Faith and Education: Contemporary and Global Issues in Historical Perspective

Dear Colleagues:

The year 2024 marks the 80th anniversary of the 1944 Education Act, which, in England and Wales at least, has more-or-less defined the nature, character, and governance of faith-based education, religious education, and collective worship for the entirety of the post-war world to the present in these countries. Indeed, its iconic status in this regard has made it virtually impervious to any radical alteration. However, the role of the churches and faith communities in state-funded schools and higher education has an even longer history, the fundamental issues of the place of religion in education having resonance beyond the national and parochial concerns of one jurisdiction, indeed being of global significance. This Special Issue aims to bring together those at the forefront of the historical, philosophical, theological, and political debates surrounding the question of the continuous legitimacy of state-funded faith-based schools and universities—indeed, the existence of schools of a religious character at all. Amongst the issues invited for discussion are the following:

• On what basis can faith-based education be justified?
• What has been the historic contribution of faith communities to education, and what are its legacies?
• What rights, freedoms, constraints, and responsibilities does this historic contribution command today?
• What is the role and place of faith and belief in schools, in the school curriculum, and in any contemporary national education system?
• Are the issues facing faith-based education in some way comparable across national jurisdictions?
• What is the role and place of religion and belief in contemporary colleges and universities, whether in the curriculum or in chaplaincies?
• Do schools of a religious character retain a legitimate place in plural and increasingly non-religious societies; if so, how have they, or might they, need to adapt?
• What place does theology have in the continuing justification for the involvement of the church in education policy, curriculum, and practice?
• To what extent should faith and belief education give consideration to the changing character of religious perspectives on life and the putative secularisation of society?
• What is distinctive about faith-based education, other than as a state-legitimated form of indoctrination?
• What new forms of theology of education are needed to meet contemporary challenges to the legitimacy of faith-based schools and universities?
• What form of religious education is legitimate in faith-based schools, and how is this distinguishable from those in non-denominational ones?

The aims of this Special Issue include the following:

Promote debate concerning contemporary issues on matters of faith and education issues in a historical, global, theological, and political perspective.

• Consider and evaluate the historic contribution made by faith communities to educational policies and practices, as well as their merit and weaknesses as ongoing arguments for the legitimacy of faith-based education.
• Promote debate about the relationship between the historic contribution and the nature and future of religious education in all publicly funded schools.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200–300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Please send the manuscript to the Guest Editor or to the Assistant Editor of Religions. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review. We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Stephen G. Parker
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• faith schools
• religious education
• theology of education
• history of education
• church and state
• collective worship