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"Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime." – Martin Luther King Jr.

At this special time of year, we have books to inspire and delight you. Accompany your little ones 'On the Road to Emmaus' or through 'Via Lucis: The Way of the Light'. Or perhaps, reflect with Fr Michael on the Gospel resurrection narratives in 'Alive'.

The transformative power of Religious Education

The transformative power of Religious Education

Posted: Tue, 5 May 2020 09:14

The transformative power of Religious Education

This week, Catholic teacher Mike Bennett shares his experience of how the study of religion can transform young people - if it's done in the right way. (Photo: Shutterstock)

I am a bit of a geek! A 'Theo-geek'! I fell in love with theology when a young and brilliant RE teacher broke open the scriptures to me when I was in Year 12. This generous lady truly taught me who Christ was. She made the Jesus with whom I had been brought up seem very different. The meek and mild image of Jesus who walked on water and gave sight to the blind was replaced with a powerful and radical incarnation, whose care and compassion towards the poor and oppressed, coupled with his continuous conflict with the religious and social elite, transformed me. Jesus became less of a miracle worker, and more of a healer; a healer of social injustice, prejudice, discrimination and social elitism. Jesus became the Christ, the true incarnate image of the father. My understanding of Christ was transformed! I use the term 'transformed' in a specific way: for me, this new way of seeing the Christ inspired me to want to be like him. To take up my cross and work for a better world where 'thy kingdom' would come. I had to experience Christ in order to be transformed by Christ. Through this transformed view of Jesus, I felt called to the ministry of teaching; this was how I was going to try my best to embrace the call to serve.

So back to being a geek. When the new GCSE RS 1-9 specification was published a few years back I was quite enthusiastic. I could teach the finer points of the Second Vatican Council. I could open my pupils up to St Pope John XXIII. Surely, they would be touched and inspired by the gentle and humble saintly wisdom of this beautiful soul. What joy to be able to introduce my pupils to the ground breaking Lumen Gentium. Creation, Incarnation, Paschal Mystery, Eschatology: all the biggies were on the specification. I was going to break open the world of theology to my pupils. When other colleagues where anxious, I was going to change the world with this new spec!

Within weeks of teaching the new specification I was seeing glazed eyes! Heads on the desk, bewildered looks! What was going wrong? Why wasn't I able to work my magic? The answer was simple, I was not teaching this new field of enquiry through the lens of experience! This first hit me when I was teaching Eschatology. I dutifully taught the teachings of the Church. The pupils could tell me that on death the soul is released and judged: it goes to Heaven or Hell or Purgatory; this is Particular Judgement. My pupils could anchor this belief the Catechism, the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, and the teachings of various Popes. Moreover, they could outline the belief in General Judgment and how the Catholic view is different from the Anglican and Evangelical Christian view. The best pupils could write extended essays on all of the above. Yet still, the eyes were glazed. Why? Because of itself this 'knowledge' was not transformational, and I believe that the study of theology should be transform.

In order for the study of GCSE RS to mean anything, it must at least offer the potential to be transformative. And teaching the doctrines of the Church by rote was not enough. Good teaching, never mind good RE teaching, must touch the heart. It is a simple as that.
This is easier said than done. If we look at the more abstract teachings such as the resurrection, we need to be creative. My cousin died aged 33. He was young man, and his death had a huge impact on me. Yet I will never forgot the comfort the young priest gave me at his funeral. His homily was based around John14:2, 'in my father's house there are many rooms'. The youthful cleric invited us to imagine the room my cousin Barry was in. What would it be like? What would the colour scheme be? I was lost in my thoughts. Barry was an unrepentant Evertonian; his room would be blue. He loved to bet on the horses, his room would have multiple TV screens showing the racing. This simple invitation to go inward transformed my grief into hope. This is the power of transformational theology in action. My feelings of helplessness and grief were transformed into a tangible experience of the resurrection.

When teaching about forgiveness, we can teach the pupils everything Christ, St. Paul and all those holy souls who have followed have taught, yet these will fail to transform until we offer the pupils the chance to be forgiven, or until we have asked for forgiveness from them. I am sure this is what St. John Baptiste De La Salle meant when he said 'teachers who are not involved in the learning process force their pupils to drink stagnant water'.

Teaching about the Eucharist will only make sense if the pupils can truly experience community before they enter a liturgy. The transformational power of RE can only be harnessed when teaching moves beyond 'he said / she said / you must!' If we take the example of Don Bosco, he placed as much emphasis on the playground as he did on the Church! His genius was to realise that experience creates love. Memories are made in play. Memories, both positive and negative, have the power to transform. RE will only be transformational when it moves beyond a cerebral and cognitive exercise to a meaningful and positive experience. Better for the pupils to experience the good news than simply learn about it.

When teaching the Four Marks of the Church, I introduced my class to Sr. Helen Prejean the anti-death penalty advocate, and the Franciscan Brothers of the Renewal in Bradford. These powerful witnesses touch the heart, and showed my pupils what universal holiness and action looks like in reality. So much so, that a number of the class made contact with both. When covering Catholic Social Teaching, giving the pupils access to Sean Devereux showed them the power of love, Christian love in action.

It is not enough to say 'Catholics believe this … ', that will never transform. We must show how faith is transformed in to action. Beliefs are lived and not simply contemplated as abstract 'norms' by which individuals live their lives


Michael Bennett

Tags: Homepage, Religious Education, Salesian Youth Ministry, Salesians of Don Bosco