Some Theological Reservations Surrounding One Contemporary Christian Approach to Teaching and Learning

Abstract

This article raises a number of theological reservations about one contemporary Christian approach to teaching and learning. For many years David Smith and Trevor Cooling have played a leading role in demonstrating how Christian beliefs and theological themes might be integrated into classroom practice across the curriculum. But despite the good fruits in their work, there are some theological reservations that need to be raised. There is something deficient about the perceived relationship between theology and education that grounds this contemporary example of a Christian approach to teaching and learning. To illustrate this concern, an embryonic proposal that draws inspiration from the systematic theologian Karl Rahner is presented. This is done in order to describe how theology could provide the guiding framework for educational theory in general and for teaching and learning across the curriculum.*