Christian Religious Education Sharing Our Story and Vision

by Groome, Thomas H.

• ISBN13: 9780787947859
• ISBN10: 0787947857
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-02-11
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass

Summary

The Classic Guide for Educators of Any Denomination What mission calls us to teach? How do societal issues-social oppression, poverty, politics-affect what we teach, how we teach it, and how people learn? Who are our students? What and when are they ready to learn? Once we understand these foundations, how can we facilitate an educational experience that has the power to shape and transform people and communities in life-giving ways of faith? In this classic text, Thomas Groome asks and answers these central questions, providing a comprehensive integration of the history, theory, and practice of modern religious education for a new generation of educators. His self-reflective approach-shared praxis-will inspire school teachers, students of religious education, pastors, parents, and religious educators in local churches who want to understand themselves, their mission, and their surroundings-to inform, form, and transform their students' lives. "Anyone tugged by the calling at the heart of education or religious life can only cheer for the republication of this classic book."-Robert Kegan, Harvard Graduate School of Education "Whether returning Christian Religious Education or reading it for the first time, readers will discover freshness leaping from the page; you will soon know why this formative book of the past is a beacon for the future-informative, inspiring, and wise!"-Mary Elizabeth Moore, professor of theology and Christian education, Claremont School of Theology

Author Biography

THOMAS H. GROOME is professor of theology and religious education at Boston College, where he is also the senior faculty at the Institute of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry.

Table of Contents

Preface, 1999	ix
Preface	xiii
About the Author	xxi
Part I. The Nature of Christian Religious Education
Prologue	3	(2)
Education in Time	5	(15)
Three Assumptions and Concerns of Educators over Time	5	(7)
The Assumption and Concern for the ``Past''	7	(1)
The Assumption and Concern for the ``Present''	8	(1)
The Assumption and Concern for the ``Future''	9	(1)
The Assumption and Concerns in History	10	(2)
Pilgrims in Time	12	(3)
In Time	12	(2)
Pilgrims	14	(1)
The Political Nature of Educating Pilgrims in Time	15	(5)
A Coming to Terms	20	(15)
Education	20	(1)
Religious Education	21	(2)
Christian Religious Education	23	(3)
Catechesis	26	(7)
Two Caveats on ``Coming to Terms''	28	(5)
Part II. The Purpose of Christian Religious Education
Prologue	33	(2)
Education for the Kingdom of God	35	(21)
The Kingdom of God in the Hebrew Scriptures	36	(2)
Jesus and the Kingdom of God	38	(5)
The Kingdom of God in Contemporary Christian Theology	43	(6)
Pastoral Implications of the Kingdom of God	43	(6)
A Consensus View of the Kingdom as Ultimate Purpose for Christian Religious Education	49	(7)
For Christian Faith	56	(26)
Christian Faith in Three Dimensions	57	(9)
Faith as Believing	57	(4)
Faith as Trusting	61	(2)
Faith as Doing	63	(3)
Faith Development	66	(7)
Focal Themes in Fowler's Thesis	67	(2)
Stages of Faith Development	69	(4)
Religious Education Toward Christian Faith	73	(9)
For Human Freedom	82	(27)
Created to Image a Free Creator	83	(5)
Pilgrims Toward Freedom Through Jesus Christ	88	(9)
Sin and Salvation Revisited	92	(2)
Jesus the Liberator	94	(3)
Christian Faith and Human Freedom in Religious Education	97	(10)
Part III. The Context of Christian Religious Education
Prologue	107	(2)
On Becoming Christian Together	109	(30)
The Social Process of Human Becoming	109	(6)
Externalization	110	(1)
Objectification	111	(1)
Internalization	112	(1)
The Self/Society Dialectic	113	(2)
The Social Process of Christian Becoming	115	(11)
Christian Socialization and Religious Education	115	(6)
A Dialectical Approach to the Socialization Approach	121	(5)
Conclusion: Both Socialization and Education	126	(9)
Part IV. An Approach to Christian Religious Education
Shared Praxis
Prologue	135	(4)
In Search of a ``Way of Knowing'' for Christian Religious Education	139	(13)
The Epistemological Question	139	(2)
The Biblical Way of Knowing	141	(4)
The Hebrew Scriptures	141	(1)
The New Testament	142	(3)
An Epistemological Shift in Christian Religious Education	145	(4)
Toward a Praxis Epistemology for Christian Religious Education	149	(3)
Some Philosophical Roots for a Praxis Way of Knowing	152	(32)
Praxis in Aristotle	153	(4)
Christian Education and Greek Intellectualism: A Conflict	157	(5)
Hegel and the Praxis of Geist	162	(3)
Marx's Praxis Way of Knowing	165	(4)
Habermas' Division of the Three Ways of Knowing	169	(6)
Paulo Freire and His Praxis of Education	175	(9)
Shared Christian Praxis	184	(23)
The Components of a Shared Praxis Approach	184	(13)
Present Action	184	(1)
Critical Reflection	185	(3)
Dialogue	188	(3)
The Story	191	(2)
The Vision	193	(2)
Present Dialectical Hermeneutics	195	(2)
Guidelines for Decision Making in a Group Using Shared Praxis	197	(10)
Consequences	198	(1)
Continuity	198	(1)
Community/Church	199	(8)
Shared Praxis in Praxis	207	(32)
The Five Movements	207	(16)
Naming Present Action	208	(3)
The Participants' Stories and Visions	211	(3)
The Christian Community Story and Vision	214	(3)
Dialectical Hermeneutic Between the Story and Participants' Stories	217	(3)
Dialectical Hermeneutic Between the Vision and Participants' Visions	220	(3)
Some General Reflections on Using Shared Praxis	223	(12)
Variations and Sequence of Movements	223	(2)
Timing and Shared Praxis	225	(1)
The Environment of Shared Praxis	225	(2)
Relationship of Theology to Christian Religious Education	227	(3)
Liturgy and a Shared Praxis Approach	230	(5)
Part V. Readiness for Christian Religious Education
Shared Praxis
Prologue	235	(4)
Shared Praxis from a Piagetian Perspective	239	(24)
The Activity of Knowing and Its Development	240	(8)
The Stages of Cognitive Development	243	(5)
Piaget and Education	248	(13)
Piaget's Theory and a Shared Praxis Approach	250	(11)
Part VI. The Copartners in Christian Religious Education
Prologue	261	(2)
Our Students, Our Selves	263	(14)
Our Students: Subjects Who Make History	263	(2)
Our Selves: The Ministry of the Christian Religious Educator	265	(12)
To Make Present the Story	269	(1)
To Propose the Vision	270	(3)
To Choose Life	273	(4)
Postscript: Until Break of Day	277	(2)
Bibliography	279	(12)
Index	291