Asserts that, for catechists, being a "faith sharer" is more important than merely imparting knowledge. Presents guidelines that may assist catechists in developing a program that builds both knowledge and character: (1) teach responsibility; (2) encourage self-discipline, independently and as a community; and (3) care for others. (EMH)

Contends that to help children grow up to be people of faith, both parishes and parents have to do more than what was done in past generations. Emphasizes the importance of family catechesis--both the informal catechesis that happens in the home and the formal catechesis that parishes plan and facilitate. (VWC)

Discusses St. John Baptist de La Salle and his belief that teachers were called by God, through baptism, to view their role in the life of the school as a ministry, not just as a job. Suggests "Lasallian schools" as a model for preparing teachers to touch the minds and hearts of children entrusted to them. (VWC)

In this article, Julia Ipgrave takes the idea of inclusion beyond the field of special educational needs to incorporate the needs of children with different faith backgrounds in the religious education (RE) class. She recommends that teachers respect the integrity of their pupils' faith backgrounds by making room for the children's own experiences…

This essay, utilizing the "kaleidoscope" image of historian Timothy Smith, reflects on issues affecting evangelical identity and boundaries in the major professional association for Christian higher education, the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU). Since the CCCU was birthed by a smaller organization, the Christian College…

Until comparatively recently, the survival and success of Church of England and Roman Catholic schools within the English dual system was not given much attention by liberal commentators. However, the general popularity of faith schools among parents and their particular role within current government policy has encouraged the Church of England to…

This article presents the author's response to Joseph Reimer's article titled, "Beyond More Jews Doing Jewish: Clarifying the Goals of Informal Jewish Education." The author discusses the "role" of teacher, which includes: engaging students in an academic subject each teacher has mastered, mentoring a particular small group of students about the…

This article discusses the dearth of qualitative and quantitative research in "Religious Education." There is a growing concern in educational journals that the field must respond to the needs of practitioners and publish what has been called "really useful knowledge" (Johnson 1988, 21-22). In "Religious Education," 86.5% of the published articles…

This paper addresses the question of how can teachers promote an interreligious dialogue at a "grassroots" level. The document suggests teaching about another religion, such as Buddhism, as a belief system while deepening the students' understanding of their own religious traditions. After expressing concerns that the issues may be too complex and…

This publication completes the series that focuses on the five groups of persons involved in the educational "ministry" of the Catholic school. Based on a survey of pastors and diocesan and archdiocesan superintendents of concerns related to the pastor and his role within the school community, this essay discusses seven areas of pastoral concern…

Jewish studies have split into two camps. The one camp is the ethnic and the other is the academic. The crisis of ethnic studies arose because the ethnics ignored the disciplines of the academy, and because the academy found a way to segregate the ethnics. (MLW)

Discusses the need for specialized reference works in a Catholic high school library and suggests materials in the following categories: (1) general reference sources; (2) Bibles and other scriptural tools; (3) world religious resources; (4) reference works on religion in American; and (5) morality references. Five references are listed. (MES)

Proposes three understandings of spirituality and examines how they challenge religious educators. Stating that spirituality can be understood as a common human yearning and experience, as a developmental reality, and as a discipline involving the whole person, the author concludes that people cannot ignore their relationship to nature and to the…

Discusses adolescent spiritual development using the three traditional stages in Catholic spiritual heritage (the purgative, illuminative, and unitive). Suggests specific strategies for helping young people "progress" or move to higher levels in their spirituality. (GEA)

Describes a Catholic high school science unit on the origins of energy, matter, stars, planets, and life. Explains how the three- to four-week unit seeks to promote a unifying vision of science and religion, physics and biology, art and chemistry, education and living. (DMM)