Re-Imagining Christian Education for the Twenty-First Century

The first annual Conference of the National Centre for Christian Education at Liverpool Hope University, held in July 2012, was advertised as: “ a multi conference exploring the opportunities and dilemmas facing Christian education and educationalists at a time of significant social and demographic change when the certainties of the 1944 settlement are fast disappearing … contributing to the debate about effective strategies for the enhancement of Christian education, and what it might offer the diverse, pluralistic society of 21st century England, with its current predominantly materialistic and instrumental perspective on the purposes of education.” It attracted delegates from across the world and contributions from distinguished educational practitioners, theorists and administrators. Four main themes emerged from the papers accepted for inclusion in the Conference: the politics of Christian educational provision; vocation and Christian leadership, the formation of teachers as Christian educators; and Christian pedagogy and school effectiveness. Each theme is addressed in the selection of papers included in this book edited by Andrew B. Morris.