This paper presents findings from a recent study investigating young children's (aged 10-11) conceptions of Jesus in England. The overall picture revealed by the study is that whilst there was a general assent amongst pupils in our sample towards an ethical and humanistic conception of the historical Jesus, there was less of a consensus about…

Papers for the 2006 Religious Education Association Conference explored the power of stories--the Qur'an stories of Islam, the power of traditional Korean folk stories to shape values, how story informs Christian baptism, and a discussion of the Confucian stories that continue to shape many cultures in Asia. Other papers challenged the power of…

In the way of Catholic Education, young people are engaged to experience God. Although the authors' reflections are written from the Catholic faith perspective, they feel the suggestions offered for educators to engage the human spirit could be extended to various faith communities or audiences. These suggestions were coalesced from their personal…

Rudolf Steiner and Ken Wilber claim that human consciousness is evolving beyond the "formal", abstract, intellectual mode toward a "post-formal", integral mode. Wilber calls this "vision-logic" and Steiner calls it "consciousness/spiritual soul". Both point to the emergence of more complex, dialectical,…

The church has a great responsibility to minister and provide a place where children can experience the love of God. The spiritual journey of children is often nurtured in the Sunday school room, Bible class, or some other church setting. Under the best of circumstances, this journey is a formable task. One must consider the challenges that arise…

David Carr argues that the intelligibility of spiritual development as an educational activity is dependent upon there being a framework of propositions that relates to spiritual experience and that there is a methodology for establishing their truth. These propositions and the accompanying methodology need to be constructed along the lines of a…

This article presents the author's experience of James Fowler's theory of faith development, from her first exposure to the idea in 1973 until the present. She cites Fowler?s consistent emphasis on the necessity and significance of conversation among religious communities. Throughout his research, Fowler has had to acknowledge its plurality and…

A research study surveyed 946 volunteers from congregations who were actively involved in community service, as well as 3,959 other congregational attenders who were not involved in volunteer service, to understand the relationship between service learning and faith development. Findings show that service-learning is powerfully related to a mature…

This article makes the case that Christian school counselors should be more directly engaged in student spiritual formation. To accomplish this aim, the historical context for the discussion is first explored, followed by a review of contemporary medical and psychological research associating a positive spirituality with healthy functioning across…

For collegians, cocurricular opportunities (that is, experiences outside the classroom) are plentiful. Tossing Frisbees, socializing in town pubs, or attending an evangelical worship service are three examples from the wide range of cocurricular options that college students have for augmenting their academic pursuits. Many new collegians hit the…

Survey data provided by 361 headteachers regarding religious education provision at Key Stages one and two within schools in Wales are modelled to distinguish between three main approaches to religious education, characterised as concerned with spiritual development, world religions, and Christian nurture. No differences in emphasis on these three…

Finding mentors who will both support and challenge a teacher to grow is key to that teacher's ability to claim his or her calling as one who teaches and empowers others to join in their faith journeys as life-long learners. The author believes that religious educators must continually hone their skills to read the contexts where they teach as…

A questionnaire to assess views about spiritual development was completed by 112 of the 174 head teachers of church primary schools in Wales. The findings indicated that despite the seemingly ambiguous nature of the term "spiritual development", head teachers had clear views about its meaning. While most head teachers emphasised the need…

I begin this paper with a caveat. I am not a Catholic, having been baptized in the Eastern Orthodox Church and confirmed in the Episcopal Church. I came to Catholic education in 1995 when I was hired by Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Maryland, where I began teaching in the Department of Philosophy. I have learned much about the …

There are enduring features to the human condition and to Christian faith, and thus to the challenge of integrating these two. In this article, the author shares learned wisdom with beginning religious educators. He emphasizes seven important aspects of religious education: (1) Attending to one's own growth toward holiness of life; (2) Being clear…