Expanding the Boundaries of Adult Religious Education E-Book

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Bildung
• Serie: J-B ACE Single Issue Adult & Continuing Eeducation
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 196

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2012

Beschreibung

The field of adult religious education is rich with opportunitiesfor study and service. This sourcebook showcases adult religiouseducation as an important site for program creation, teaching,learning, and adult development. It offers insight into the waysthat adult religious education serves adult learners. You'll get numerous examples of adult education within andbetween religious institutions, along with helpful ideas to enhancepractice as well as programs. Researchers will find it useful as asource on religious institutions, adult religious education, andadult learners in general. This is the 133rd volume in this Jossey Bass higher educationquarterly report series. Noted for its depth of coverage, thisindispensable series explores issues of common interest toinstructors, administrators, counselors, and policymakers in abroad range of adult and continuing education settings.

Leseprobe

Contents

Editor’s Notes

Chapter 1: Adult Religious Education

Religion

Religious Maturity

How Religions Do Adult Education

Conclusion

Chapter 2: Religious Distance Education Goes Online

Organizational Web Sites

Facebook and Social Networking

YouTube

Weblogs

Podcasting

Webinars

Online Discussion Boards

Educational Institution Web Sites

Religious Organization Web Sites

Creating an Online Community

Conclusion

Chapter 3: Faith-Based Partnerships Promoting Health

Introduction

Charitable Choice

Faith-Based Partnerships

Evidenced-Based Analysis of FBOs and Health Outcomes

Innovative Collaborative Strategies

Recommendations for Researchers in the African American Community

Conclusion

Chapter 4: Going Green and Renewing Life: Environmental Education in Faith Communities

Historical Antecedents

Environmental Education Examples

Getting Started

Research Opportunities

Conclusion

Chapter 5: Learning by Doing: Preparation of Bahá’í Nonformal Tutors

Overview of the Ruhi Institute for Adult Learners

Background of the Ruhi Institute

Development of the Materials

Tutors

Concepts, Methods, and Techniques for Tutors

Culture and Ruhi

Service and the Group

Individual and Community

Adult Education and Ruhi

Conclusion

Chapter 6: Adult Jewish Education and Participation Among Reform Jewish Women

Jewish History

Judaism

Adult Jewish Education Participation

Reform Jewish Women and Adult Jewish Education Participation

Conclusion

Chapter 7: Religious Institutions as Sites of Learning for Older Adults

Who Are “Older Adults”?

Third-Age Learning in a Lifelong Learning Framework

Older Adult Participation and Provision

The Church as a Site of Learning

The Church and Social Activism

Conclusion

Chapter 8: Expanding the Boundaries of Adult Religious Education

Expanding Boundaries

Partnerships

Strategies and Techniques

Challenges and Opportunities

Index

Other Titles Available

Expanding the Boundaries of Adult Religious Education:

Strategies, Techniques, and Partnerships for the New Millennium

E. Paulette Isaac (ed.)

New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, no. 133

Susan Imel, Jovita M. Ross-Gordon, Coeditors-in-Chief

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Editor’s Notes

During the past few years, I have discovered the importance of religion and spirituality in the lives of many of my adult education colleagues. I can remember like it was yesterday when I attended my first Religious Education Association meeting, a conference of the Association of Professors, Practitioners, and Researchers in Religious Education, and saw Trenton Ferro walk into the room. I was shocked. Trenton had a long career in adult education and I met him early on when I first entered the professoriate. I had spoken to him on several occasions at adult education conferences, but I never knew of his interest in religious education. I subsequently learned that he was a Lutheran minister. Later I discovered other colleagues who were active in their churches, served as church leaders, or both. It delights my soul to see the interest in adult religious education and related topics.

Despite increased interest in religious education and spirituality among scholars, there has not been a comprehensive examination of adult religious education within various religious denominations and faiths in one place. This sourcebook proposes to address that issue. It widens the lens on religious institutions. It gives us a peek into the variety of learning opportunities religious institutions provide and the strategies they use to educate adults.

Before I go too far, it is important to first understand how the term “adult religious education” is used in this sourcebook. Most people are familiar with Sunday or Sabbath school and Bible study classes taught by religious institutions. Although these institutions incorporate a biblical foundation—in other words, scriptures are used as a basis for teaching—they offer more than “religious” courses. For purposes of this sourcebook, “adult religious education” is any educational activity sponsored or provided by a religious institution or faith. This definition reflects the plethora of adult educational activities within these institutions. The terms “religious institutions” and “faith-based organizations” are used interchangeably throughout the book.

