Tim Abbott

Research confirms that young people want good RE

Into the current debate on the place of RE in the 'English Baccalaureate' (see REact) Robert Jackson, Professor of Education at the University of Warwick and Director of Warwick Religions and Education Research Unit, has responded to David Cameron's speech in Munich where he spoke on multiculturalism, security and religion. In particular, he highlights the desires of young people for more and better qualitiy education on these issues, and particularly on the role of religious education. This extract is from an overview article in ekklesia:

Professor Jackson cites European research – notably the European Commission Project on Religion, Education, Dialogue and Conflict (REDCo) among 14-16 year olds in eight countries, with which he was involved – as demonstrating the desire of young people for a 'safe space' within the school curriculum to explore different beliefs in a thoughtful way.

He declares: "Mr Cameron might give some careful attention to their views. First, the majority of students surveyed wish for peaceful coexistence across differences, and believe this to be possible. Second, they believe that peaceful coexistence depends on knowledge about each other’s religions and worldviews and sharing common interests as well as doing things together."

The research also shows that "students who learn about religious diversity in school are more willing to have conversations about religions/beliefs with students of other backgrounds than those who do not... They want learning to take place in a ‘safe’ classroom environment ... They want teachers to combine expertise in the study of religions and social and cultural issues with expertise as facilitators of discussion and exchange."

"Students do not want to be told what to believe," stresses Professor Jackson, "but would like the state-funded school to be a place for learning about different religions, and for clarifying their own views."

The original article by Robert Jackson is here.

The full REDCo report is here (pdf) and there are some compelling research findings from students, some cited in the extract above, as well as policy recommendations. It's only 4 pages long and succinct.

More info about REDCo here and here

I wonder...

I often wonder what God thinks about those who think they know the most about God.

(Inspired by some musings by Banksyboy on the current Rob Bell debate/fight)

Celebrating RE

Today marks the beginning of Celebrating RE month with a load of great ideas and resources on the website.

Perhaps coincidentally (?) this comes at a time when RE is under threat through the introduction of the English Baccalaureate. This seeks to encourage a broader approach to qualifications beyond the "Five GCSE's" target of previous years, by stipulating that the five must include English, maths, a science, a language – modern or ancient – and a humanities subject to qualify for the award of the EBacc. Unfortunately, by implication this devalues a range of subjects that won't count towards it, including some science and language courses and also RE, which will no longer count as a 'humanity' subject for the purposes of the EBacc.

The value of Religious Education is therefore being vigorously debated at the moment, and especially the contribution it makes to understanding different religions and cultures in a modern pluralist society. Religious faith, whether personal or encountered in others, and the existential experience of many people, are a formative part of everyday life. The philosophical and academic skills that RE encourages in young people are different to those encountered in other subjects and are therefore vital to the development of the whole person

In response to the marginalising of RE in the English Baccalaureate, REact is raising the profile of and making the case for RE. Read the case for the role of RE here and sign up to suport the campaign here.

Possibilians vs Agnostics

Possibilians vs Agnostics by Kevin Kelly picks up on Neuroscientist David Eagleman's new religious vocabulary for the belief state between Atheism and religious faith including a link to Eagleman's 20 minute talk at Pop!Tech.

To me, this gives language to the way many (young) people approach the problem of not knowing for sure if there's a God. It's about a fascination with the questions, rather than simply deciding not to decide.

 

Doing God in Education

Theos, the public theology think tank, have just published Doing God in Education, written by Professor Trevor Cooling, the Director of the National Institute for Christian Education Research at Canterbury Christ Church University.

The report is a response to the argument that education should keep faith out of school because of the belief that human knowledge and rationality are objective and therefore independent of the “clutter” of religious beliefs. Whilst this view has a veneer of common sense, it excludes the life and faith experiences of huge numbers of people whose knowledge of what it means to be human have been constructed from within a belief framework, nurtured into a worldview from the earliest age. Instead of excluding god from education, Professor Cooling argues for an inclusivist approach that recognises the contribution that can be made when diverse worldviews are regarded as a precious resource.

