Abstract

A pedagogy of Bible engagement in contemporary secondary education must take account of the pluralistic cultural context as well as the developmental challenges of mid-adolescence. Both contexts require teachers to honour the freedom of young people to make their own spiritual choices. This chapter explores the possibilities that open up by engaging with the Bible as a ‘work of art’ in the manner proposed in the aesthetic pedagogy of educational philosopher Dr. Maxine Greene, and how this perspective might be correlated with a theological commitment to the normative authority of scripture. Christian educators lead students in the task of meaning-making by offering the Bible as an example of how human beings have made sense of their experience. The practices of Christian education focus on reading the text and sharing in dialogue about how the Bible can be used for meaning-making. Such classrooms are characterised by trust and hope recognising the sovereign freedom of the Spirit of God to be at work in young people.