Teaching in a public school today is far more complicated than it was in the mid-1950s. At that time, rural communities tended to be more homogeneous. Immigrants in major cities also tended to assimilate into well-established ethnic and religious neighborhoods, with each group sending their children to attend the local public school. The cultural…

The cultivation of reflective practice has become a commonly accepted goal of theological education. However, theological educators must face the challenge of teaching and assessing reflective practice. Hypothesizing that this concern is best addressed in community, the authors of this article devised a collaborative action-research project using…

This essay explores intersections among Jesuit, Quaker, and feminist theologies and pedagogies of social justice education in order to propose and elaborate an innovative theoretical and theological framework for experiential learning in religious studies that prioritizes relationality, called erotic education. This essay then applies the…

Today's Christian college students are more engaged in popular youth culture and less reflective than in the past. St. Augustine's On Christian Doctrine, Book IV, gives advice to preachers, but it can easily be adapted to apply to Christian college composition classrooms. The two main sections of the article cover how to teach and what to teach…

This paper aims to offer a "liveable" theology for the Christian teacher; that is, it seeks to articulate a theology of teaching in contemporary contexts which can serve the spiritual and faith development of Christian teachers in their vocation. A first section gives some brief account of "teaching" in the Christian theological tradition,…

At the November 2008 meeting of the American Academy of Religion, the History of Christianity section sponsored a panel around the question: "What are the key challenges, opportunities, and goals in the History of Christianity classroom today and how best should teachers respond to them?" Beginning with brief sketches of institutional context and…

The Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion is a place of hospitality and its staff the epitome of the "good host." This essay explores the meaning of hospitality, including its problematic dimensions, drawing on a number of voices and texts: Jacques Derrida's "Of Hospitality"; Henri M. Nouwen's "Reaching Out: The Three…

The article begins with two brief theoretical descriptions of a pedagogy of desire vis-a-vis the Christian Bible. The first of these is a poem; the second summarizes the conversation constituted by four quite different books: the "Confessions" by Augustine of Hippo, "Freud & Philosophy" by Paul Ricoeur, "Pedagogy of…

Discusses the importance of teaching about and laying the groundwork for religious experience in religious education. Suggests that renewed interest in religious experience is legitimate because experience is the basic dimension in religion and is lacking in many people's lives today. Describes various approaches from the past. (DK)

Southern fiction writer Flannery O'Connor once characterized the South as Christ-haunted, and having taught in the South for eight years now, I have come to appreciate O'Connor's evaluation. Most of the students I encounter understand one predominant way to practice Christian faith: assent to propositional theology. Most of them either accept this…

Discusses four fundamental issues of the "creation-science" and evolution debate: the prevalence of creation myths, an assumed scientific world view, public schools as moral supremacy battlegrounds, and the general population's scientific and religious illiteracy. Calls for free inquiry into the nature of the world's religious traditions and…

Discusses an evaluation of the Culture Bridging project, an effort to narrow differences among Native Americans, Hispanic Americans, and the broader U.S. society through Christian ministry. Reports that interviews were conducted with 36 participating families. Concludes that success for such a project requires cross-cultural cooperation,…

Identifies three great religious catenas which interpret suffering. Discusses the classical and post-modern Christian catenas. Urges religious educators to question the classical Christian beliefs concerning suffering while not abandoning the Bible through dissatisfaction. Encourages acceptance of the idea that more than traditional beliefs find…

This guide completes a 6-year American Textbook Council project on religion in the schools. An inquiry into textbook content expanded into this exposition on religion, curriculum, and character education. The guide explores the sources of moral instruction in an era when spirituality comes in many forms, and cracks in public culture are apparent.…

Acknowledges the limited extend to which modern Soviet or Russian literature has dealt with the relationship of religion and children. Provides a bibliographic essay illustrating the religious deprivation of most Russian children, how they are becoming more religious, and how this is reflected in contemporary Russian literature. (CFR)