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.

This book is designed to give students and newly qualified teachers a contextual and theoretical background to this subject, by exploring and challenging assumptions about the place of religion in education. The book is divided into the following sections: section one sets out the context for religious education in the curriculum. It looks at political, social and religious influences on legislation, particularly in faith schools, and raises questions about assessment section two focuses on Religious Education in the classroom, exploring our understanding of religion and the concept of development in Religious Education section three examines Religious Education as a whole-school issue, considering its relationship to literacy, citizenship, collective worship and spiritual, ethical and moral development.

How to meaningfully engage with interfaith questions? Grounded in the author's experience of developing interfaith programmes at one of the world's leading universities, this book carves a fresh perspective on the challenges of religious difference by placing them within the broader currents of belief and scepticism in today's society. It sets out the local challenges presented by religious difference within the global picture, and explores the implications of global religious resurgence for Western secularist assumptions, both in our communities and in how we relate the rest of the world. Combining theory with examples of practical engagement, Walters offers an imaginative Christian theological approach to responding to religious difference without resorting to relativism. It is essential reading for anyone interested in the future of religion in the modern world.

With the increasing importance of learning on practice placement this new book provides students, practitioners and their assessors with a practical understanding of how people learn best in the workplace; the principles involved in work-based teaching and assessing; and the contribution of other disciplines to work-based learning.

Sophos Ontology: On Post-Traditional Spirituality discusses religious plurality and post-traditional perspectives on emergent forms of sacred sensibility, particularly for those identifying as “spiritual but not religious.” This book is divided into three parts. The first part is a retrospective account of multiple religious traditions, with emphasis on esoteric thought as influenced by mystical writings, covering western, eastern, and Native American traditions. The second part discusses the need for a new conceptualization of the “sacred” as expressed through multiple spiritual perspectives relevant to a pansentient, post-traditional process ontology. Other topics in this section include the importance of an ethically shaped spirituality, collective influences, dreams, imagination, and the role of pluralism in shaping beliefs. Part three explores the role of faith, redefined as spiritual commitment, mysticism as direct experiential knowledge, and transpersonal theory influenced by comparative studies in altered states of consciousness, paranormal research, and the metaphysics of discovery — all contributing to the development of present and future spirituality.

The link between schools and religions is an area of lively debate. Looking at two challenges of the 21st century - social inclusion and globalization, this book analyses the role that religion can play in fostering communities in schools and its implications for social, cultural and other developments in both national and international contexts.