Ends and Means in Religious Education 29
mature faith and religious living are being advanced by this
resurgence of popular interest. Responsible leaders of all
denominations have pointed out the many ambiguities and
practical difficulties of mass phenomena:5 Selfish motives are
often mixed with altruism in group expressions of religion.
Significant criticism of existing social mores or personal sel-
fishness is often lacking. Although large amounts of money
have been devoted to buildings and program, a high level
of religious knowledge has not been achieved.
In appraising the contribution of religious education, it
is important to understand that it is not limited to church,
Sunday or parochial schools. Liturgy and ceremony as well
as holidays and festival occasions have dramatized the teach-
ings of the major religions for many centuries.6 More re-
cently, the media of mass communication—radio, television
and motion pictures—have been employed by religious agen-
cies. The total effect of these new vehicles cannot yet be ap-
praised. On the one hand, they will break down parochialism
and encourage devotion at many different levels; on the other
hand, they may intensify sectarian conflict as well.
Religious education, to be effective, must address itself
to the present context of religious ideas. It is evident that
the popular interest in religion presents perils as well as
new possibilities. In the immediate past, two extremes of
theory have been dominant in church schools in the United
States. Impressed by the child-centered character of much
of public school practice, many Protestant church schools de-
emphasized content and attempted to teach age groups al-
most exclusively in terms of appropriate life situations.
Choices and decisions corresponding to the student’s matur-
ity level have been encouraged. No doubt, this approach has
many values not present in simple catechization. Yet it has