Abstract
This book is a collection of 16 chapters that address a very specific situation, namely Religious Education (RE) in English (and possibly Welsh) state-funded schools where multi-faith teaching appropriate for pupils from both religious and non-religious backgrounds is required. The editors invited sixteen ‘emerging and established leaders’ to each contribute their manifesto for the future of RE in this context. It is clear both from the Foreword by Professor Linda Woodhead and from the editors’ introductions that the book is aimed at a context where traditional religious belief declines in influence and where RE exists in an ‘epistemic and pedagogical twilight zone’ (p. 19). The book’s timing is significant, as it was published in November 2017, presumably to coincide with the publication of the interim report from the influential Commission on RE that is charged with the task of undertaking a major review of the subject. A number of footnotes reveal that many of the chapters were still being written in May 2017, meaning that the publishers and editors must have worked very hard to meet a November publication date. They are to be congratulated on this.
The book is divided into two parts. The first, entitled Context, has seven chapters which range from a pan-European perspective critiquing the impact of economic and instrumentalist priorities on education to a detailed argument for change in the legal arrangements that govern RE in England. Included in the other five are: a reflection on the contribution that RE makes in Catholic schools; a proposal from two Church of England advisers for a new three-fold approach based on theology, philosophy, and the social sciences; and a powerful plea from a Dharmic specialist for a shift in focus from RE emphasizing what it means to be a person of religious faith to learning what it means to be part of the human race, considered from multiple perspectives with a new emphasis on meaning, value, and purpose. There is also a passionate contribution from a leading Jewish educator arguing that RE as it is currently understood must be abandoned, including the notion that pupils should ‘“learn from” religion’, ‘an obsolete leftover from a bygone age’ (p. 33).
The second part, entitled Futures, consists of eight chapters which advocate ways to nurture deep learning in RE. These include three chapters that reflect on pedagogy, one that reflects on the relationship between research and the classroom, and one that considers the impact of the digital turn on RE teaching. Two chapters focus on the contemporary challenge that religion poses in English society, with one considering the role of RE in addressing extremism and the other looking at free speech through the lens of RE as ‘safe space’. Of particular interest to this journal’s readers will be Derek Holloway’s chapter. As the Church of England’s national adviser, Holloway expounds the notion of generous hospitality as the underpinning approach to RE in Anglican church schools. Finally, the section ends with a postscript from a newcomer to the RE profession who expresses his bewilderment at the current agonised navel-gazing of the RE community in England seeking to work out the purpose of its subject.
I have only one quibble with this book: what seems to me to be the arbitrary structure of two parts. Rather what it offers is one treasure chest with many different jewels. As far as this reviewer is concerned, there were no dud chapters—which is a remarkable achievement on the part of both authors and editors. Having emphasised that, I do want to mention briefly what I thought was the jewel in the crown, namely Richard Kueh’s chapter in part 1. In this chapter, Kueh argues that the challenge RE must step up to is identifying exactly what is the knowledge it confers. In this way alone, he argues, can RE meet the demand for intellectual rigour. Kueh’s advocacy of ‘powerful knowledge’ certainly made this reviewer take notice.
This is a very important book, indeed perhaps one of the most significant contributions to the debate about RE in schools that I have read for a decade. Why do I think this? Three reasons. First, it is a timely contribution to a debate about the purpose of RE in England at a point in its history when many are questioning its educational value and academic credibility. Second, the chapters are, without exception, worth reading and offer a variety of stimulating perspectives. I am confident that there is at least one jewel in the crown for every reader. Third, in being a case study of the contribution that teaching religion makes to education in modern, diverse and belief-complex societies, the book offers a significant stimulus for a wider audience. It offers valuable food for thought for Christian educators across the globe.