Showing papers in "Religious Education in 2012"

Religious Education in England After 9/11

Abstract: In the ten years following 9/11 there was unprecedented interest in, and commitment to, religious education in the school curriculum in England. Politicians, academics, and professionals all argued that learning about religion could foster “social cohesion” and even prevent terrorism. Accordingly there were a number of national and international initiatives to develop religious education as a part of intercultural education. With a focus on England, but taking full consideration of landmark transnational collaborations, this article examines developments in policy and professional discourse concerning religious education that occurred after, and sometimes as a direct result of, the events of 9/11. It is argued that this emphasis, often instigated at the behest of politicians, led temporarily to an increased status of the curriculum subject in England, but that this influence may have also led to increased instrumentalism, and with it, associated risk to the subject's intellectual autonomy and int...

Knowing Self and Others: A Worldview Model for Religious Education in Turkey

Abstract: Turkish religious education's focus on religion from a social science and prescriptive Islamic perspective faces challenges today. This article presents a new model and approach that assists students in exploring their beliefs and values, those of others, and their Islamic heritage from an interdisciplinary worldview perspective.

International Developments in Youth Ministry Research: A Comparative Review

Abstract: In this article, the emerging field of youth ministry research is presented and interpreted through the lens of practical theology. International developments are described and compared as local responses to the ongoing global dynamics of youth culture. After an overview of four different contexts in which youth ministry research can be situated, the article discusses four thematic dimensions of this research: globalization, vulnerability, politics, and interreligious encounter. In the third part of the article these dimensions are theologically reflected in order to unravel four chances and challenges for future practical theological research.

Developing a Framework for Research on Religious Identity Development of Highly Committed Adolescents

Abstract: The aim of this article is to present a framework for studying the religious identity development of highly religious Christian and Muslim adolescents. Building on existing theories on identity development, the authors define highly religious Christian and Muslim adolescents as orthoprax adolescents and explore the consequences of this for reflection on the religious identity development of these groups of youngsters. This study is a first step toward gaining qualitative insights into the religious identity development of orthoprax adolescents and filling up a perceived gap in research on religious identity development.

Teaching Ethics and Religious Culture in Quebec High Schools: An Overview, Contextualization and Some Analytical Comments

Abstract: In 2008 Quebec introduced a new ethics and religious culture course. This marks a significant development in Canadian education as the mandated curriculum is intended for use in publically funded secular schools. In the past such courses have been in the domain of denominational schools. This new approach is examined in the context of the profound changes in Quebec society in recent years, typified by the sudden decline in the influence of the Roman Catholic Church. An overview of the curriculum is given, noting its basis as a particular type of phenomenological approach to the study of ethics and religion. The curriculum is analyzed against the theoretical perspectives developed by Moore and Wright. A number of issues on the scope of the study, the significant demands it places on students and teachers, and how it critically engages with religious truth claims are examined.

Mirror Neurons, the Development of Empathy, and Digital Story Telling.

Abstract: This article explores the intersection of work in media education, religious education, concerns about digital cultures’ impact on human relationality, and the possible role that mirror neurons might play in the development of empathy. Digital story telling—particularly as embodied in the work of the Center for Digital Storytelling (http://www.storycenter.org), and the Storytelling as Faith Formation project (www.storyingfaith.org)—is proposed as a mechanism within which to foster mirror neuron development, and thereby provide one promising route for deepening empathic learning within religious education.

Brain Matters: Neuroscience And Creativity

Abstract: This article introduces a relationship between neuroscience and creativity for the sake of religious education Citing creativity as a process that involves both originality and value, the writing articulates Howard Gardner's interplay between the talent of the person, the internal demands of a discipline, and the quality judgment of the field The article explores creativity expressed both within the field of neuroscience, with the beginning of the neurocentric era, and continuing with contemporary use of technology It then surveys neuroscience's own exploration of the fields of creativity and religious experience, with ensuing limitations The article establishes a dialogue between religious education and neuroscience, demonstrating how religious education provides neuroscience theory with grounded practice while also supplying ethical frameworks for neuroscience practice It closes asserting that while currently neuroscience primarily endorses sound educational practice, future neuroscientifi