He writes:

“Doing God” is therefore a strategy for promoting inclusive education that draws on people’s beliefs in the cause of the common good, in contrast to the anti-inclusive strategy of excluding God, which implicitly indoctrinates pupils into the idea that religion is “the problem”. On this view public theology, understood as religious communities developing positive theologies that enable them to contribute as full partners in public life, should be actively encouraged in the cause of the common good.

Shane Claiborne in Esquire magazine

Esquire magazine asks Shane Claiborne to address those who don't believe.

He begins by apologising:

"To all my nonbelieving, sort-of-believing, and used-to-be-believing friends: I feel like I should begin with a confession. I am sorry that so often the biggest obstacle to God has been Christians. Forgive us for the embarrassing things we have done in the name of God."

Then he moves onto the good news:

"I want to invite you to consider that maybe the televangelists and street preachers are wrong — and that God really is love. Maybe the fruits of the Spirit really are beautiful things like peace, patience, kindness, joy, love, goodness, and not the ugly things that have come to characterize religion, or politics, for that matter.
The Bible that I read says that God did not send Jesus to condemn the world but to save it... it was because "God so loved the world." That is the God I know, and I long for others to know."

h/t: Banksy

5 Deeply De-Christian Doctrines Meme

Joe tagged me with this so I thought I ought to play ball and join in.

List 5 doctrines that are taught within the Christian church that you believe to be deeply de-Christian.

I will interpret 'taught' in it's broad sense. Some of these things may not be preached from the pulpit, but are often taught by what we do. Also, I'm pretty much on the same page as Joe with the five things he listed so the pressure is on to find another five.

1. The longer / louder your prayer the more likely it is that God will hear it.

2. When Jesus said 'make disciples'; he had in mind a teaching series delivered by an expert

3. That holiness is more about what I do than what God does

4.The body of Christ looks like a (our?) church rather than the church (with all her faults, diversity and character)

5. That running a business is less spiritual than running a church / Christian organisation

Most of the people I might have tagged seem to be on a blog holiday however, should they wish to join in, for perhaps a more youth work tinted view I tag Ian, Sarah and Alice.

I once was a Buddhist nun

Esther Baker grew up in a home hostile to Christianity and the church. A passionate seeker after the truth, she followed a passing interest in several faiths and worldviews, before finally arriving at Buddhism. Her journey took her to various parts of Asia leading her eventually to ordination as a Buddhist nun in an English monastery.  It was there that God started to make himself known to Esther, stirring her spirit to seek him.

It was Good Friday, and suddenly, for the first time in my life, I really wanted to know what had happened to Jesus that day. It wasn’t rational; I can’t explain why I suddenly wanted to know.

God continued to bring people across her path who, each in their own small way, nudged Esther towards him. An encounter with some Christians protesting outside an inter-faith gathering at Canterbury Cathedral began to sow seeds of doubt about whether Buddhism was really the truth. She started helping an elderly Anglican nun who lived in the village. A visitor spoke enthusiastically about a programme she had seen on TV in which a lady called Jackie Pullinger prayed for drug addicts in the name of Jesus and saw them released from addiction. One night, the abbott of the monastery showed a video of this programme. The impact on Esther was almost overwhelming and all the more remarkable in that no one else in the monastery seemed to have been moved by it. She felt devastated and confused with a battle going on in her soul.

One sleepless night, in desperation, I called out to God. “God, if you are real, please come.” And God came! After I had prayed I felt a sense of peace and well-being flooding my heart and body. This was the first time I had invited God to touch my own life, invited him in and asked for his help. I knew he had answered my prayer.

