The Content of Religious Education: Exploring the Christian Message
Topic 4: The Peculiarity of Content in Religious Education
Concept of Content
The content of education has undergone major changes. Traditionally, it was identified with conceptual and cognitive learning. However, educational reform has introduced a new approach where content encompasses everything that is the subject of learning, moving beyond a sole focus on cognitive data. For education to be integral, it is also crucial to learn procedures and values. Therefore, content can be understood as encompassing concepts, procedures, standards, values, and attitudes.
Content in Religious Education
Brief Historical Perspective
Doctrinal Approach
From the sixteenth century onwards, the education of faith primarily involved providing a compendium of doctrine, often using a question-and-answer system. While this approach taught doctrinal truths, it lacked a genuine education in faith.
Kerygmatic Focus
Jungman, with his book “The Good News and the Preaching of Our Faith,” introduced a significant shift in understanding the content of faith education. He emphasized the need to transmit the “Good News,” which was absent in the prevailing approach. Jungman proposed that the educational content of faith should be the kerygma—the Christian message and the history of salvation.
Anthropological Approach
The kerygmatic movement led to the realization that conveying the Christian message required connecting it to the reality of human experience. This approach emphasized starting with the individual and their circumstances.
Political Focus
The International Congress of Medellin emphasized that faith education must be rooted in the socio-political context of the individual. This perspective highlighted the need to engage with individuals within their specific historical and social realities, giving the Christian message a new social dimension.
Vatican II’s Contribution
The Second Vatican Council (1962-1966) brought about profound changes in the Church. One significant contribution was emphasizing the Word of God and its relevance to people’s lives. The Council also addressed liturgical renewal, highlighting the liturgy’s value as a source of faith. The liturgy, celebrated through Christian mysteries and the Liturgical Year, became a source for the Christian message in religious education. Vatican II also emphasized the Church’s relationship with the world, recognizing that faith cannot be divorced from life. This understanding implies that religious education cannot exist in isolation from human experience. The individual and their historical situation should not only be present in the teaching and learning process but should also illuminate the human condition.
The Christian Message: The Content of Religious Education
The content of religious education is the Christian message.
Nature of the Christian Message
The Christian Message as Christian Mystery
The Christian message refers to the mystery of God and the mystery of salvation. “Mystery” in this context does not denote something obscure or otherworldly. Instead, it refers to the personal reality of God and God’s involvement in human salvation. This mystery is knowable because God has chosen to reveal it.
The Christian Message as Event
The Christian message is also characterized as an event. Its meaning is intertwined with the person and life of Jesus. The essence of the Christian message is the paschal event—the death and resurrection of Christ. The entirety of Jesus’ life and actions constitute the Christian event.
Doctrine as the Christian Message
The Christian message, as an event identified with Jesus’ life, has a doctrinal dimension, making it a subject of teaching and learning. Jesus’ life involved both actions and words. Teaching was central to his mission, which he entrusted to his disciples. Like any doctrine, the Christian message is subject to analysis and historical criticism.
Christian Message and the Intelligence of Faith
The Christian message, as God’s revelation to humanity, involves both faith and the “divine mystery.” While human intelligence alone cannot fully grasp it, the message is understandable because it is a revelation from God. It is not intended to be beyond human comprehension, as God desires a relationship with humanity. Therefore, the content of religious education, the Christian message, is presented and learned from the Church’s perspective. One of the primary purposes of religious education is to present the Christian message and event.
“Source” and “Sources” of the Christian Message
“Source” refers to the Word of God. The term “sources” refers to specific places where God’s Word is found, including:
- Liturgy: Contains the Word of God and the Church’s faith expressed through prayer.
- Lives of the Saints: Provide a source of Christian hope and inspiration for faith education.
- Magisterium of the Church: The official teaching authority of the Church, providing interpretations of the Christian message.
- Witness of Christians and Evangelical Values in Society: Religious education draws upon these sources as they reflect God’s revealed message.
Core of the Christian Message
The Christian message can be structured into thematic blocks. Key sources for understanding these blocks include the preaching of the early Christian community, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the basic curriculum for religious education. The Apostolic preaching highlights the “kerygma”—the announcement of Christ’s death and resurrection. The Catechism structures the Christian message into four main parts: the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, the Sacraments, and the Commandments. In primary education, the curriculum often focuses on seven blocks: Creation, the People of God, Jesus Christ, the Church, Liturgy, Morality, and Art.
The Christian Message in Relation to Other Levels of Education
The Christian message is distinct from the content of other subjects. It is based on revelation, making it divine rather than human in origin. While other subjects result from human effort and research, the Word of God addresses human nature. However, the pedagogical and didactic approaches used in religious education should not differ significantly from those used in other subjects. The Christian message encompasses cognitive, procedural, and attitudinal dimensions, with a primary focus on attitudes.
Teaching Criteria and Transmission of the Christian Message
- Logical-Epistemological Criterion: Organize and structure the Christian message based on its nature, ensuring a logical and sequential presentation.
- Psychological Criterion: Consider the recipients of the Christian message, tailoring the approach to their developmental stages and needs.
- Academic Criterion: Meet systematic and scientific standards while aligning with the school’s organizational structure.
- Significance Criterion: Emphasize content selection, student motivation, and the integration of students’ prior knowledge and experiences.
Theological Criteria in the Program and Transmission of the Christian Message
- Comprehensiveness Criterion: Ensure a complete understanding of the Christian message, providing an initial synthesis of faith in primary education.
- Integrity Criterion: Prioritize the essential over the accidental. Intensive integrity focuses on the core message, while extensive integrity considers the broader context and sources.
- Christocentric Trinity Criterion: Structure and sequence the message around the Trinity—God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
- Ecclesial Criterion: Maintain fidelity to the Magisterium of the Church.
- Inculturation Criterion: Present the Christian message in a way that resonates with the cultural context of the students.
- Liturgical Criterion: Incorporate the highlights of the liturgical year, such as Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost.
- Historical Criterion: Adapt the message’s presentation to different historical contexts while remaining true to its essence.
In essence, effective religious education requires fidelity to both God and humanity.