An attempt was made to describe the experience of Christian religious education for its participants. This research is both ethnographic and hermeneutic. Thick descriptions gathered from ethnographic methods like participant observation, in-depth interviews, and journal keeping served as text for analysis. Weekly visits of one to four hours were…

By the time SABC TV became operational in January 1976 in South Africa, television had already been firmly established in most overseas countries. Therefore prior to the introduction of television there was the opportunity to do research work to determine the effects of television on society. Between 1974 and 1981 the Institute for Communication…

Analyses the effect of religious schools on the moral education of English secondary school students. Derives four scales to measure students' general religious attitudes, specific Catholic beliefs, specific Jewish beliefs, and secular morality. Concludes that religious schools produce stronger, more uniform attitudes toward religion and morality…

This study is a compendium of information regarding the policy and practice of religious education in publicly-funded schools in each of the provinces and territories of Canada, in England, the United States, Australia, and with less detail, in several countries of Western Europe. Most information was acquired from published sources, but letters…

Religious services and programs have been a feature of U.S. broadcasting since regularly-scheduled radio began in the 1920s. With the emergence of television, broadcast religion is more pervasive than ever before. It has also become the focus of debate over its role in United States politics. Televangelism is best regarded as a dialogue between…

This paper reviews First Amendment federal court cases pertaining to religion in schools, suggesting that the findings reveal a judiciary uncertain of where to strike a balance between the interests of the majority and the rights of the minority. The first area discussed is public aid to private schools. The cases covered in this discussion…

Examines religious traditions--Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, and Western Christianity--to see how women were taught and what knowledge was transmitted to them. Notes that women have always had some access to religious knowledge in informal ways but were excluded from formal education once sacred knowledge became transmitted in an…

Considers the role of lay vocation (here broadly defined as the servanthood of nonordained persons within and without the church) in everyday life and religious education. Discusses the relationship between lay vocation and the holiness movement, a perfectionist doctrine that arose in U.S. Protestantism in the late 19th century. (MJP)

Maintains that spirituality, by reason of its very nature and essence, is antithetical to the goals of state education. Argues that efforts to define spirituality as separate from religion are disingenuous and driven by a specific political agenda. Discusses the conflicting goals of spirituality and secular institutionalization. (MJP)

Explores the sense in which U.S. Catholic schools can be considered a faith community by administering questionnaires to 1,204 Catholic school students. Compares attitudes and mass attendance of practicing and nonpracticing Catholics, non-Catholics, and their parents. Correlates student mass attendance with positive attitudes toward Catholic…

Articulates an ethical and theological basis for ethnographic research in faith communities. Interviews with nine ethnographers reveal that both research and researcher are changed by the research act. Argues that ethnography is an opportunity for ministry that is empowering and educational. (MJP)

Argues that too often liturgy and religious education posit an idyllic notion of the reign of God and fail to address the injustice, oppression, and violence endemic to much of modern life. This amounts to a dichotomy between the sacred and the secular. Proposes several corrective measures. (MJP)

Examines and defines the world of play for children and considers what lessons and applications this might have for adults and their spirituality. Particularly notes that the "what-if" and "as-if" dimensions of play can be used as energizing and liberating aspects of a more active adult spirituality. (MJP)

Argues against the limited definition of spiritual education as strictly concerned with the mystical and transcendental. Maintains that a broader application of spiritual education can and should be offered. Asserts that this application needs to be developed in terms of curricular objectives and assessment. (MJP)

Examines the ways in which African Americans link personal stories with biblical and heritage stories to decide future life directions. Maintains that these activities help people develop a spirituality of hope and restore relational contexts for storytelling and story listening in an age where these contexts have disappeared. (MJP)