Historically, religious institutions have served important social, cultural, political, and educational roles for people of all faiths. When it was unlawful for blacks to receive education, they obtained it from the invisible institution—the clandestine black church (Blassingame, 1972). Eventually, many black denominations opened schools and colleges in an effort to educate blacks. As they migrated to the United States, Jewish people relied heavily on their synagogues to aid them in their transition to their new homeland. Although they may no longer feel a need to assimilate into the American culture, their religious institutions still play a significant educational role in their lives. Today, education within religious institutions continues to expand beyond “basic courses” to include auto repair, sign language, and computer skills, just to name a few (Isaac, 2002). Along with this expansion, techniques are more diverse and the contexts used for adult learning have extended beyond the four walls.

Whether in a synagogue, temple, mosque, or church, adults have numerous opportunities to learn not only about their faith but other topics. Societal issues and trends often affect adult education within religious institutions (Isaac, 2002). To illustrate, many faith communities now subscribe to the use of technology by conducting distance education courses via the Internet. In the United States and abroad, many older adults are living longer. And, despite popular belief, many of them do participate in adult education, particularly within informal settings, such as religious institutions as opposed to more formal settings like a college or university. In general, adults’ motivations for participating in religious education can vary, depending on the learner (Ballard and Morris, 2005; Isaac, Guy, and Valentine, 2001). Regardless of the motivation, religious institutions have created some unique and exciting learning activities and opportunities for adult learners.

Learning opportunities can be the result of collaborations. For example, it takes a collaborative effort between religious institutions and health professionals and health organizations to provide health education to the hard-to-reach adults. Yet in many cities this is exactly what is happening. Faith-based organizations have also joined forces with one another to address, through education, other issues, such as poverty, economics, and the environment. This sourcebook provides insights to numerous adult religious educational activities.

John L. Elias has made significant contributions to adult religious education. During his forty-year career as a religious educator, author, and researcher, he has articulated the important role of religion in adult education and has brought to the forefront the merger of the two. Thus, a book of this sort would be incomplete without his contribution. As such, it is an honor to have him as a contributing author. John provides the historical context on adult religious education and how it has responded to societal and technological changes in the twenty-first century.

As he indicates in Chapter One, religious institutions use a variety of instructional techniques. Many religious institutions have jumped on the Internet bandwagon. Some are using blogs, Facebook, and Twitter in addition to Web sites to communicate with their members and to attract new ones. Religious institutions use distance education to further enhance Sunday school lessons, provide clarity on various topics, or ask or answer questions about messages from church leaders. In Chapter Two, Stephen B. Frye demonstrates how religious institutions use different forms of technology to help people grow in their spiritual and religious development.

The Obama administration, continuing the trend established by the Bush administration, supports collaboration among community organizations (White House, 2009). However, collaborations among and with religious institutions and other groups and organizations have existed for decades. Such mergers have led to educational opportunities for thousands of adult learners. Social services agencies, politicians, and health professionals as well as educational institutions have long realized the advantage of partnering with local religious institutions to educate adults on numerous topics. With a focus on health education collaboratives, in Chapter Three, Michael L. Rowland and Lolita Chappel-Aiken outline key strategies that can enhance the success of these joint ventures and provide unique educational opportunities not only for members but for the community at large.

“Going green” is the new catchphrase that many individuals, companies, and organizations use to indicate their concern for and interest in a sustainable world. Recycling is one of the most popular ways to manifest one’s green consciousness. Although many adults recycle cardboard, plastic, paper, and other items, environmental education in faith communities has evolved during the past few years to educate adults on other green topics. As such, religious leaders and members are learning ways their institutions can cut costs, save money, and become better stewards of the environment and their resources. In Chapter Four, Gregory E. Hitzhusen, provides other examples of faith-based partnerships and their efforts to reduce their carbon footprints.

Many Americans are familiar with mainline religious groups with large memberships, such as the Catholics, Baptists, and United Methodists. As a result, we often hear little about the adult educational activities of other faith groups. The Bahá’í International Community faith boasts over 5 million members worldwide. To promote its focus on human rights, the advancing equality of women and also of men, and moral, cultural and intellectual advancement, it uses an approach to adult religious education that incorporates a variety of books, courses, and cycles. In Chapter Five, Rosemary B. Closson and Sylvia Kaye discuss the process the Ruhi Institute uses to prepare tutors not only to learn themselves but to enhance learning opportunities among learners of different cultural backgrounds.

Since their arrival in the United States, Jewish people, like other religious groups, have been strong advocates of education. Many discussions on adult Jewish education are limited to formal contexts (that is, schools). Thus, there is much to learn about religious educational activities in synagogues and temples. Although volumes of literature exist regarding adults’ motivations and participation in general, we know very little about Jewish women as adult learners. In Chapter Six, Teresa L. Mareschal examines adult Jewish education and Jewish women’s participation.

