Peace or Violence

Religion’s impact on world politics has been of major concern since the 9/11 terrorist attacks and America’s military response. Peace or Violence addresses the timely question of the role of religious education—does it merely inculcate the fundamentalist mindset that leads to sectarian violence or can it instead promote peace? Through an analysis and evaluation of many of the different models of religious education across the Western world, this book considers religion’s role in a polarized and globalized world. The contributors gathered here persuasively argue that religious education’s responsibility is to inform and enrich communal life.

Reverend Jeff Astley is director of the North of England Institute for Christian Education and honorary professorial fellow in practical theology and Christian education at Durham University.