Brain Matters: Practicing Religion, Forming The Faithful

Abstract: Religious practices have long drawn on the social sciences to broaden our understanding of how human beings develop, learn, relate, and are formed. While the religion and science conversations have not always been friendly, a growing number of theologians and scientists are engaged in promising dialogues where the interests of both parties overlap. This article sketches three domains of recent neuroscientific research that show particular promise for those engaged in thinking about the practices of religious communities: Story telling, memory, and human relating. The purpose of the present discussion is threefold: (1) to demonstrate the ways the neurosciences are now making claims about matters that religious communities have experienced and pondered for millennia, (2) to acknowledge the contributions the sciences can make to our understanding of our religious practices, and (3) to suggest a methodology for engaging the sciences in ways that are, at the same time, faithful to our own religious tr...

What Would Catherine Of Sienna Do? Spiritual Formation And The Brains Of Adolescent Girls

Abstract: This article explores how new knowledge about the adolescent female brain lends theoretical support to narrative and contemplative practices of spiritual formation of girls. Current brain research supports the use of particular methods of religious formation for teenagers in general, and teenage girls in particular. This article suggests that spiritual practices of narrative and contemplation—particularly as they become embodied in communal spaces—hold promise to be consistent with the development of the teenage female brain. When combined with other nurturing practices, they might help shape contemporary young female leaders who are active contemplatives and contemplative activists.

Intercultural Threads of Hybridity and Threshold Spaces of Learning

Abstract: This collaborative article examines hybridity as intercultural threads to weave theological discourses and pedagogical practices. Through narrating their life stories, the authors open up a space for dialogue in agenda and agency of doing religious education. It identifies dualism and homogeneous purity as stumbling blocks to hybrid theology and religious education. The authors explore theological glimpses of hybridity found in such religious traditions as Christianity, Daoism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. Finally, it proposes a hybrid space for threshold religious education as a faithful way to embrace today's changing and fluid contexts where people migrate and cross their geographical, cultural, and national boundaries.

Multicultural Religious Education in a Trinitarian Perspective

Abstract: Multiculturalism is now confronted with pressures of maintaining a balance between unity and diversity on the one hand and building a global civic culture aiming at civic equality, liberty, toleration, and recognition in a global, transnational community on the other hand With these difficulties, this article attempts to provide a model of multicultural education in a Trinitarian perspective in which students and teachers mirror the triune divine community and participate in communion, allowing them to move beyond the dichotomy between unity and diversity and universalization and pluralization toward a shared understanding and promote peaceful coexistence among global societies with adequate theological and educational principles This article, based on the doctrine of Trinity and grounded in an awareness and analysis of the realities of social situations, suggests positive hope for God's future and a concrete model for human society in which equality, openness, and relationality are closely rel

Conversations between the Religious and Secular in English Schools.

Abstract: This article begins with an acknowledgement of the complexities of religion's position in the English school system that open it to diverse interpretations. It uses research in a variety of schools to illustrate three different approaches to religion, doxological, sacramental and instrumental, founded respectively on certain faith in God, on openness to the possibility of God, and on a default scepticism. The contested nature of religion's place in schooling is acknowledged and, in response, both secular and religious reasons are given for hearing religious voices in the educational sphere. The argument is made that an equitable religious-and-secular settlement is dependent on "religiously-understood" religion being allowed into the conversation. The relationship between penultimate and ultimate is used to analyse each of the three approaches for their engagement with "religiously-understood" religion and their contributions to religious and secular understanding.

The Christian Educator's Imagination.

Abstract: This article describes six constitutive “senses” of the “Christian educator's imagination.” These dispositions toward knowing, being, and doing characterize competent leadership in educational ministry. They include a sense for vocational empowerment, a sense for teaching and learning, a sense for seeking God's presence; a sense for the contours of one's own soul, a sense for “what makes persons’ tick, and a sense for institutional leadership. The author contends that scholars of Christian religious education should seek to cultivate these senses in their students.

Review Essay: Five Books About Religion, Young Adults, And Secondary Education

Abstract: The authors believe that schools are an under-utilized resource for one of the most important dimensions of religious education: meaningful mentoring relationships between teenagers and adults. This article reviews five recent books that are helpful for surveying the rocky, yet fertile, land that is the ground upon which religious education and schools meet. This intersection can be a valuable ecological resource for the respective missions of religious education, youth ministry, and democratic society. The Schools Task Force believes that the educational and institutional nature of schools can be a leading voice in the contemporary challenge to create environments conducive to spiritual growth in souls.

