This text offers a critical view of approaches to the treatment of different religions in contemporary education, in order to devise approaches to teaching and learning and to formulate policies and procedures that are fair and just to all.

How should schools deal with religions in matters of curriculum, procedure and policy? As Western society becomes increasingly multicultural in character, schools must reassess the provision of religious education and look at how they might adapt in order to accommodate students' diverse experiences of plurality. This book offers a critical view of approaches to the treatment of different religions in contemporary education, in order to devise approaches to teaching and learning, and to formulate policies and procedures that are fair and just to all. Beginning with a contextual overview of the religious, social and cultural changes of the past fifty years, the book goes on to illuminate and assess six different responses to the challenges posed by religious plurality in schools. Conclusions are drawn from the various positions explored in this book, identifying what the character of religious education should be, how it should be taught and addressing the issues raised for policy, practice and research. Rethinking Religious Education and Plurality argues for a plural approach to education and will be a valuable resource for students and researchers studying courses in religious education as well as teachers, education advisers and policy makers.

Founding his argument on a close reading of St. Augustine?s De Trinitate, Keith Johnson critiques four recent attempts to construct a pluralistic theology of religions out of the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity.

In the World Library of Educationalists series, international experts themselves compile career-long collections of what they judge to be their finest pieces – extracts from books, key articles, salient research findings, major theoretical and practical contributions – so the world can read them in a single manageable volume. Readers will be able to follow the themes and strands and see how their work contributes to the development of the field. Religious Education for Plural Societies highlights key writings from Robert Jackson’s international career in education. It provides a historical perspective in relation to current debates about religious education in the UK and internationally, drawing attention to current issues of concern. Carefully selected examples explore the key themes in religious education that allow us to consider how things were, how they are now and the future for the field of study. Split into parts: empirical research; the interpretive approach to religious education pedagogy; religious education and plurality and human rights and international policy developments, Robert Jackson also provides an overview of the text in the form of a general introduction, and also introductions to each section of the book, allowing the reader a personal insight into why each piece has been chosen. Religious Education for Plural Societies allows readers to follow themes and strands across Robert Jackson’s career and see how his work has contributed to the development of the fields of religions and education. It will be of interest to all followers of Robert Jackson’s work and any reader interested in the development of religious education in the UK and internationally.

This pioneering handbook proposes an approach to pluralism that is relational, principled, and non-relativistic, going beyond banal calls for mere "tolerance." The growing religious diversity within societies around the world presents both challenges and opportunities. A degree of competition between deeply held religious/worldview perspectives is natural and inevitable, yet at the same time the world urgently needs engagement and partnership across lines of difference. None of the world’s most pressing problems can be solved by any single actor, and as such it is not a question of if but when you partner with an individual or institution that does not think, act, or believe as you do. The authors argue that religious literacy—defined as a dynamic combination of competencies and skills, continuously refined through real-world cross-cultural engagement—is vital to building societies and states of neighborly solidarity and civic fairness. Through examination, reflection, and case studies across multiple faith traditions and professional fields, this handbook equips scholars and students, as well as policymakers and practitioners, to assess, analyze, and act collaboratively in a world of deep diversity. The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

Islamic theology had to wait a long time before being granted a place in the European universities. That happened above all in German-speaking areas, and this led to the development of new theological and religious pedagogical approaches. This volume presents one such approach and discusses it from various perspectives. It takes up different theological and religious pedagogical themes and reflects on them anew from the perspective of the contemporary context. The primary focus is on contemporary challenges and possible answers from the perspective of Islamic theology and religious pedagogy. It discusses general themes like the location of Islamic theology and religious pedagogy at secular European universities. The volume also explores concrete challenges, such as the extent to which Islamic religious pedagogy can be conceptualised anew, how it should deal with its own theological tradition in the contemporary context, and how a positive attitude towards worldview and religious plurality can be cultivated. At issue here are foundations of a new interpretation of Islam that takes into account both a reflective approach to the Islamic tradition and the contemporary context. In doing so, it gives Muslims the opportunity to take their own thinking further.

There are two constants in academic and theological discourse throughout history, they are the debate around secularization and the dialogue concerning the intersection of religion and education. Each age has had its debate about modernizing forces that drive concerns of impending secularization. In this publication this theme is approached from perspectives of teachers, of students, of policy makers and situated in a politico-historical context. Aware of the fact that in today’s plural societies one sacred canopy is non-existent anymore, cracks of the sacred canopy/canopies are described, as well as ‘the light that gets in’, the possible and challenging ways out are roughly sketched.