Faith & Secularism in Education
17 October 2012 at 6:15 pm
Professor Alister McGrath
(Professor of Theology, Ministry and Education, and Head of the Centre for Theology, Religion and Culture, King's College London)
How are religious faith and secularism to relate to one another in our culture? Recent discussions indicate there is growing interest in exploring how religious faith and its critics can move beyond the rhetoric of opposition, and in considering how faith and secularism can relate in an increasingly complex society. This lecture, by a leading theological educationalist, explores this important relationship with special reference to the question of education in schools, and particularly the place of religious education in developing social cohesion and cross-cultural understanding. It will use analytical tools such as the notion of ‘multiple modernities’ and ‘critical realism’ to reflect on the co-existence of religious faith and secularism in contemporary British society. Arguing that one of the most important social roles of education is to encourage a sense of civic identity and avoid fanaticism, the lecture will explore educational approaches that encourage respect and critical dialogue between religious and secular positions.
Read the lecture transcript (PDF, 145 KB)
Listen to the lecture in full (MP3, 39.1 MB)
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