Narrative theology in Religious Education

This article advocates a pedagogy of Religious Education (RE) based upon a narratival framework informed by both narrative theology and narrative philosophy. Drawing on the work of narrative theologians including Stanley Hauerwas, the article outlines the nature of the framework, describes the four phases of learning that comprise the pedagogy, and explains how such an approach can overcome existing difficulties in how biblical texts are handled within RE. Working from the narrative assumption that individuals and communities are formed by reading, sharing and living within stories, it suggests that the pedagogy might encourage pupils to think about how the lives of Christians are shaped by their interpretations of biblical narratives, to offer their own interpretations of biblical and other texts, and to consider the stories – religious, non-religious or both – which shape their own lives. In so doing, the article moves away from a ‘proof-texting’ approach to the Bible towards one in which pupils are enabled to think about the significance of biblical narratives for both Christians and themselves.     

论布莱希特戏剧中的人性异化——以戏剧《伽利略传》为例

布莱希特是20世纪西方最重要、最富有独创性的戏剧家之一，他对人物形象的辩证法塑造，使其笔下的戏剧人物充满了丰富性和立体性，同时也体现了鲜明的人性异化的主题。其戏剧《伽利略传》中的主人公伽利略被称为“英雄的懦夫”，他的沉沦与堕落既有其自身的复杂原因又有外部的社会因素。正是内因和外因、自我和社会之间的交互作用导致了伽利略的人格裂变，因而罪责在于社会而非人。布莱希特又把这一异化现象与时代背景和社会政治内容相融合，从而体现出异化的时代感与社会性，达到教育观众、改造社会的目的。     

‘Students get bogged down’: how religious Israeli elementary teachers view problems and solutions in Bible teaching

Bible teachers in contemporary society confront serious problems related to the nature of the biblical text and the socio-cultural context of their teaching. This study, based on semi-structured interviews, examines the problems that five expert religious Israeli elementary school teachers encounter in their teaching and the solutions they employ. Our findings show two major domains of pedagogic issues: unfamiliar biblical linguistics and problematic content. Teachers reported student difficulties in understanding biblical Hebrew. Problematic content includes irrelevant topics, emotionally laden material, and age inappropriate issues. Linguistic solutions relied on reading comprehension techniques and use of features specific to Bible reading such as diacritical marks. Regarding content issues, teachers were motivated by faith in the sanctity of the text to find effective solutions. These include selectivity, reinterpretation using homiletic tools, a holistic understanding and contextualising the narrative. Though teachers felt ill-prepared by their pre-service training in dealing with these challenges, they demonstrated resilience in their solution-oriented pedagogy. These findings suggest attention to mentoring and professional development, and to the creation of a community of practice to support teachers’ dealing with the ongoing challenges in their teaching.     

Piaget's epistemic subject and science education: Epistemological vs. psychological issues

Many individuals claim that Piaget's theory of cognitive development is empirically false or substantially disconfirmed by empirical research. Although there is substance to such a claim, any such conclusion must address three increasingly problematic issues about the possibility of providing an empirical test of Piaget's genetic epistemology: (1) the empirical underdetermination of theory by empirical evidence, (2) the empirical difficulty of testing competence-type explanations, and (3) the difficulty of empirically testing epistemic norms. This is especially true of a central epistemic construct in Piaget's theory — the epistemic subject. To illustrate how similar problems of empirical testability arise in the physical sciences, I briefly examine the case of Galileo and the correlative difficulty of empirically testing Galileo's laws. I then point out some important epistemological similarities between Galileo and Piaget together with correlative changes needed in science studies methodology. I conclude that many psychologists and science educators have failed to appreciate the difficulty of falsifying Piaget's theory because they have tacitly adopted a philosophy of science at odds with the paradigm-case of Galileo.An earlier version of this paper was read at the 1990 annual meeting of the N.A.R.S.T in Atlanta. I wish to thank Mansoor Niaz for making suggestions about improving the quality of the paper.     

