in their books, but they are well thought out and a good option for science.
Dr. Wile says that the new owner is a nice guy and a Christian, it's just that their particular Christian views don't match. He has nothing negative to say about the new owner, just that their views don't match. Why did he sell it in the first place? do you know? I haven't been all over his blog yet... As far as he knows, the science books won't change - at least not right away, so if it continues to have J. Wile's name on it, it's still good science. I have not a clue about the elementary level books by Fulbright, whether these will change or not. It's the "What We Believe" books that are new that Wile has difficulty with. Apologia website says the new owners' names are Davis and Rachael Carmen.
He has said he has no problem with the science portion of the company (at least right now). Anything that has his name on it will always be approved by him it is just the other worldview products that they are now handling.
I know this is embarrassing, but I really didn't know which name was which when I spoke with him - and I couldn't find it online! He has one of those names that could be either way around! I thought his email stated 'Carmen' as first name, but some people use 'last name first' as their email convention. Then again, he might have told me over the phone and I just plain forgot! Oh, the travails of getting older. Also, what would Calvinist versus some other viewpoint have to do with science books? Science is neutral on the matter. Other stances in the books are personal, such as teaching that anthropogenic global warming is all hokey, but opinion shouldn't appear in science books anyway. I confess, though, that authors often have a hard time watching their work change, so I can understand Dr. Wile's frustration.
It has nothing to do with the science books! The Carmens are "branching out" from that. It's the new worldview books Wile has difficulty with. He says his vision is to have the students think about and determine their own worldview, because if you teach a specific worldview the kids may not choose to adhere to it because they don't "own" it. And the materials in the new worldview courses are too Calvinist for Wile's taste. That's what I gathered from reading the comments and responses on the blog. Wile has no problem with the Carmens as people, or businesspeople, or anything like that - he just says they tend to disagree on some specifics of Christianity is all.
We've known Dr. Wile and the Carmans both for many years and respect them all highly. The Carmans are a committed, godly family and I have no doubt that Apologia will continue to be a blessing to the homeschool community. I was going to post the URL for the Carman's lengthy and informative statement on the issue, but I haven't been a member long enough Perhaps someone else could post it? It's at apologia dot com, click News & Press Releases on the middle left, then it's the top press release. Melanie Young
I was going to post about this when I saw Lindina already did! lol...thanks! I just think this is about two men with conflicting beliefs. I would have to see the new curriculum to make my own decision. I just purchased Apologia General Science and love it. I have a tendency to agree with Dr. Wiles on his set of beliefs but I don't have enough information on the Carmen's beliefs to make a judgment call yet. It sounds like a direction I would not care for thus far. I'd have to read a text to know for sure though.
I don't think anybody needs to be concerned about the existing science textbooks, either Wile's or Fulbright's. I want to add that although I read some comments and responses on Wile's blogsite which led me to believe that something he'd said previously had been misconstrued by some to be in some way disparaging to the Carmens, he'd never meant anything to be taken that way at all! I can only imagine that having sold a company (of whatever kind) one has built from nothing, it would become increasingly difficult to continue to work for that company under different leadership, and that a complete split would be inevitable. Transitions can often be very difficult under the best of circumstances. I also imagine that if God led the Wiles to sell the company and the Carmens to buy it, that he has other work for the Wiles to do -- and other work for the company to do. Since both families are Christians, I'm sure both will continue to seek God's will in whatever will happen next. In the meantime, I'm sure we all will continue to pick and choose curriculum according to our family's needs - and if some choose to use (in whatever way) the worldview stuff or the science stuff or the writing or the history... then they've chosen well.
All I can say is that I personally wouldn't have any problems as of now to continue using Apologia material. And I honestly don't anticipate any change in that in the future.
Well, I'd never use Apologia materials period being the evolution-minded gal I am but I will say I really respect Dr. Wile's decision and the way he communicated it. Very classy!
I was going to post this thread a few days ago and see if anyone had bought the What We Believe series and what it contained that was so.....controversial? (but you know-I got busy-being mom and all LOL) The new owners say it's written from a non-denominational standpoint so I wondered....what is in it that Wiles doesn't agree with... Anyone know what denomination each party is? I know the new owners are some sort of baptist (but don't know which sort of Baptist) but I have no idea what Wiles is???