Library - Dealing with pluralism

These suggestions build on clip 3 of the DVD and focus on the idea that Christian teachers have a positive role to play in an education system characterised by diversity and influenced by religious pluralism and secular thinking. The biblical focus is Daniel, who is suggested as a role model for the Christian teacher.

Introductory Reading

Cooling, Trevor - Commitment and indoctrination: a dilemma for Religious Education?
Comments: What is the place of religious commitment in RE teachers and does this automatically lead to indoctrination?
Bibliographic information: 2002, in Issues in Religious Education, ed. Broadbent, Lynne and Brown, Alan, Routledge
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Cooling, Trevor - Living as a Christian in the World of Religious Education
Comments: A reflection on the place of the personal faith of the teacher in fulfilling professional responsibilities.
Bibliographic information: 1992, Discernment, Vol. 6:1
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Cooling, Trevor - Slaying the Dragon of Moral Relativism
Comments: A study of the contribution of Christian values to education in a society where relativism seems to be the order of the day.
Bibliographic information: 1998, Aquila Press
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Hill, Brian - Exploring Religion in School
Comments: Although written from the Australian context, this book is a superb introduction about educatioon from a Christian perspective. Hill is retired as a professor of education who also worked as a Scripture Union schools worker. Chapter 11 is particularly relevant, but the rest of the book, especially part A, offers very insightful ideas.
Bibliographic information: 2004, Openbook
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Killingray, Margaret - various
Comments: A series of studies on Daniel. Search the LICC website to find them.
Bibliographic information: London Institute for Contemporary Christianity
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Advanced Reading

Cooling, Trevor - A Christian Vision for State Education
Comments: This discussion of the role of the Christian in Religious Education considers important issues for all Christian teachers working in state funded education systems of increasingly secularised countries like Britain.
Bibliographic information: 1994, SPCK
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Cooling, Trevor - The Challenge of Passionate Religious Commitment for School Education in a World of Religious Diversity
Comments: The author argues that those with a passionate religious commitment should not be required to keep their faith private as teachers, but should be professional in how they teach controversial issues. (At present this article is only available by purchasing the journal.)
Bibliographic information: 2007, Journal of Education and Christian Belief, Vol. 11:1
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Goheen, Michael - The Surrender and Recovery of the Unbearable Tension
Comments: A reflection on the idea that the Christian teacher is both 'in the world but not of the world' and should therefore expect to experience tension as a witness to the kingdom. (At present this article is only available by purchasing the journal.)
Bibliographic information: 2007, Journal of Education and Christian Belief, Vol. 11:1
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Hill, Brian - Mainstreaming values issues in education
Comments: A description of the remarkable process whereby Jews, Muslims and Christians negotiated a set of values as the basis for values education in Australian schools.
Bibliographic information: 2004, in Journal of Christian Education, Vol. 47:2/3. The JCE website can be found at http://www.jce.org.au
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Hill, Brian - Should the Fourth R for Generation X be S? The Religious Education of Youth in the Global Village
Comments: Hill examines various responses to educating modern youth and argues for the positive contribution that can be made by the evangelical Christian tradition.
Bibliographic information: 1999, Journal of Education and Christian Belief, Vol. 3:1
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Schwartz, James - Christians Teaching in Public Schools: what are some options?
Comments: The author offers three models for the behaviour of Christian teachers in public (i.e. state) schools and argues for what he calls the 'golden Rule, truth seeker'.
Bibliographic information: 1998, Journal of Education and Christian Belief, Vol. 2:1
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Shortt, John and Cooling, Trevor (eds) - Agenda for Educational Change
Comments: A unique collection of essays put together to explore important questions facing Christians in British schools. Part 2 is particularly relevant.
Bibliographic information: 1997, Apollos
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Work, Telford - Education as Mission
Comments: The author proposes that education is a context for cross-cultural mission using the encounter at Antioch in Acts 11 as a metaphor. (At present this article is only available by purchasing the journal.)
Bibliographic information: 2007, Journal of Education and Christian Belief, Vol. 11:1
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