The Kerygmatic
Approach to Religious
Education
During the early twentieth century, the kerygmatic movement
developed in the Catholic Church as a result of a growing
dissatisfaction with the dogmatic approach in religious education.
Changes to religious education came at a time when United Kingdom
and United States of America teachers of religious education started to
question whether rote learning and memorisation of facts was the most
effective approach to teaching (Whenman, 2012).
Hobson and Welbourne (2002) state that since Vatican II a
quantum leap has been made from an approach that
concentrated on memorised doctrine to a process that
applies critical reason to Christian texts, rituals and
symbols.
As early as the mid nineteenth century there were
developments in theological thinking (Gallagher, 2001).
Thinking included viewing the Church as a community
rather than the church being an impenetrable fortress.
Lance (as cited in Gallagher, 2001) states the
purpose of the kerygmatic approach was to
enable students to reflect on themselves and
their lives and to examine these in depth so that
they came to see God present in their own lives.
The aim being to renew the significance of the
Church liturgies and scriptures.
Advantages
The kerygmatic movement signified an important change. The Bible became a much
more important tool in religious education.
A series of text books were integrated into classrooms such as ‘My Way to God’
which led to new styles of teaching that resulted in improved engagement of student
learning (Whenman, 2012).
Rummery (1977) states another advantage was that the gap between teachers and
students lessened as both were seen as participants. This less formal relationship
between student and teacher allowed for informed discussion.
The catechism was no longer used as a starting point for discussion rather, it was
used to link to students’ life experiences.
Limitations
Gallagher (2001) identifies the disadvantages in the approach were that
many of those involved in teaching religion were ill equipped to cope with
the change from dogmatic to the kerygmatic approach.
Many religious educators failed to make the historical approach relevant to
children in the twentieth century.
Bible stories became repetitious and were not modified to suit the needs of
the students.
Educators assumed all students were believers which made it
difficult for students to make connections with the Bible.
Moran (as cited in Gallagher, 2001) saw this approach as a rigid
construction of words and ideas imposed on people from outside
their lives.
Older members of the clergy did not accept the change easily as it
was very different to their own education.
The kerygmatic approach introduced radical
changes to religious education.
The disadvantages of this approach outweighed
the advantages and therefore this approach to
religious education evolved.
Reflection
Identify aspects of teaching religion
and teaching people to be religious in
a particular way.