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Knowledge creates publicity. Insights, experiences and open questions on science communication in religious education based on the example of current empirical studies

Wolfgang Ilg

Based on empirical research projects, the article develops the significance of science communication for religious education and congregational education. On the basis of four studies (Shell Youth Study, Sinus Youth Study, Trend Study ‘Youth in Germany’, 6th Church Membership Survey), successful and unsuccessful examples of science communication are presented. A concluding section develops six theses for science communication based on the author's own experiences with the studies ‘Jugend zählt 2’ and the 3rd study on confirmation work. A decisive factor is the translation of the results for target groups with a non-scientific communication culture. This requires skills in the area of elementarization and ‘intercultural competence’. Finally, pragmatic ways are shown how science communication can succeed even with limited resources.

Trends in science communication (research)

Julia Metag

This article examines science communication and its changes due to digitalization from a communication science perspective. First, science communication is conceptualized, distinguishing between internal and external communication. A further focus is on the areas of tension between science, politics and the media. This is followed by a discussion of the reorganization of science communication through digitalization, which leads to opportunities and challenges for the communication of scientific topics, especially in dealing with social media and alternative platforms. Current developments, such as the use of artificial intelligence and the influence of algorithms on the dissemination of information, will be discussed.

Science communication in religious education – stocktaking and perspectives of university actors

Tanja Gojny & Mirjam Zimmermann

To take stock of the practice of science communication in religious education, 14 expert interviews (eight professors of religious education or practical theology, four habilitating research assistants and two senior staff members at religious education institutes) were conducted in early summer 2024 and analyzed with regard to the question of how science communication is understood, the addressees, the formats used, the problems addressed, the criteria of good science communication and its prerequisites. The discussion of the results is systematized according to result, process, structure and concept quality, problematizes the interdependence of the challenges and the results, discusses the normative implications of the criteria for good science communication and, in the outlook, offers possible solutions with regard to the criticized lack of division of labor in the science context.

Science Communication in the field of religious education Reflections on the post-digital transformation of a subject area

Ilona Nord

The article addresses digital science communication in religious education in the context of postdigitality. It begins by discussing the theological self-understanding within the tension between hermeneutics and data-driven disciplines. This is followed by an overview of digitization in science communication, leading to a focus on four key areas relevant to theology: digital media, digital spaces, theological-ethical reflections, and digital transformation. In addition to an assessment of religious education research in the field of digital humanities, the article calls for a white paper with concrete guidelines.

Supply without demand? Science communication from the perspective of public-political religious education

Bernhard Grümme

Under the current conditions of late modernity, science cannot be introduced directly into public debates. This applies in particular to religious education, at least if it is understood as a normative practical science. On the one hand, its claim to truth would be underestimated if it were to articulate itself in normative abstinence in the differentiation of various social subsystems; on the other hand, it would be greatly overestimated if it were to directly access social formations in an unmediated manner. This article argues for a discursive-normative positioning of religious education that articulates itself discursively and dialogically on various levels in the mode of alterity-theoretical reason against the background of a public political theology.

Internationalisation in religious education related science communication – a SWOT analysis for the german-speaking area

Benjamin Ahme & Henrik Simojoki

The article describes internationalisation as a dimension of academic communication in religious education. For the German-speaking area, an analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and dangers of international communication in religious education is analysed from a historical perspective, which can be determined, for example, by aspects of productivity and reception behaviour. Building on this, current challenges and some strategic options for the future intensification of international endeavours in religious education are named, which take into account the obstacles that are specific to religious education as a field of research.

Podcast, Platform, Postcard – Knowledge Management as a Tool for Strategic Church Development

Friederike Erichsen-Wendt

Knowledge tends to be underestimated, as information is universally available and is often not actively acquired. Knowledge management creates incentives to transform information into actor-specific, relevant knowledge. This is particularly important in the current religious landscape in Germany, as religious and theological knowledge is declining in society as a whole and is more complex to access in terms of hermeneutics. Stakeholders must be addressed in a differentiated way. Various communication formats such as podcasts, digital platforms or analog media can help to make knowledge accessible and keep church topics moving.

From ‘maiLab’ to ‘Reli Topics’? Chances and limitations of YouTube videos for academic communication in the context of public theology and public religious pedagogynikation im Kontext Öffentlicher Theologie und Öffentlicher Religionspädagogik

Manfred L. Pirner

YouTube has not only established itself as a platform for entertainment videos, but also for various video formats for knowledge transfer and scientific discourse. The article first discusses current research on the significance of YouTube videos for science communication, highlighting their opportunities and limitations. The YouTube channel of the Research Unit for Public Religion and Education (RUPRE) at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg is then presented as an example of academic communication in religious education research. Finally, some practical tips for the creation and distribution of YouTube videos will be given.

Open Educational Practices and Knowledge Transfer: Exploring the Potential of Religious Education in Advancing Openness

Laura Mößle & Viera Pirker

Pedagogical and educational disciplines can make it easier to share knowledge widely with their audiences by incorporating Open Educational Practices (OEP) into their scientific communication. Open access publications are already common in religious education, but the use of OEP is still limited. After defining the terms Open Educational Resources (OER) and Open Educational Practices (OEP), this article analyzes the situation of OEP at German universities. It then addresses religious education projects that can be understood as OEP and presents a proposal for the systematization of OER and OEP in religious education science communication. A particular focus is on the FOERBICO project, supported by the German government's OER strategy, which aims to connect OER communities in order to sustainably improve the quality and visibility of religious education resources. Finally, we discuss the opportunities, challenges and limitations of using OER for knowledge sharing in academic religious education.

