When religious diversity is our reality, radical hospitality to people of other faiths is not a luxury but a necessity. More than necessary for our survival, radical hospitality to religious diversity is necessary if we are to thrive as a global society. By no means does the practice of hospitality in a multifaith world require that we be oblivious of our differences. On the contrary, it demands a respectful embrace of our differences because that's who we are. Neither does radical hospitality require that we water down our commitment, because faithfulness and openness are not contradictory. We must be able to say with burning passion that we are open to the claims of other faiths because we are faithful to our religious heritage. The essays in this book do not offer simply theological exhortations; they offer specific ways of how we can become religiously competent citizens in a multifaith world. Let's take the bold steps of radical openness with this book on our side!

"This book articulates a learning process to help educators improve approaches to other religious traditions. Understanding Other Religious Worlds distinguishes between learning facts about other religions and understanding them and their followers in a wholistic manner. Berling argues that incorporating the religious "other" in one's own Christian identity is integral to living an authentic Christian life."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This volume shows how and why our public schools should prepare to understand and deal with religious diversity in the United States and the world. Defending Religious Diversity in Public Schools: A Practical Guide for Building Our Democracy and Deepening Our Education makes a powerful case for exposing students to the multiplicity of faiths practiced in the United States and around the world—then offers a range of practical solutions for promoting religious understanding and tolerance in the school environment. Nathan Kollar's timely volume centers on the common issues associated with respecting religion in people's lives, including religious identities, the religious rights of students, bullying and other acts of intolerance, and legal perspectives on what should and should not happen in the classroom. It then focuses on the skills teachers, counselors, and administrators need to master to address those issues, including forming an advocacy coalition, listening, cultural analysis, conflict resolution, institutional development, choosing a leader, and keeping up to date with all the latest research developments from both the legal and educational communities.

The Complete Multifaith Resource for Primary Religious Education Ages 7-11 is a definitive teaching and learning aid for cross-religious exploration in the classroom, offering stimulating and detailed ways in which to apply a concepts-based approach to the teaching of RE. It provides a model for learning which engages children and encourages the development of higher order thinking skills and which can be applied to other subject areas in cross-curricular settings. Comprising of a book and CD-ROM, The Complete Multifaith Resource features key concepts that underpin religious beliefs and practices and that are key to effective learning in RE for the target age level. Each concept chapter provides a wealth of material which will enable teachers to lead their pupils through the learning experience. Resources can be displayed on an interactive whiteboard for classroom viewing, or alternatively printed out for pupils to use during individual and group activities, requiring no further search for resources. This includes: stories, pictures and questions to prompt discussion writing frames, sort cards, matching pairs and other engaging activities This indispensable tool provides a modern, innovative and refreshing approach to teaching RE that has already proved to be effective in a large number of schools and can be applied to the effective delivery of an agreed syllabus for RE. Each chapter is introduced by looking at the key concept from a Christian point of view, and is then examined from the perspectives of the other major world faiths, including Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Sikhism. The Complete Multifaith Resource for Primary Religious Education Ages 7-11 will be of value not only to RE managers and leaders, but also to primary phase teachers who may have little confidence or expertise in teaching RE. Trainee teachers and those studying on education courses will also benefit from gaining a better understanding of the concepts-based approach to the teaching of RE as expounded by the Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton Agreed Syllabus.

Living together in the midst of diversity is an issue of pivotal importance all over the world, in particular for people involved in the education of the younger generation. The search intended in this publication is to find the means to go beyond mere tolerance of differences. Education as envisioned in this book engages learners in active citizenship and enables pupils and students – young people – to transform their social environment. Learning about the other, and – to a certain extent – appreciating the other’s perspective, together with acquiring dialogical skills are key elements for learning to live together with people from different cultural backgrounds and with diverse religious and secular worldviews. Hence, faith development, dialogicality and citizenship are central themes in this publication. This book brings together the latest insights and ‘best practices’ available in the fields of religious education from around the world, which are reflected upon by distinguished scholars in the field. The input provided by the three parts of this book will give every educator further food for thought, be it in the classroom, at home or in leisure activities. The diversity approach of this book is mirrored in the composition of the team of editors. Duncan Wielzen is a theologian with research interest in religious education in plural societies; Ina Ter Avest is a psychologist with a focus on the intersectionality of psychology, culture and religion. The focus of both editors is on (inter)faith education, its implication and further development.

Shared Learning in a Plural World takes the reader along to a discourse held between representatives of different world religions, religious educators and researchers about "How religious education can contribute to good community relations." Starting with the issue of pluralism, the book leads on to concepts of learning in world religions, reflections on inter-religious learning in Europe, and examples on methodologies of education and community. A number of documents related to the Interfaith work of the World Council of Churches are also documented. The publication is an outcome of a co-operation between the World Council of Churches (Education and Ecumenical Formation / Inter-religious Relations) and the Comenius-Institut in Munster, Germany.