Provocative Pedagogy, Or Youngsters Need The Brain To Challenge Worldview Formation

Abstract: Brains and gender, separately and in their interrelatedness, are hot items today in popular journals and academic literature. It is in particular the complexity of the interdependence of physical-, psychological-, and contextual-related developments of feminization in education that we focus on these contributions. We argue that a combination of recent findings of brain research and Marcia's psychological model of identity development in a “provocative pedagogy”—combining youngsters’ (boys and girls) need for exploration, console, and support—is a promising “stepped care” strategy for religious development of youngsters in a multicultural and multireligious context.

Learning the Faith in England in the Later Middle Ages: Contributions of the Franciscan Friars

Abstract: In popular understanding, the late Middle Ages has been viewed as a time of relative religious ignorance for both laity and clergy. Recent scholarship is indicating a more knowledgeable and vigorous faith experience in this time period. This article examines the major educational ministry renewal of the church in England following the Fourth Lateran Council (1215) up through the eve of the English Reformation, with particular focus on the efforts of the Franciscans in helping people learn the faith through a variety of creative means.

Interreligious Learning as a Precondition for Peace Education: Lessons From the Past: John Amos Comenius (1592–1670)

Abstract: During the last decades the concept of interreligious education has been developed in which exploration and personal identity formation form important aspects. The increasing multi-cultural and multi-religious society requires open, respectful, and tolerant attitudes for which schools have to prepare. Therefore, theorists on interreligious education emphasize that education should have an inclusive stance toward the truth: no religion can claim to grasp the whole truth. But, would this not lead to relativism? In this article the authors investigate J.A. Comenius’ (1592–1670) contribution to this question. He was a pietistic Christian theologian, educationalist, and school reformer who was victim of several religious clashes. His whole life he was wondering how education could contribute to enhance peace and wisdom among citizens. For him God was the ultimate truth. Therefore religion played an important role is his considerations and solutions. The authors are of the opinion that for more than on...

Developing Ethical Knowledge in the Spirit of Judaism

Abstract: This study attempts to describe Jewish teachers’ perceptions about their ethical dilemmas based on stories derived from the Bible. Sixty teachers were asked to submit descriptions of their ethical dilemmas to the study website; submissions were then discussed in focus groups. The findings were grouped by the ATLAS.ti into five categories: Telling the truth versus protecting from potential harm; egalitarian approach versus differential treatment; collective sanction versus personal sanction; fair process versus fair outcome and school standards versus family educational agenda. The findings may help to develop ethical knowledge in the spirit of Judaism in Jewish institutions.

Religious Tolerance and Understanding in the French Education System

Abstract: This research is based on an interview and survey-based case study of an Islamic lycee, a Catholic lycee, and two public lycees in the Ile-de-France region of France. The study investigated whether students in private schools receiving some form of education about religion tend to be more tolerant and demonstrate more religious understanding than students in public schools receiving little to none. The results showed that tolerance and understanding were not necessarily codependent and that a number of other factors seem to have a similarly significant impact on student religious tolerance and understanding as receiving education about religion.

Theodore M. Hesburgh and his Philosophy of Catholic Higher Education

Abstract: Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C. (aka “Father Ted”) is one of the leading living figures in the philosophy of Catholic higher education in the United States. He is not only recognized for a long and impressive tenure as president of the University of Notre Dame, but also revered as a priest whose intellectual and critical leadership blends a practical pedagogy of social change and vision. In this article, the author wishes to accomplish three things: (1) offer a brief sketch of Hesburgh's life and background; (2) discuss his philosophy of Catholic higher education through an examination of his principal works; (3) conclude with some thoughts on Hesburgh's legacy and implications for the field of religious education.

