Is theology dead or dying? Or can we confidently do theology? Since the 1990s Ulrich Beck, one of the best known living sociologists both in Europe and beyond, has promoted the critical reading of the contemporary discourse as "reflexive modernization". He has recently looked into the "fascinating byways" of religion. Based on Beck's re-assessment…

The aim of this paper is to provide a positive case for increasing the role and importance of religious morality within the subject of religious education in British schools. The argument is structured in the following way. First, attention is given to the diminished role accorded to moral education within religious education that followed the…

The present article focuses on the relationship between democracy and secularism and, in particular, the presumption that a secularist approach is the most practical solution to the problem of pluralism of beliefs. It raises the question of how far those countries in the West which claim to be democratic are justified in the way that they treat…

This paper reviews the concept of liberal education and shows how, from its beginnings in classical times, it has been socially influential in schools and universities. After the rise of science and the proliferation of technology in the nineteenth century, liberal education was threatened and this threat continued in the form of late…

Teaching is interventionist. Agreement is necessary to decide what is to be taught. May one begin from the premise that God is worthy of attention? And how can teachers help pupils discern true from false in religion? This article compares the Non-Statutory National Framework for Religious Education with the Birmingham Agreed Syllabus to consider…

The present article highlights one of the challenges faced by the Catholic Church in maintaining the Catholicity of Catholic schools in England, that is to say, the students' construction of a fragmented Catholic identity from elements of the Catholic faith tradition. The article explores Catholic students' perceptions of their Catholic identity.…

The present article offers an historical perspective on the 1975, 1995 and 2007 Birmingham Agreed Syllabuses for Religious Education. It draws upon historical evidence uncovered as part of "The hidden history of curriculum change in religious education in English schools, 1969-1979" project, and curriculum history theories, especially David…

The history of the North German Mission Society (established 1836 in Hamburg) and its activity on the West African coast (from 1847 onwards among the Ewe, in what is now Ghana and Togo where it was and still is known as the "Bremen Mission") mirrors neatly the various phases of the idea of "mission": its composite motivation (Enlightenment,…

The present study begins by distinguishing between three kinds of "faith schools" (known as schools with a religious character) within England and Wales: faith schools that operate within the state-maintained sector and had their origin in voluntary church-related initiatives prior to the Education Act 1870; "traditional" independent faith…

The relationship between religion and human rights is an ambiguous and complex one, but there are academic, moral and political arguments for the inclusion of human rights in religious education (RE). The Universal Declaration of Human Rights advocates education in human rights and the English school curriculum aims to encourage a commitment to…

This article presents the author's review of "Revisiting Christianity: theological reflections," by Marius C. Felderhof. This volume by a dedicated teacher and theologian is rooted in, and emerged from, the context of teaching Christian theology to young students of very diverse backgrounds and contexts of life. The commitment to engage in…

The aim of this research is to identify the predominant values system among a sample of Spanish nurses, to identify how values are tied to professional nursing identity and determine differences in values and identity between socio-demographic variables as a gender, citizenship and/or nursing service. Cross-sectional study was performed with a…

A sample of 3783 11- to 16-year-old secondary school pupils completed the Astley-Francis Scale of Attitude toward Theistic Faith and the abbreviated form of the Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised together with information on personal religious practice (prayer), public religious practice (attendance) and religious identity (secular,…

The particular history, politics, social milieu and size of the islands of Malta contributed to the formation of specific cultural values and identity. Central to this identity is a unique language and a very strong Catholic community. These factors remain integral (but not exclusive) aspects of the Maltese national identity. This identity has…

Research suggests that self-control or self-regulation may play a role in the connections among spirituality, health, well-being, and social behavior. Within the framework of social-cognitive developmental theory, we explore the question of how do children and adolescents learn to think of themselves as gendered and spiritual beings within the…