This paper takes up concepts from John Henry Newman's work to support contemporary educational personalism. Newman's ideas are developed in light of his sharp critique of the pragmatic educational model. This essay focuses on the transcendence assigned to the theological and philosophical foundations of Newman's pedagogical ideas, as well as on…

Liberal arts courses sometimes face the question of whether core texts can actually 'educate character' or 'care for the soul' in the Socratic sense. The "Bhagavadgita" addresses these issues from a Hindu perspective. But at the same time, the educational function of a religious core text changes decisively when transposed into a liberal…

Augustine's thought is deeply embedded in his religious experiences. He reflects on the encounter with the Divine as an encounter with an (extra)sensory reality. He makes use of Aesthetic categories in order to describe his religious experience. This article presents a way of thinking about the intertwinement of religious education and Aesthetic…

Much attention has been given to interreligious dialogue in recent decades. However, less attention has been devoted to models that support citizenship through Islamic religious education in secondary education. Based on Lipman's Philosophy for Children, Hashim developed the Hikmah model. This model contributes to cognitive, social, and affective…

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…

The political theology of Rev. John Witherspoon (1723-1794) had a profound impact on the development of ideas on religion and government during the Founding Period as a prominent educator, clergyman, and signatory of the Declaration of Independence. This paper uncovers the far-reaching impact of Witherspoon's political theology during America's…

This article aims to argue that worldview is a useful concept in religious education because of its encompassing character. In the first part of the article three essential characteristics of "worldview" are distinguished: "worldview" includes religious and secular views; a distinction between organized and personal worldviews…

Diverse societies face increasing racial tension, social divide, religious illiteracy, and secularism. What role can education play in confronting these challenges? Universities generate scientific knowledge but less so the search for meaning. Worldview studies encompasses both views of life and ways of life. Exploring various worldviews becomes a…

Internationally, student well-being is emerging as a core concern in the field of education. This article articulates an interdisciplinary perspective on well-being and examines the relationship between religion and well-being as advanced by three recent international studies. It highlights the relationship between religion and spiritual…

This paper explores the function of teachers' witnessing of faith in worldview education in the context of diversity in the classroom. Pollefeyt described three teaching roles for hermeneutical-communicative worldview education: moderator, specialist, and witness. These roles aim to support students in their personal worldview identity…

Pope Francis incarnates a praxis of encounter in an age of polarization. For Francis, encounter entails displacement, dialog, and discernment. Relational pedagogy illuminates the fecundity of relationships between the teacher and student at the heart of education. Nel Noddings, preeminent proponent of relational pedagogy, grounds an ethics of care…

There could hardly be a more auspicious, if not urgent, time for renewing our commitment to the deep values in education. With reference to the United States, consider the ongoing pressure on educators to treat their work, and to regard themselves, as mere appendages of the economic system. Consider also the fractured, polarized state of public…

Constructivism and constructionism are two distinct epistemologies. Yet, within religious education many have tended to use these terms interchangeably or as being complementary to one another. This article provides conceptual clarity in relation to both epistemologies by comparing each in terms of their origins and epistemological premises, their…

After an elaboration of the paradigm shift concerning religious education in Europe, we will give a critical presentation of the Belgian and Flemish system of religious education. The article continues with a discussion of diverse proposals to change the religious education system in Flanders, and concludes that the introduction of an independent,…

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…