Religious Education at a Crossroads: Moving on in the Freedom of the Spirit

Abstract

One road, according to Darcy-Berube, leads in the direction of more holistic education, a process of religious instruction that is cautious because it is also a process of moral and spiritual awakening--and when we sleepers awake too suddenly, we lose our bearings. The other direction, a road she sees implied in the new Catechism of the Catholic Church, leads to a place of dogmatic stability--and sterility--which, however reassuring to those looking for comfort, is woefully out of step with human needs. Each chapter is framed by questions posed by Thomas Groome to prompt contemplation and action. Thus the book does not merely identify the crossroads and end by fretting. Rather, it provides a map of the region so we can retrace the steps and previous crossroads that brought us here.