A hermeneutic-communicative model of religious education is proposed which is grounded in a Christian anthropology. The human person is presented as a 'fragile hermeneutical space'--consisting of a radical openness to reality, an essential indeterminateness and an ability to transcend his or her own reality. This means that people have an inbuilt…

This article brings James Smith's three-volume "Cultural Liturgies" into dialogue with fieldwork in 'Midlands Madrasah', drawing out questions and points of discussion that are applicable to Christian education of children, especially within a church context. The article begins with an overview of madrasah education and the main…

Holistic sexuality education is needed in churches and seminaries to promote sexual inclusion and flourishing as well as combat sexual violence and trauma. The scholarly and pedagogical resources exist to do this work; we need an ethical commitment to integrate them across the curriculum.

Most approaches to vocational exploration present challenges to people who have more than one central cultural identity. In this article, we begin with a framework for understanding hybrid cultural identity focused on the real-life experiences of hybrid people. We then identify three predominant approaches to vocation as well as the challenges…

Almost all of the world's faiths can be found in Hong Kong, with the major religions being Buddhism and Taoism (each with over 1 million followers), Protestantism (500,000 followers), and Catholicism (389,000 followers). There are also 300,000 Muslims, 100,000 Hindus, 12,000 Sikhs, and other smaller religious communities. People in Hong Kong are…

This chapter explores tensions and opportunities for social justice work in residence life at religiously affiliated and public institutional environments.

Jewish schools educated more than 151,000 students in New York State in 2013, the last year a careful count was done. And taxpayers have a stake in how well the yeshivas are doing their jobs. The Jewish schools absorb more than $100 million a year in city government funds for things such as textbooks, special education, security, and…

This article reports findings from a sacred text scholarship project in Religious Education/Religion and Worldviews (RE/RW) lessons. In the "Texts and Teachers" project secondary school teachers found that RE became more "meta" through a more scholarly treatment of texts, and led to "leap moments" with pupils who…

This contribution offers a reflection on the theme of religious educational leadership (REL) at a time when the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is gripping society. The main question that guides the contribution is: How does one practice REL in theological education during COVID-19 and its accompanying measures? In answering this question, the…

This paper arises from our concerns regarding the documented increases in xenophobia in the UK and more widely around the world. This is evidenced by a rise in religiously motivated hate crimes, especially against Muslims and Jews. Our enquiry is into the potential religious education has to mitigate xenophobia and educational justification for it…

When Religious Education (RE) in England and Wales transitioned from Christian confessionalism to a multi-faith approach in the latter half of the twentieth century, the subject's moral aims were reasserted. In this article, we explore the moral assumptions of this transformation and map some of their connections to other theological and ethical…

Faith-based education has played a major role worldwide. In its schools, vocational centers, and universities, Catholic education tends to form an integral human person though the holistic synthesis of faith, culture, and life. Such an interrelated commitment highlights a global responsibility for the common good and a sustainable future, sharing…

The Ofsted Subject report series: Religious Education (2024) and the CoRE report (2018) critically evaluate the shortcomings of the current Religious Education (RE) curriculum in UK schools, highlighting a lack of depth and consistency that inadequately prepares students for a diverse and complex world. This paper proposes the integration of…

Global ecological crisis calls for humanity's "ecological conversion," as well as deconversion from consumerism as a faith system. Conversion involves the imagination, which suggests an important role for visual images in religious education for ecological conversion. Yet educational proposals for deconversion from consumer culture have…

This essay invites readers to consider that full inclusion in religious spaces -- including in religious education -- may demand the sacralization of sexualized bodies. Noting that minoritization and sexualization often go hand in hand, such that the bodies of women, queer and trans people, and religious and ethnic minorities, among others, are…