This article was downloaded by: [Eindhoven Technical University]On: 22 November 2014, At: 22:22Publisher: RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH,UK

Religious Education: Theofficial journal of the ReligiousEducation AssociationPublication details, including instructions forauthors and subscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/urea20

Editorial: “Religion andSchools; Religion and PublicLife”Jack L. Seymour EditorPublished online: 24 Jul 2014.

To cite this article: Jack L. Seymour Editor (2014) Editorial: “Religion and Schools;Religion and Public Life”, Religious Education: The official journal of the ReligiousEducation Association, 109:4, 359-360, DOI: 10.1080/00344087.2014.924752

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00344087.2014.924752

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EDITORIAL: “RELIGION AND SCHOOLS; RELIGIONAND PUBLIC LIFE”

The current issue is a feast of rich ideas about a crucial issue for thefuture. What is the role of religion in the shaping of public livingand community? What is the place of religion in the public schoolcurriculum? How does the formation of persons in particular religioustraditions engage and expand conversation about the public, ratherthan create silos of difference?

In his presidential address, Dr. Siebren Miedema, president ofthe Religious Education Association (REA), quotes from the work ofFrank Knight Sanders in a 1904 REA presidential address: “We needto make it clear that religion is as broad as life itself, and that life with-out religion is impossible” (Schmidt 1983, 5). Sanders was the firstpresident of REA. A college professor, a child of missionaries, and ascholar of biblical languages, Sanders was one of that amazing groupof founders who knew that religion was crucial to the humanizationof public life. They had experienced the separating and hierarchicaltendencies of religious traditions. They knew that religions affectedthe ways people negotiated the terrain of public living. To bring theseeffects out into the light, to seek partnerships, and to find ways ofinforming persons to engage and build a shared public life were com-mitments of REA leadership.

The 2013 REA conference, “Coming Out Religiously”: Religion,the Public Sphere, and Religious Identity Formation recalled thoseearly commitments and looked explicitly at how religion, publicschools, and public living connect across many cultures and nationswith differing patterns of the interaction among religious groups andpublic institutions. Many excellent addresses and papers as well asworkshops and colloquia were prepared for the conference. We areonly able to give you a taste of that rich fare here. Many essays wereworthy of publication; others will find their way into future issues ofthe journal. Here we include Dr. Miedema’s presidential address andexpanded versions to two addresses given at the conference by scholarsDiane Moore and Walter Feinberg as well as a response from CharlesFoster. In addition, five essays were selected by a conference reviewcommittee from papers presented by REA members Cok Bakker and

Religious Education Copyright C© The Religious Education AssociationVol. 109 No. 4 July–September ISSN: 0034-4087 print

DOI: 10.1080/00344087.2014.924752

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360 EDITORIAL

Ina ter Avest, Harold Horell, Patrick Manning, Mary Elizabeth Mooreand Joseph Kyser, and Kieran Scott.

The dialogue about religion, schools, and public life is indeedcritical. REA is in an important place to contribute to it. For exam-ple, the 2014 REA conference focuses on “Religion and Education inthe (Un)making of Violence” from November 7–9, 2014 in Chicago,Illinois. I point you to our website, www.religiouseducation.net, defin-ing that conference. Enjoy remembering and engaging with the fol-lowing articles and their contributions to our ongoing dialogue.

Jack L. Seymour, Editor

REFERENCE

Schmidt, S. A. 1983. A history of the Religious Education Association. Birmingham, AL: ReligiousEducation Press.

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