Volume 67, Issue 4

Religious instruction is not only an important locus of religion in the public sphere but also a locus (of learning) of Public Theology. Thus, it makes sense to include the discourse of Public Theology in the discourse of Religious Education. Furthermore, the discourse of Public Theology could, in turn, profit from an intensified exchange with Religious Education, since Religious Education is one of the eminent loci in the public sphere at which exactly those questions are raised for discussion and are debated which are thematised by Public Theology. Religious Education, to be sure, is not only the task of religious instruction but rather is to be viewed as an educational mandate of the school as a whole. Therefore, the questions raised in school by Public Theology cannot be restricted to religious instruction but rather may be treated within multidisciplinary projects.

The philosophical discourse on the question of “how citizens who remain deeply divided on religious, philosophical, and moral doctrines, can still maintain a just and stable democratic society” (John Rawls) corresponds with the discourse in educational science on the question of how a consensus on major objectives of public education and the role of religious education in this context can be reached. Based on this insight, the article sketches some main components of the two recently most influential social theories, those developed by John Rawls and Jürgen Habermas. It is suggested that together they can provide a frame of reference for public religious education (and public religious pedagogy), and concrete consequences for its practice at schools and beyond are indicated.

Religious education can only contribute to current public discourses and indicate its specific relevance for public education if it reflects about its theological perspective and contents. Due to a theological interpretation of the public space as being affected by the idea of God’s Holy Spirit, such theological perspective can be seen as a substantial contribution of Religious Education within the public realm and the concrete school context.

The content and the orientation of Religious Education in public schools is a very significant issue discussed nowadays in the Greek theological and religious educational scientific environment. The new debate arose very intensively triggered by the new curricula in 2011. Its objective is the restructuring of the content and methodology of Religious Education in order to provide answers to contemporary social challenges. The confessional reference point is omitted in the new curriculum, aiming for a more open Religious Education. The main intention is the foundation of a new didactic approach in Religious Education that mainly addresses public issues and interests. In this framework religious literacy is highlighted as a key question. We believe, however, that this new didactic orientation disregards religious spiritual enrichment.

The article is devoted to the subject of Religious Education and the public sphere. Its leading question explores the ability of students of upper secondary school to argue about creation and evolution. Argumentation is understood as one of the key cultural techniques needed in order to participate in the public discourse. Examples are provided that serve as a starting point for a model to foster argumentation in religious education. The article concludes with the thesis that a decisive task of religious education research and practice should be to foster argumentation as a decisive cultural technique for the public discourse.

Using the example of a 2012-2014 research project about pastoral work in public schools, the essay aims to demonstrate how ecclesial acts outside of Religious Education in the context of public schools can contribute to civil society as a place of “everyday democracy” - both at the micro level of individuals, of students and teachers, and at the meso level of schools as organizations. This is based on the premise of an understanding of civil society which is located between the private sphere of individuals on one side and the state/political level on the other side. At a normative level, this definition understands prosocial orientations (solidarity, community spirit, etc.) as a place of everyday democracy and focuses on the representation of common interests. The churches - as intermediary organizations - also are a central part of this civil society.

In recent years, within the horizon of financially independent schools, the question of the status of schools sponsored by the Protestant Church arises in a new light. The article argues that it is an achievement that school is public. At the same time, the concept of the public has to be discussed critically. In the field of education, ‘public’ is still confused with government. Yet both are not the same, which is clarified with a historical perspective. In particular, a Protestant school system must be interested, from its own self-understanding, to be understood as a system of public education. Exclusivity cannot be a hallmark of a Protestant education. Nevertheless, Protestant schools are characterized by a special pedagogical and particularly religious profile, but are open to all who wish to participate. It is the diversity of profiles which is needed for a sustainable education system in a pluralistic world. Different profiles must be possible regardless of the sponsorship, also the public claim must be maintained. This can sometimes create tensions, but these are not ‘antagonistic contradictions’. Instead, they can promote education as a whole.

Winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 2014 Conchita Wurst raised questions about sexual identity by both the general public and pupils of Religious Education at schools, thus challenging teachers and academic theology alike. This article examines attitudes of Austrian pupils towards other than heteronormative lives; it outlines the role of theology from a genderconscious perspective in the context of the latest genetic research; and it discusses the role of public Religious Education in order to bring about a school that values diversity beyond heteronormativity.