A Review of “Greenhouses of Hope: Congregations Growing Young Leaders Who Will Change the World”

Abstract: After assigning this text in a youth ministry course, I was greeted by a student who came into class with a smile on her face, waving her copy of the book in the air. “Thank goodness!” she proclaimed. “After learning about all the horrible things that youth go through and how youth ministry can be done so badly, it’s so good to know that churches can get it right” (paraphrased). This is the hope Baker aims to inspire in this edited work as a group of authors highlight “greening” congregations from mainline denominations. “A Greenhouse of Hope is a Christian congregation freeing itself to experiment with both newly imagined and time-honored ways of following the path of Jesus. Its members respond to God’s love through practices that genuinely embrace the gifts of youth and young adults” (2). Represented in these chapters are congregations that are urban, suburban, and rural; predominately Caucasian, Korean/ Korean American, and African American; and from across the country. The chapters bring us into the lives of these vibrant congregations. Readers are told of the community in which the congregation stands. We learn about the church’s history and how these greening practices came to be. We hear the voices of youth that have been shaped in those congregations and the leaders that sought to shape them. From these descriptions we learn that all of these vibrant ministries were organically grown. They stemmed from needs in the congregation that needed to be fulfilled. Some were incorporated by leaders and others by youth. A large reason of why they work so well is because they are contextual. Each chapter is descriptive and not prescriptive. Yet, at the end of each chapter are “Questions for Reflection” that are divided into two sections: Engaging Vocationcare Practices and Practicing Ethnographic Listening. The questions help the reader take the information

“Let Freedom Ring!” Black Women’s Spirituality Shaping Prophetic Christian Education

Abstract: When I was a child, my mother and father shared stories about life in the segregated South during the 1930s, ‘40s, and ‘50s. My parents grew up in Bessemer, Alabama, a coal-mining town just outside...

The Newfoundland School Society (1830–1840): A Critical Discourse Analysis of Its Religious Education Efforts

Abstract: This article uses the lens of critical discourse analysis to examine the religious education efforts of the Newfoundland School Society (NSS), the main provider of religious education in Newfoundland in the 19th century. Although its focus was initially this colony, the NSS quickly broadened its reach to the whole British empire, making it one of the largest religious education bodies in the world. In this article, the author's focus is on the social context and discourses produced by the Society in its annual reports and accompanying anniversary sermons. Data are drawn from archival records of the NSS for the years 1830–1840.

Paulo Freire and his Contribution to Multiethnic Churches

Abstract: Paulo Freire's educational philosophy encourages conscientization in individuals as a means to overcoming oppression. This approach includes dialogue that leads to critical thinking and problem-posed learning that fosters self-discovery. This article applies this process to a multi-ethnic congregation as it nurtures ethnic equality. In addition, this framework challenges churches to view education dynamically, not statically, by respecting the uniqueness of each individual and situation. As the United States becomes increasingly diverse, it is essential for local churches to implement educational approaches that are sensitive to issues of each ethnic person in order to effectively serve and disciple them.

An Introductory Course in Jewish Education.

Abstract: Foundations of Jewish Education is a required course for masters degree students in Jewish Education offered by the William S. Davidson School of Jewish Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. As an introduction to the theory and practice of Jewish education, it seeks to integrate theory from a wide range of fields as a way of helping students conceptualize the practice of Jewish education. Using syllabi from three different versions of the course, including an online version of it, this study identifies three central themes that animate the syllabi. The nature of the relationship between theory and practice, a key component of this course, is examined in light of the interdisciplinary orientation of the syllabi. Finally, questions about the distinctly religious dimensions of the course are raised as part of an inquiry into the implications of religious pluralism in Jewish education.

Power, Oppression, Liberation, Religious Education

Abstract: Institutions can sometimes be characterized by one word. The word for Wall Street, for instance, is money. The word for the Catholic Church is power. I first became aware of the power of the Cathol...

Elements of the School Program, As Reported by Alumni, Which Most Influence Students’ Religion

Abstract: Yeshiva high schools strive to educate and inspire their students. In addition to the formal educational curriculum, a large portion of these schools’ budget is spent on various types of programs in order to achieve these goals. The purpose of this study was to determine which elements of the high school program were perceived by students as influencing their religiosity. Three-hundred and fifty-five students completed an anonymous questionnaire, which had been developed based on 20 in depth interviews. Top responses: Judaic studies classes and individual meetings with teachers, while males listed mishmar (voluntary learning) and females chose shabbatonim (weekend retreats) as third choices.

Let Freedom Ring! Let Peace Reign!

Abstract: I grew up in the 1950s in what seemed like a peaceful White community in the Southern United States. I took certain kinds of segregation for granted, but I rankled when I heard hateful words expres...