We are starting a new reading group on religious literacy education. This reading group aims to create a space for scholars, practitioners, and other stakeholders to discuss new research, examine issues in the field, and sharpen our thinking on our common project. The group will meet monthly, with each meeting focusing on discussion of an article or chapter in the field.
January 10, 2024 – Join three secondary religion teachers for a conversation about how they teach about religion in their different contexts. They will share examples from their classrooms and discuss the challenges of teaching about religion in today’s educational climate.
November 1, 2023 — Children’s museums provide playful spaces within the public sphere for children and adults to engage together through familiar and novel content and platforms. This talk explores processes in developing religious literacy within the informal educational context of Boston Children’s Museum (BCM). To guide critical theory-practice connections, we reflect on how as collaborators in the Religious Literacy Initiative we sought to provide children and the adults who care for them opportunities to: 1) unpack how beliefs and values develop as a facet of identity; 2) increase comfort around differing belief systems and uncover commonalities; and 3) celebrate religious, cultural and familial traditions.
We are an interdisciplinary network of educators, students, and scholars who examine issues involving religion and education in the United States, Canada, and around the globe. The REC strives to bridge gaps between academic fields and educational arenas to promote research and initiatives on religious literacy education, relationships between religion and public schools, and other topics at the intersections of religion and schooling.
We meet regularly via video conference during the academic year. These sessions provide space for members to present on works in progress, seek feedback on projects, and share findings and experiences with initiatives related to religion and education.
Open Access!
by Kate E. Soules and Daniel del Nido
Religion & Education, 52(1–2), 32–57.
https://doi.org/10.1080/15507394.2025.2468570
On March 15, 2024, a group of professionals in the field of religious literacy education held a working retreat titled “Mapping the Field of K-12 Religious Literacy Education.” Its goal was to build cohesion in the field by identifying key stakeholders, the ways stakeholders define religious literacy education, their methods for promoting it, and the challenges they face in the post-pandemic era. This report summarizes the day’s discussions and shares participants’ recommendations for continuing to strengthen the field of K-12 religious literacy education.
Edited by Axel Takacs, Christine Gallagher, and Lucinda Mosher
Interreligious Studies Press, 2025
Interreligious Studies and Secondary Education: Pedagogies and Practices for Living and Learning in a Religiously Plural World is a groundbreaking collection of eighteen essays that delve into the vital role of interreligious and interfaith studies in public, private, and parochial secondary education, as well as in youth programs. Edited by Lucinda Mosher, Axel M. Oaks Takacs, and Christine Gallagher, this volume is divided into four comprehensive parts: Theory, Practice, Religiously Affiliated School Settings, and Outside and Beyond Secondary Education. Each section offers unique insights into the challenges and opportunities of teaching about religion in diverse educational contexts.
Religious Literacies in Educational Contexts: Interdisciplinary Perspectives provides an overview of current scholarship on religious literacy and its practical applications in public life. As an emerging, interdisciplinary field, religious literacy is vital in understanding how diverse religious beliefs shape social and political landscapes. This volume aims to deepen the conversation among scholars and practitioners by offering actionable recommendations for promoting religious literacy in educational contexts. Key questions addressed include: What does religious literacy mean in different contexts? Why is religious literacy important today? How can educators and scholars foster religious literacy in public settings? This book provides an exploration of these questions as the authors offer an overview of the current scholarship on religious literacy along with its applications in the classroom for both scholars and practitioners.
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The Religion & Education Collaborative is supported by The Foundation for Religious Literacy.