- Title
- The heartbeat of religion: vital connections between theology and religious education for classroom teachers
- Creator
- Mudge, Peter; Fleming, Dan
- Relation
- Journal of Religious Education Vol. 61, Issue 1, p. 42-53
- Publisher
- Springer
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2013
- Description
- Recently, in his introduction to an undergraduate theology course, Professor Terry Lovat (2012) submitted the observation that – “theology is the heartbeat of religion” (p. 2). This article supports Lovat’s assertion by arguing that, given the requirement by the Australian Catholic Bishops that teachers are qualified with a Graduate Certificate in Theology or equivalent, these same teachers, their school leaders, and CEO/CSO personnel need to be provided with clarity regarding the essential connections between religious education (RE) and theology. This article is one attempt to provide this clarity. To prepare themselves to address the many complex questions raised in the RE classroom, teachers need to be theologically literate and reflective. In order to identify the nature and repercussions of this literacy, the article examines - the nature of RE, some useful definitions of “theology”, and establishes the case for understanding theology in a postmodern context, and for ongoing commitment to the process of theological reflection. This type of understanding and commitment, it is argued, is essential for the theological formation of religious educators and for their effective engagement with other teachers, and with students in the classroom.
- Subject
- theology; religious education; teaching; teachers
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1340740
- Identifier
- uon:28563
- Identifier
- ISSN:1442-018X
- Language
- eng
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