The Need for and Possibility of a Christian Forgiveness Education in Schools

ABSTRACT

Individuals and communities occasionally need asking and giving forgiveness. Because the process of forgiving is not always well understood, it has become necessary to consider including forgiveness education in school pedagogy and in formal school programs such as Citizenship Education. This possibility is illustrated with examples from South Africa and The Netherlands. To date, forgiveness education has mostly taken the form of brief research interventions. It is recommended that forgiveness education, also from a Christian viewpoint, be given a more prominent place in school curriculums as well as in teacher education programs.

Notes

The term education is problematic. In English, when this term is employed it usually refers to instruction and increasingly also to formalized teaching and learning in institutional settings such as schools and universities. In this article, however, the term education is construed to refer to the broad, general, all-encompassing guiding, nurturing, equipping, and unfolding of a young person to mature adulthood. The context will indicate whether another meaning of the term is intended.

The term Forgiveness Education refers to a formal school subject as part of a prescribed curriculum, whereas the same term in lower case refers to an academic field of study.

In some education systems, Citizenship Education is not a formal school subject as implied here. In such systems, it forms part or aspect of another school subject such as Social Studies, Life Skills, or History.

In some systems, it could be a formal school subject. In others, it might be subsumed under another formal subject.

It is explained below what pedagogical steps were followed during these interventions. In most cases, the interventions were relatively brief and aimed at ameliorating the pain that injured parties were experiencing. Space does not allow a description of the outcomes of all the interventions mentioned here.

These views can of course also be construed as religious in nature since they attest to a form of transcendence (e.g., mercy refers to the conquest of good over evil). It is for this reason difficult to distinguish between secular and religious views regarding the subject of forgiveness. As will be indicated in following text, even a supposedly strictly secular discussion of forgiveness reveals unmistakable religious under- and overtones (see also footnote 7).

See footnote 6.

See footnote 6.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Johannes van der Walt

Johannes van der Walt is Professor Emeritus and specialist researcher in Philosophy of Education. He publishes in the fields of tolerance, forgiveness, hospitality and citizenship education

Bram de Muynck

Bram de Muynck is a professor of Christian education. He publishes on personhood formation, spirituality in education and on the relation of theology and education.

Nico Broer

Nico Broer is senior researcher and director of the research centre Christian teaching at Driestar Christian University, Gouda. Nico obtained his PhD in educational studies and was active as a senior lecturer and quality assurance manager in higher education.

Charl Wolhuter

Charl Wolhuter is Professor in Comparative Education who specializes in education systems studies. His publications cover education systems worldwide.

Ferdinand Potgieter

Ferdinand Potgieter is a professor of Philosophy of Education and Education Theory. He publishes in the fields of spirituality and morality in education, children’s spirituality, religious tolerance and hospitality education.