“Koblenzer Konsent” and “Schwerter Konsent” as examples of (successful) academic and science communication? A tentative comparison

Jan-Hendrik Herbst & Mirjam Zimmermann

The article compares the academic and science communication of the Schwerte Konsent (2022) and the Koblenz Konsent (2024) on the positionality of religious education. On the one hand, it describes the genesis of both position papers, which owe their development to different contexts and responded to different religious and social challenges. On the other hand, it presents possible criteria for successful academic and science communication. It focuses on the quality of processes as well as their results and critically discusses the Schwerte Konsent and the Koblenz Konsent with regard to their current and future effectiveness.

Religious Education in Retrospect: Analyzing Perceived Differences Between the Federal States of Baden-Württemberg, Hessen, Brandenburg, and Hamburg

Carsten Gennerich & Johanna Hock

The primary objective of this study is to explore whether differences exist between the federal states in Germany and their corresponding organizational structures, given the critical inquiries into these organizational structures. To examine this, a representative population sample was drawn from the four federal states, and the participants' recollections of religious education were analyzed with regard to its effectiveness and the perceived plurality in RE lessons. The computation of two one-way ANOVAs reveals no significant differences concerning the plurality in teaching nor the perceived effectiveness of RE. In this context, this contribution offers perspectives on the development of the quality of religious education.

Education for Sustainable Development in Christian-Muslim Dialogue. Opportunities for an Interreligious Debate on Human Concepts

Christian Feichtinger & Şenol Yağdı

Debates on the question of the relationship between human civilizations and nature and thus the environmental issue, especially the current climate crisis, pose new challenges also for religious communities. Questions of sustainable development, with their economic, ethical, political, and social aspects, offer excellent religious education learning opportunities for dealing with oneʼs own religious tradition as well as for denominational-cooperative and interreligious encounter learning. The starting point of the dialogic approach of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) chosen in this article is an examination of religious images of humanity from Christian and Islamic theological traditions with reference to creation and the environment in order to show connections and differences as well as possibilities for dealing with images of humanity in the context of religious education for sustainable development.

Current pedagogical and hermeneutical approaches from Judaism, Christianity and Islam in children's Torahs, children's Bibles and children's Korans: identity formation, diversity-sensitive religious education and normative discourses

Marion Keuchen

This article examines current pedagogical and hermeneutical approaches to Jewish, Christian and Muslim religious education in the Children’s Torah, Children’s Bible and Children’s Quran. It emphasizes the need for teachers to familiarize themselves with the specific pedagogical and hermeneutical approaches of the three monotheistic religions in order to be able to use the didactic Holy Scriptures appropriately in the classroom. Examples from current religious education lessons show misunderstandings and surprises that arise due to insufficient knowledge. The article emphasizes the importance of Jewish identity formation, a Christian diversity-sensitive perspective and Muslim normative discourses in the various religious pedagogies and discusses the challenges and opportunities associated with the use of didactic Holy Scriptures.

Preparation for dealing with Islamist radicalization and its prevention

Margit Stein & Alexandra Schramm & Veronika Zimmer

In view of the increasing Islamist attitudes of Muslim youth, the presented study examines how future Islamic theologians and prospective teachers of Islamic religious education are prepared for dealing with and preventing radicalization through their academic education. To this end, 19 qualitative interviews with students at four academic Institutes for Islamic Theology in Germany were conducted. From the students' perspective, the topic of radicalization is various dealt with at the different universities and is incorporated both implicitly and explicitly into the curriculum. However, many respondents criticize the lack of systematic offers. The results suggest that a stronger focus on interreligious education and a systematic integration of the topic of radicalization into the curriculum could improve prevention work in schools and in social work with youths. It also emphasises that promoting democracy and preventing radicalisation are the shared responsibilities of all members of the school community.

Textbook Analyses in Religious Education Teacher Training. Reflections on the Theological-didactic Potential

Yannick Selke

Textbooks and other teaching materials are highly relevant for preparing and designing lessons. Accordingly, it is important for the professionalism of teachers to be able to engage critically with these. The theological-didactic desideratum still exists as to the didactic potential of dealing with textbooks in religious education teacher training. The article outlines possible applications of textbook analyses as a theological-didactic method. Based on challenges in the training of religious education teachers and insights into their professionalism, opportunities associated with the use of textbooks in university didactics are explored.

On the application of social robots in religious education: a theoretical approach to interactive teaching-learning forms of the future

Mariusz Chrostowski

Based on the findings of (socio-)pedagogical and theological robotics research, this article examines the issue of the use of social robots in religious education processes within the framework of a theoretical analysis. To achieve this goal, the author organises his reflection in three steps: First, the main characteristics of social robots in the context of religious education are presented, which serves as an overture to specify interactive forms of teaching and learning with them in terms of religious didactics in the next section. Finally, the consequences of integrating robots into religious education are discussed.

References to new publications

Martin Schreiner

1. Religionsdidaktische Veröffentlichungen 2. Praktische Theologie und Religionspädagogik 3. Biblische Theologie und Bibeldidaktik 4. Interreligiöse Bildung 5. Bilder-, Kinder- und Jugendbücher 6. Schulbücher und Unterrichtsmaterialien

"… there should actually be a title here." Science Communication in Religious Pedagogy

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