Book Review : Reading, Writing & Religion II Essay

As Christians, we are called to evangelize people and to engage all people in the redemptive plan of God; in order to fulfill his purpose it is necessary to share our knowledge of God´s word in congregations and secular life. Despite didact techniques has been evolving for centuries providing us many different pedagogy strategies, it is still a challenge for Christian educators to teach facts from cultural or historical context alien to the context of their students. In his article "The Christian Story and Our Stories: Narrative Pedagogy in Congregational Life", Benjamin D. Espinoza, who possesses an M.A. from Asbury Theological Seminary, explains the characteristics and creative ways to apply narrative pedagogy effectively in religious and secular areas of life (Espinoza 443).

Prothero, Stephen. Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know - and Doesn't. New York, NY: Harper Collins, 2008.

With reference to Peta Goldburg’s (2012) Transforming religious education: Implications from the Second Vatican Council, the following discussion will review and critique the important religious education approaches that has had an impact on the Catholic schooling system for the past fifty years, and also help shape the contemporary classroom we teach in today.

The 1987 case Edwards v. Aguillard requires any religiously-related instruction to have ?a clear secular purpose? [482 U.S. 578]. The legislation addressed in this case?the Creationism

Sitting in a classroom filled with several maps of the world, vast spines of colorful books, and watching the clock hit the next hour, there is nothing more that a seven-year-old would rather do than be stuck sitting in a desk for eight hours of the day. Looking back to when I was young and learning about the history and background of the church, I was illiterate. According to Bud Heckman’s definition, “religious literacy is the understanding of the profound role that religions plays in human social, cultural, and political life in both contemporary and historical contexts” (2).  Learning about religion seemed

In recent years teaching or the individual practice of religion in school has become a very controversial topic. There are many different views on this matter and even more opinions on how it should be handled. There are people on both sides of the spectrum, there are those who believe that it should be taught and allowed in school, and there are those who believe it should not be taught or practiced in school. There have been cases brought to court about how religion should be taken out of schools, or if it should be allowed. There are many differences that cause concern between public schools and private or religious schools regarding education. For example, could it be that single – sex schools (which are only seen in private

From John Winthrop to Martin Luther King Jr., the Bible has shaped much of our government and history. As the best selling book of all time that is often referenced in politics and daily life, both liberals and conservatives argue that it is imperative that students know about the text in order to better understand intellectual conversation. Many literary references to the text are also found in Western culture; therefore, it is

Christianity has a history of being laced with education in the United States. From colonization of the United States with Christian textbooks, to laws written to maintain Christianity in schools, and to now with Supreme Court cases banning Christianity from schools; it has always been a persistent force in America's education. The foundation of the entanglement of religion and education began with the creation of the nation’s first universities. After that, laws were mandated to maintain the religious mix, like the Northwest Ordinance. Significantly, the New England Primer and the McGuffey Readers were the basis of all basic education, as the religious contents influenced multitudes of American generations. Supreme Court cases have proven

Although hollywood movies are well known for their secular nature, The book of eli is an exception. The scenes in which Eli defends the Book(the bible) with his life was one of extreme conviction as a christian and equally thought provoking to non-believers. Through several memorable scenes, Eli begins to show Solara the power of the Bible – “not as a tool for conquest, but as a handbook for living”. Some Bible verses are quoted throughout the movie, and Christian imagery and symbolism are present in many scenes.

An opinion piece written by Todd Starnes argues that a Tennessee middle school is guilty of Islamic indoctrination. The article asserts that students are forced to learn about the Islamic religion for three weeks, while ignoring other religions, chiefly Christianity. Relying almost solely on parent’s accounts of the controversy, Starnes allows the parents to argue against the school district’s policy. It is only towards the end of the article that Starnes interjects his opinions, like when he says that countrywide Islam is being accommodated and Christianity marginalized (Starnes 2). In this Fox News opinion piece, Todd Starnes writes an incomplete and fundamentally weak argument in regard to the teaching of religion at Spring Tree Middle School.

This emphasizes the importance of proper teacher education, objectivity, and transparency. In order to effectively teach this class, instructors must have a general knowledge of the religions highlighted in the course. This could be achieved by partnering with the Wake Forest Divinity School. This relationship would allow high school teachers to learn about teaching religion objectively while also giving them background knowledge and a mentor to contact if questions should arise. In order to alleviate parental concerns, educators should be transparent about course material. Also, teachers should be informed of the laws that delineate the appropriate way to teach religion in public high schools. Overall, when approached academically, it is the duty of educators to inform students about topics that affect the community, such as

“This is an attempt to politicize the curriculum and promote an agenda over the education of nearly 5 million Texas kids," Quinn argues, implying that the students in Texas are somewhat being forced to learn religion, regardless if they are comfortable or not. An unknown author from a Mibba article entitled “Should Religion Be Taught in Schools?” agrees with the idea that religion should not be taught in the public school systems, as problems arise such as parent involvement, offended ideas/beliefs, and even confusion in the students that have separate beliefs or taught differently through churches and religious practices:

Going into Mr. Ostranksy’s bible class, I was inquisitive to see how he taught and how much I retained. I recall that on the first day of class, Mr. Ostransky came in and told a cheesy joke and just smiled at us. He knew all of our names without asking us. Being both intriguing and awkward, I realized he would be a valuable teacher for me to have. “This would be the class that forced me to think,” was my immediate thought.

In Liberal Civic Education and Religious Fundamentalisms, Macedo presents the controversies between liberal civic education and religious diversity. As seen in the Mozert v Hawkins case, the school (representing Hawkins) implemented a reading program that require students from Christian families to read text that went against their religious views (471). Mozert argued that family should allow their children to opt out of the reading program to prevent exposures that undermines their religion. Although it can be argued similar to the Amish cases that opting out should be a viable option, Macedo’s argument that implementation of the reading program is valid because exposure allows for the developing tolerance toward diversity. The controversial

“The Bible has affected the world for centuries in innumerable ways, including art, literature, philosophy, government, philanthropy, education, social justice, and humanitarianism.” For this reason alone, teaching the Bible in a classroom setting