Inspiring Faith in Schools Studies in Religious Education

Inspiring Faith in Schools addresses the privileging of secularism that appears to affect RE in countries influenced by modern western thought. The authors argue that a more engaging form of RE would emerge if religious life were to inhabit centre stage. Currently religious faith is made to hover in the wings awaiting the call to face the inquisitorial challenge of the modern day enquirer. The consequent relationship between pupil and the Divine as the purpose of study is then already intrinsically irreligious, as indicated in the Book of Job by putting God in the dock, whereas it is the pupil who should be (cross-)examining his or her life. What are the ways of exciting and engaging the young so that they begin to entertain the possibility of religious life as a genuine option for themselves? Leading scholars in philosophy and theology from the UK, Australia, Canada and the USA come together to address these questions together with RE experts. Marius Felderhof writes an Afterword summing up the challenges faced by such a re-visioning of RE.

Part 1 Part 1; Chapter 1 Secularism, Schools and Religious Education, Brenda Watson; Chapter 2 Understanding, Belief and Truth, Joe Houston; Chapter 3 Confession and Reason, Ieuan Lloyd; Chapter 4 Religious Education and Committed Openness, Elmer Thiessen; Chapter 5 Religious Education in Australia and New Zealand, Grant Maple; Part 2 Part 2; Chapter 6 Religious Education from Spens to Swann, Penny Thompson; Chapter 7 Religious Education and the Misrepresentation of Religion, Philip Barnes; Chapter 8 Religious Education, Atheism and Deception, Marius Felderhof; Chapter 9 Can ‘Skills’ Help Religious Education?, William K. Kay; Chapter 10 Is there Anything Religious about Religious Education Any More?, Joe Fleming; Part 3 Part 2; Chapter 11 Dismembering and Remembering Religious Education, John Sullivan; Chapter 12 On the Grammar of Religious Discourse and Education, David Carr; Chapter 13 Religious Education through the Language of Religion, Iris Yob; Chapter 14 Religious Education and Liberal Nurture, Andrew Wright; Chapter 15 Crossing the Divide?, Jeff Astley; Afterword, M.C. Felderhof;

Marius Felderhof is Senior Lecturer in Systematic and Philosophical Theology at the University of Birmingham, UK. Penny Thompson is a Freelance Writer and Researcher in Religious Education. David Torevell is a member of the Theology, Religion and Philosophy Department at Liverpool Hope University, UK.