Over a period of several months, during which time she was able to spend more time with Christians, Esther’s inner turmoil resolved to a new commitment to Christ, and the knowledge that she needed to disrobe as a nun and leave Buddhism. In time God led her to work with Jackie Pullinger in Hong Kong, ministering in exactly the same way that she had first seen on the video in the monastery. She now works in Thailand, a country steeped in Buddhism, where she is involved in a ministry of healing and discipleship helping to build the church and, in her own words, “helping to make the bride of Christ more beautiful and more ready for him.”

Esther writes in a straightforward and very readable style, her own story effectively interwoven with clear teaching about Theravada Buddhism and Christianity. This is a book about the impact that these two faiths have had on one person’s life - the testimony of a journey and a search for truth. It is as honest about the Buddhism that she abandoned as the Christianity that she embraced and I would have no hesitation in recommending it to someone who was dabbling in Buddhism but still searching, or, for that matter, anyone interested to know whether God is real.

I once was a Buddhist nun - Esther Baker: IVP

Fake and real protests from Christians

Phil Cooke reports on a Christian protest that wasn't.  Video game maker Electronic Arts staged a fake Christian protest to market a new third person action game, "Dante's Inferno" hiring in actors with placards and setting up a fake Christian website.

If ever the sub-culture of Christian protest needed a wake up call, perhaps this is it. If our most potent protests achieve so much free publicity for the very thing we find offensive (and I don't deny that some things are genuinely offensive to Christians) perhaps it's time to look again at how we make our feelings known in public. I wonder what really makes a positive difference to people outside the church, a big protest about something, or lots of Christians getting together to do something that will be a blessing to their area. I know which one I'd rather be involved in.

So where does that leave the sticky issue of things that happen that really are offensive to most Christians? If I'm to follow the way of Jesus, I can't help feeling he didn't leave me much useful advice about how to protest effectively, though he did mention that we are blessed when people have a go at us.

Perhaps the trouble is that when we protest in public we end up looking worse than the thing we're protesting about. The protests organised by Steven Green and Christian Voice was the best gift of free publicity that Jerry Springer: The Opera could have wished for. So it's no wonder that the marketing industry has finally cottoned on to the immense promotional power of a big Christian protest.

I expect we'll see a few more of these 'fake Christian' protest things. And I wouldn't be at all surprised if some marketing companies now work to deliberately stir up a Christian protest in advance of the launch of a new product. After all, that would achieve all the same marketing objectives at even lower cost. Where does that leave real Christians who are genuinely offended by something that strikes at our faith and at the Biblical world view?

If we shout at the world about things we find offensive, like standing in a big crowd all pointing at an abomination and saying, "Look at that," it should come as no surprise that people take a greater interest in the thing we're pointing at.
May I suggest that the best alternative to shouting at the world is a conversation with the person next to us. They're more likely to listen, to dialogue, to think about the issues and perhaps even to agree with us

Imagine - no religion

Connecticut Valley Atheists, fed up with so many Christian displays at Christmas, have responded with their own thought for Christmas. Their three sided billboard in the town park of Vernon has a picture of the Twin Towers with the message, "Imagine, no religion".

See the full story here.

Tricky, this one. 'People of faith', both Christian and Muslim, are sensing persecution. But I'm inclined towards the view that this is simply freedom of speech and tells us about the views of Connecticut Valley Atheists. It's foolish to try to pretend that any of our traditions, Christian, Muslim or atheist are innocent of wrongdoing and atrocity. I'm getting a little tired of the ongoing gainsaying about whether Christianity or atheism is responsible for the worst wrongs against humanity, as if winning this argument will somehow prove that our way is right. Really all that's happening is that we're trying to show we're the least bad!

Supposedly in the name of Christ people have done terrible things. They were wrong, even if sincerely wrong - no excuses. Perhaps we need to say sorry sooner, more often, a bit more readily, and more clearly. Real people of faith do. Those with political agendas in religious wrappers don't.

Over at Christians confess you'll find that it's quite possible for Christians to say sorry.