《虹》的圣经情结

基督教在西方意识形态领域长期处于统治地位,这种文化心态深深地积淀于西方文化和心理的深处,无形地导引着与圣经关系最为密切的文学的发生和发展。《虹》在这方面为人们提供了一个很好的范例。     

《圣经》习语典故

As isknown to all, the influ-ence of the Bible on Western culture isprofound and the biblical literature has tremendouslyenriched the English language. Learning about some well-knownidioms derived from the Bible is undoubtedly beneficial to our Englishstudy. The popular expressions are as follows.     

Perfect Prophets,Helpful Hippos,and Happy Endings: Noah and Jonah in Children's Bible Storybooks in the United States

This article is based on a study of hundreds of children's bible storybooks available in the United States from 1850 to the present and focuses on the way the biblical stories of Noah and Jonah have been retold for children. These children's bible storybooks lend insight into the American church's changing assumptions about the purpose of the religious education of children and the nature of the Bible and its role in religious instruction. The author suggests that these retellings often change Hebrew Bible stories in ways that rob them of the very features that make them helpful resources for religious education. The author also offers suggestions for future authors, illustrators, and consumers of children's bible storybooks.     

Engaging the Bible in GCSE and A level Religious Studies: environmental stewardship as a test case

This article explores the potential for critical and informed engagement with biblical texts to form a key element of the study of Christian perspectives on ethical issues at GCSE and A level. Given the current dominance of philosophical and ethical topics, and weaknesses in the engagement with biblical texts within existing curriculum materials, the article appeals to recent developments in approaches to biblical scholarship, in particular a focus on the history of interpretation and influence, as a means by which the Bible may be fruitfully and critically engaged in modules focused on contemporary religious ethics. The article then presents the topic of environmental stewardship as a test case for the practical application of such a method, outlining two examples – the stewardship of creation (Genesis 1 and 2) and the future of the earth (2 Peter 3) – to demonstrate how a more sophisticated treatment of the Bible as part of ethical enquiry might be achieved.     

Parshanut Through Art: The High School Student as Biblical Commentator

The following research study presents data drawn from an arts-based qualitative research study from 2013. Students created artistic interpretations of biblical texts using a variety of media. One of the significant findings of the study was that learning through the arts provided students with an opportunity to take on the role of parshan, or biblical commentator. Three examples of artwork is presented and combined, they show that by taking on the role of parshan, students were able to craft original interpretations of text and develop new connections with the text. Learning in this way demonstrated the significance of integrating the arts into Bible curricula as a vehicle for developing new types of positive and educational experiences for students.     

近代科学的诞生与意大利大学

近代科学的诞生往往以哥白尼的《天体运行论》、维萨留斯的《人体的构造》、哈维的《心血运动论》以及伽利略新物理学的问世为开端 ,以牛顿力学的建立 ,以及机械自然观和实验数学方法论的形成为其标志。从哥白尼革命到伽利略新物理学的诞生 ,从维萨留斯《人体的构造》到哈维《心血运动论》 ,均与意大利大学密切相关。     

Vocation in Theology and Psychology: Conflicting Approaches?

ABSTRACT

Recent contributions in the fields of psychology, sociology, and theology reveal opposing attitudes about the subject of calling or vocation with regard to one's work. Whereas psychologists have rediscovered the concept, theologians increasingly show reluctance to accept a vocational view of work. In offering an alternative perspective, this article argues that an approach to calling from biblical theology is capable of inspiring Christian workers in a psychologically meaningful way, while avoiding the inadequacies of the understanding that “work is vocation” that was developed during the Protestant Reformation. In a biblical-theological approach, work is not equated with calling. Rather, it is perceived as practicing the love command and hope for a restoration of God's intentions for creation, emanating from the call into fellowship with Christ and a vision for the kingdom of God.     

Challenging White Jesus: Race and the Undergraduate Bible Classroom

Abstract

In this article, we offer analysis of and propose means of resistance to White Jesus in undergraduate Bible survey courses. White Jesus functions as a proxy for the operation of white normativity in contexts of religious education. Research on a cohort of first-year undergraduate students demonstrates the durability of race as a factor in students’ experiences and outcomes in required Bible courses. After interpreting these findings in light of literature on race, biblical studies, and higher education, we suggest strategic pedagogical interventions that instructors can employ to resist white normativity.     

