Theos

Home / Research / Reports

Doing God in Education

Doing God in Education

Trevor Cooling explores how to ‘do God’ in education.

Interested by this? Share it on social media. Join our monthly e–newsletter to keep up to date with our latest research and events. And check out our Friends Programme to find out how you can help our work.


 

“This is an important book…it should be required reading for Christian educators and administrators and should be on the reading lists of all students training to teach regardless of their subject specialty.” (British Journal of Religious Education, March 2012)

If modern Britain is becoming a battlefield between those with religious faith and those with none, education is on the front line. Debates about the role of religion in school life are heated and sometime acrimonious, with some bandying about terms like ‘indoctrination’ and even ‘child abuse’.

Trevor Cooling’s report offers a cool, reasoned and nuanced contribution to the debate. Drawing on several detailed examples he shows that the idea that education is morally neutral or objective is indefensible. Teaching is shaped by our understanding of which virtues we should practice, what qualities we should value, ultimately of what kind of people we should be. To pretend otherwise is naïve or, worse, an attempt to ban from the classroom moral and metaphysical commitments simply because a minority of anti–theists dislike them.

God belongs in the classroom, Cooling argues, not simply because it is a ‘right’ that comes with living in a liberal society, but because the Christian contribution to education is positive and constructive, contributing powerfully to our common good.

Doing God in Education is an important, reasonable, balanced and thoughtful contribution to the case for Christian education. It deserves to be read by those who seek to shape Christian education in our public life and those who want to eradicate it.

“Here is a clear, succinct, intelligent and accessible argument for the legitimate contribution that religious believers can make to education.  Cooling demonstrates that believers can express their faith in educational contexts without being divisive, indoctrinatory, exclusive or disrespectful towards others. ”

John Sullivan, Professor of Christian Education, Liverpool Hope University

“Cooling points out that we cannot bracket out questions of belief and value from our common discourse without fatally attenuating our concept of a good society. He calls for a holistic, nuanced approach to religious education that takes seriously the task of forming us all as responsible citizens within a public domain.”

Professor Elaine Graham, Grosvenor Research Professor of Practical Theology, University of Chester

“Trevor Cooling nails the absurdity and illogicality of the secularist position that tries to silence religious voices in the educational arena.  His provocative defence of theologically–informed voices in the educational arena will draw fire from the secularist position but his case is robust enough to withstand such attack.”

Revd Canon Professor Leslie J Francis, Professor of Religions and Education, University of Warwick

 

 Image available in the public domain 

 

Trevor Cooling

Trevor Cooling

Professor Trevor Cooling is Professor Emeritus of Christian Education at Canterbury Christ Church University UK, and Chair of the Religious Education Council of England and Wales (REC). Previously, Trevor worked as a secondary school teacher in biology and religious education, a university theology lecturer, a diocesan adviser and CEO of a Christian Education charity. 

Watch, listen to or read more from Trevor Cooling

Education, Religious Education

Research

See all

Events

See all

In the news

See all

Comment

See all

Get regular email updates on our latest research and events.

Please confirm your subscription in the email we have sent you.

Want to keep up to date with the latest news, reports, blogs and events from Theos? Get updates direct to your inbox once or twice a month.

Thank you for signing up.