Older adults learn in a multitude of settings, particularly in informal contexts—settings where learning is not accredited in formal means of assessment (Tusting, 2003). Their motivations for participating vary but include avoiding isolation and the enjoyment of learning. Amid the social institutions in which older adults learn, religious institutions stand out as a major mechanism for learning not only in the spiritual realm but also in other human spheres. In Chapter Seven, Brian Findsen reviews the roles that religious institutions play for seniors. Additionally, he explores the appropriateness of learning activities in these settings.

This sourcebook will have wide appeal among adult education practitioners and researchers alike. It provides basic knowledge for those interested in learning about different religious faiths. In addition, readers can explore various topics addressed within religious contexts. Program planners will find the volume useful as it provides information that can assist them in recruiting and attracting adults to their programs. It also serves as a useful guide for religious practitioners interested in improving their practice of adult religious education. In general, it is a great resource for information on adult learning. In addition, the sourcebook is an excellent resource for courses in adult education contexts. It is replete with research possibilities for researchers. Additional studies are needed to expand our knowledge relative to the important educational role of religious institutions and the adults who are recipients of the numerous educational programs provided by religious institutions and faith groups.

E. Paulette Isaac

Editor

References

Ballard, S. M., and Morris, M. L. “Factors Influencing Midlife and Older Adults’ Attendance in Family Life Education Programs.” Family Relations, 2005, 54(3), 461–472.

Blassingame, J. W. The Slave Community:Plantation Life in the Antebellum South. New York: Oxford University Press, 1972.

Isaac, E. P., Guy, T., and Valentine, T. “Understanding African American Adult Learners’ Motivations to Learn in Church-based Adult Education.” Adult Education Quarterly, 2001, 52(1), 23–38.

Isaac, P. “The Adult Education Phase of the African American Church Revisited.” Christian Education Journal, 2002, 6(1), 7–23.

Tusting, K. A Review of Theories of Informal Learning. Lancaster Literacy Research Centre Working Paper No 2. Lancaster, England: Lancaster University, 2003.

White House. “Obama Announces White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships.” 2009. Retrieved from www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/ObamaAnnouncesWhiteHouseOfficeofFaith-basedandNeighborhoodPartnerships/.

E. PAULETTE ISAAC is an associate professor of adult education and chair of the Division of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Missouri–St. Louis.

1

Adult Religious Education

John L. Elias

This chapter provides a historical overview of religion and religious education. In addition, it discusses how adult religious education is conducted.

Most religious organizations exert their greatest effort in the religious education of children. This makes sense in terms of handing on the faith to the next generation. Historically, however, religious education of adults is the first endeavor of religious groups. Religions usually rise from charismatic persons who gather disciples or learners to instruct them in the new visions or received revelations. For example, one finds little in the Christian scriptures or the Koran about the education of children. Once children are born within the group, attention is given to their proper initiation into the community.

Conducting education of children requires the previous religious education of adults. The main responsibility for the education of children lies in the hands of adults who can do this competently only if they are committed to and well versed in their religious faith. Early in the history of all cultures there is much emphasis on parents educating their own children. Only later in the history of religious organizations are special institutions established to look to the education of children.

My purpose in this chapter is to explore adult religious education by responding to three basic questions.

1. What is the nature of religion?

2. How do different religions describe adult religious or spiritual maturity?

3. How or by what methods do the principal world religions provide for the religious education of adults?

My focus here goes counter to what is happening in U.S. culture. We often hear the expression “I am spiritual but not religious,” meaning no doubt that the person has a spiritual orientation and may engage in spiritual practices without, however, a commitment to an organized religion. This comment is often taken as a criticism of organized or institutional religion, which certainly can stand legitimate evaluation. But the fact remains that religious institutions, organizations, and groups, with all their limitations and faults, remain the principal source for nurturing the spiritual or religious impulse or spirit in individuals and societies. Spiritual persons most often draw from religious writings, rituals, practices, and leaders of world religions. Thus, the work of adult religious education performed in these organizations needs and deserves the attention of scholars in education and other academic disciplines.

Religion

The pervasive phenomenon of religion has received numerous definitions over the years. The existentialist theologian Paul Tillich (1964) gave religion a functional definition when he described it as what concerns humans ultimately. The sociologist of religion Robert Bellah (1969) analyzed religion as a set of symbolic forms and actions that relate persons to the ultimate conditions of their existence. A widely referenced description comes from the cultural anthropologist Clifford Geertz (1977):

Religion is (1) a system of symbols which acts to (2) establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations, in persons by (3) formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and (4) clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that (5) the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic. (p. 90)

Notice that all of these descriptions are broad enough to include both theistic and nontheistic religions.