论《查特莱夫人的情人》中的圣经原型

戴.赫.劳伦斯的《查特莱夫人的情人》采用了很多的圣经原型,比如主题、人物、叙事结构和意象原型。根据诺思若普.弗莱的原型批评理论,读者可以在更好地理解劳伦斯和《圣经》关系的同时用另一种角度来解读《圣经》这一文学经典,并更好地领悟劳伦斯的救世情怀。     

中国传统文化生死观探微

生死之事是人们无法回避且必须面对的问题。儒家重视生命的存在,重现世,轻来生,强调丧葬之礼和死而不朽;道家重视生命的自然本性,突出生命与自然相融合,实现适性逍遥的真实自我;佛家认为人生皆苦,生死无常,不要贪恋世间诸相,要看空一切,物我两忘,超越人生痛苦。梳理中国传统生死观,对实施生死观教育、提升当代人的生死品质具有重要的现实意义。     

《失乐园·第一卷》中的撒旦和上帝的人物塑造分析

《失乐园》是英国17世纪最伟大的诗人弥尔顿笔下的经典史诗。全诗共12卷,记录的是圣经中创世纪的故事。该诗第一卷气势浑宏地展现了魔王撒旦被贬入地狱后联合其他被贬诸神一同准备向上帝宣战的全过程。弥尔顿对形形色色的人物描写可谓入木三分。该研究探索第一卷中撒旦和上帝两个性格迥异的主要角色,从不同的视角试图证明诗人成功的人物形象的塑造。通过文本分析,该研究揭示有助于更好理解文本的视角。     

新版影片《大地惊雷》的圣经原型解读

《圣经》作为西方文化的源头之一,为艺术创作提供了丰富的原型。本文运用原型批评理论,从语言原型、人物原型、情节原型、观念原型、意向原型和音乐原型六个方面对新版影片《大地惊雷》中蕴含的《圣经》原型进行解读。     

Education in Time of War: George Johnson and the Commission on American Citizenship of the Catholic University of America

Times of war are times of crisis for theologians and educators. This article examines how Msgr. George Johnson, the vice president of the Religious Education Association and the most prominent Catholic educator in the 1930s and 1940s, dealt with the ethical and educational issues surrounding U.S. involvement in the Second World War. It argues that Johnson skillfully balanced the demands of patriotism with that of critical citizenship and commitment to Catholic theological and educational principles.     

《圣经》的修辞观

《圣经》的修辞观,在本质上属于伦理修辞,不属于言辩修辞.《圣经》的修辞观表现为,追求“诚言”,力求“善言”,讲求“慎言”.《圣经》修辞观的价值在于,能够反映人类文化的共通性和伦理修辞的一致性.     

Knowledge about the Bible and Skills for Biblical Interpretation Imparted by Norwegian RE Textbooks for Upper Secondary Education

Abstract

This qualitative study investigates the knowledge about the Bible and the skills required for biblical interpretation as imparted by three textbooks for Norwegian upper secondary religious education (RE). The multidimensional theoretical framework combines models from biblical hermeneutics and RE. One model distinguishes between the worlds behind, in, and in front of the biblical text. Another distinguishes between the universal, common religious, and religion-specific dimensions of religious narratives. While the body texts alternate between the worlds behind, in, and in front of the text, the assignments focus on the worlds in and in front of the text and the religion-specific dimension.     

On the Translation Methods of Biblical Idioms

Biblical idioms are widely used in daily communication in English-speaking countries.In order to prevent cross-cultural communication barriers,it is important for nonnative English speakers to understand the background information of biblical idioms,such as religious stories.Biblical idioms can be classified into two categories:phrases originated from Christian stories and quotations extracted from the Bible.Different biblical idioms requires different translation methods.Three main translation methods,literal translation,free translation,and corresponding translation,are discussed in this paper with detailed case analysis.The three translation methods have their own advantages and are applied in different circumstances.