Despite the Religious Education Association (REA)'s founding vision as an interfaith association, for most of its first fifty years it remained a largely Protestant organization. Under Herman Wornom's leadership as general secretary from 1952 to 1970, the REA began more fully to fulfill its aims of becoming more broadly inclusive. Through Wornom's…

In this article, Yaccov Katz describes Israel as a unique country housing a population that has increased ten-fold since independence in 1948. It is a country composed of Jews and Arabs, veterans, and immigrants hailing from over 100 countries throughout the world. On the one hand, Israel has a population of secular Jews who profess to be Jewish…

In "Education, liberation and the church," Paulo Freire uses the metaphor of "apprenticeship" to describe a form of liberative education for people of faith who begin to discover the ways in which they benefit from the systemic oppression of other human beings. As depicted in ten oral history interviews conducted with the…

Children and young people have the inalienable right to be part of a learning community. Nobody can learn on his/her own. Education is always a communal enterprise. In this article the concept of the "spiritual learning community" is developed as a contemporary answer to the socioeducational issues raised by Martin Buber and John Dewey…

Reflection on the Holocaust is still critical today to help all educators teach their students about good and evil in the world today. In particular, reflection on the Holocaust is crucial for religious educators to help people know and name God, as well as help them deal with questions of theodicy, within their everyday life experiences. This…

This article considers Religious Education (RE) from the perspective of socialization theory. After clarifying the concept of socialization, an understanding of socialization processes, requiring the simultaneous development of both a personal and a social identity, is linked with RE. The development of both a personal and a social identity calls…

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,…

Starting his work as endowed Hendrik Pierson Professor for Christian Education at VU University Amsterdam in 1993 the author focused on the relationship of education, pedagogy, and religion. However, his attention was rather exclusively directed to Protestant schools. The argument was that in academia at that time, even in the faculties of…

Color-blind racism develops when persons ignore color in people and see them simply as individuals. As persons of color in racialized societies such as the United States are unequally treated on account of their color, the issue becomes a matter of faith and religious experience as religious leaders and educators, who disregard color, overlook…

Islam, as one of the most important religions of the world, has particular and significant educational views. The purpose of this article is to extract and interpret Islam's view of education. Using classic texts and the author's scholarship, Islamic education is defined as a form of religious education drawing humans near to God and God's…

Discusses the origins and nature of the phenomenological approach to the study of religion. Examines the way in which this approach has become accepted as a suitable methodology for religious education. Argues that certain features of this approach are untenable in the light of recent work in the philosophy of language and mind. (CAJ)

This article reports on a case study of a women's prayer and Bible study group that has met for over forty years. The report focuses on factors contributing to the group's longevity and vitality over time, how it changed over the years, and its impact on the lives of the women who participated in it. It also addresses how this long-term group…

Maintains that the mental "playground" of young people, the field of opportunities where they learn to grow into the person they are uniquely destined to become, has shrunk dramatically. Reflects on three models for youth ministry and religious education that can respond to this phenomenon. (MJP)

Explores recent theoretical works in language, identity, culture, and implications for cultural ethnic education, specifically Jewish education. Argues that these works can help educators interested in the creative and participatory development of Jewish and other ethnic religious groups to rethink the content and processes of their educational…

Discusses the increasingly multicultural nature of California's population. Questions whether multiculturalism can be incorporated into Christian education. Provides a checklist of multicultural religious education programs divided into knowledge, skill, and attitude components. (CFR)