Probing the definition of religion further, one can examine the dimensions identified by social scientists and scholars of religion. A widely referenced taxonomy of religious dimensions is that of theologian and religion scholar Ninian Smart (1998), who has identified seven elements or dimensions of religion. These elements are found in some form or another in all religions, though not in the same way or to the same degree. For example, there is a considerable difference between the simplicity of ritual and meeting places of the Society of Friends (Quakers) and the elaborate rites and rituals of Russian Orthodox Christianity.

Religions have rituals or ceremonies to initiate members, commemorate significant points in their history, celebrate events in the life of individuals such as marriage and death, to revitalize the community, and generally to bring members into the sphere of the holy. Rituals include acts of worship of a private or corporate nature, prayer, preaching, meditation, and pilgrimages.

Religions contain myths and narratives, often considered revealed by a transcendent deity, that record the words and deeds of founders and recount the history of the group. Often these myths provide explanations and interpretations of the natural world (creation myths) and the world of humans (lives of saints and holy persons). They also convey the way that adherents should live in their lives, the virtues they should exhibit, and the actions they should perform or avoid.

Religions provide the community and its members with opportunities for the expression of experiences and emotions, or what Geertz (1977) calls moods and motivations. They invite believers to participate in what Otto (1958) describes as the mysterium fascinams et tremendum (the mystery that is at the same time both attractive or alluring and overwhelming). Religious experiences include those of awe, dread, guilt, devotion, conversion, liberation, ecstasy, inner peace, and bliss. Individuals’ religious experiences are taken as proof of their faith.

Religions enunciate doctrines or teachings found in the primary writings of the founders and in the writings of scholars or theologians of the organization. These doctrines go beyond the myths and stories to offer explanations or interpretations of human life and events often of a rigorously intellectual nature. The theologians of some religions at times offer extensive explanations and systematic treatment of both central and peripheral beliefs of the community. While the doctrines of religion essentially remain unchanging over the years, they often undergo significant change in response to new problems and the desire for more contemporary expressions.

The ethical dimension of religion includes rules, taboos, commandments, and laws according to which members are to live virtuous lives. These ethical elements are contained within the narratives, rituals, and doctrines. In some religions, these commandments cover all aspects of life. Many religious bodies have specialist teachers who apply ancient principles to the practical lives of members. Controversies often arise in religions as they attempt to adapt their principles to changes in culture and the desire of members for guidance in the face of new and challenging moral issues.

Religions have a social and institutional dimension that includes organized structures, hierarchies, leadership systems, and authorities. Religions develop institutions to perpetuate the experiences of founders and first disciples and thus make them available to new members. Institutions include arrangements of initiation of members, systems of training for leadership in the religious bodies, codifications of laws, and regulations. Religious values have been incorporated in a multitude of schools, hospitals, seminaries, religious orders, and associations.

Finally, religions have a material dimension, which is manifested in places of worship, specialized buildings, works of art such as statues and icons, dramatic performances, and sacred music. Smart (1998) added this dimension after he had set forth his original analysis. It is an important one because human creations, especially those of aesthetic beauty, are often the first and deepest contact that individuals make with religious faiths.

Given all of these dimensions of religion embracing a wealth of information, attitudes, values, and expectations, religions have developed ways of socializing members into all aspects of religious faith. With much to learn and internalize in each phase of life, education in religion cannot be fully accomplished in the early years of life. Achieving full religious meaning, appreciation, and participation is a lifetime task for which religions offer needed assistance through many means but principally through education. Religions offer values and meanings at every stage in life. Children receive primary socialization; adolescents are aided by assistance in their growing struggles; adults at various stages of family, work, and community life are offered strength and guidance; and elders can turn to the consolations and deepest meanings of religious faith especially as they face the diminishments and struggles of later years.

To accomplish these many tasks, religions have developed both concepts and goals of religious maturity and ways to reach this maturity.

Religious Maturity

While psychologists are the principal scholarly group interested in understanding maturity, adult maturity is a focus of many academic groups, such as philosophers, theologians, sociologists, and scholars of literature. These scholars work with a view of who mature persons are, what aids persons to achieve maturity, and what are the obstacles to maturity. This is not the place to review the excellent work done in these areas. My focus is on images of maturity found in world religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Space considerations prevent further analyses of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism, although I feel certain that the findings would be similar.