Debates in Religious Education is an accessible and comprehensive guide to the issues that are currently central to discussions in religious education; it is written with the needs of both trainee and practising teachers in mind.

L. Philip Barnes is Emertius Reader in Religious and Theological Education at King's College London and Visiting Scholar in the Institute of Irish Studies, Queen's University Belfast.

Introduction: Entering the Debate Part 1: History, Policy and Purpose 1. Why Religious Education Matters 2. RE in the United Kingdom and Ireland 3. Agreed Syllabuses Part 2: Educational Issues and Religious Education 4. Diversity 5. Gender 6. Faith, Education and Whole School Issues 7. Faith Schools 8. Citizenship and Human Rights 9. Spiritual and Moral Development 10. Social Cohesion 11. Humanism 12. Research 13. European Developments Part 3: Issues in Teaching and Learning in Religious Education 14. Constructing Religion 15. Schemes of Work and Lesson Plans 16. Pedagogy 17. Differentiation 18. Thinking Skills 19. Assessment 20 Information and Computer Technologies 21. Science and Religion