Critical Religious Education Andrew Wright Professor of Religious and Theological Education Centre for Theology, Religions and Culture Department of Education and Professional Studies King’s College London andrew.wright@kcl.ac.uk
overview liberalism critical realism liberal theology critically realistic theology liberal religious education critical religious education
philosophy: liberalism dislocated self autonomous self objective facts subjective values freedom and tolerance
philosophy: critical realism ontological realism epistemic relativism judgemental rationality abduction / retroduction / iteration experience / description / explanation stratified / emergent / value-laden attentive / reasonable / responsible relationality / truth / truthfulness
religion: liberal theology theology & authority religion: objective cultural facts religion: subjective spiritual values freedom & tolerance naturalism / secular humanism religious fundamentalism [religious orthodoxy] religious liberalism spiritual experience / spiritual expression particular / universal / anti-realistic
religion: critical realism the ultimate order-of-things (ontological realism) religious/secular pluralism (epistemic relativism) faith seeking understanding (judgemental rationality): modelling reality explaining reality flourishing in reality thinking, speaking & acting wisely in reality pursuing truth & living truthfully
liberal religious education [confessional religious education = fundamentalism] ontological realism learning about religion: assimilating objective facts religion as a cultural reality (phenomenological / interpretative: Smart / Hull / Jackson) epistemic relativism learning from religion: constructing subjective values spiritual experiences (experiential / empathetic: Hay / Erricker) judgemental rationality [informed theological judgements / truth & truthfulness] freedom of belief tolerance of the beliefs of others
critical religious education The cultivation of religious, spiritual and theological literacy in relation to ultimate truth and truthful living sub species aeternitatis ontological realism: ultimate reality epistemic relativism: diverse worldviews judgemental rationality: religious literacy