Category: world religions

The Contentious Fourth “R” in Education: Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, and RELIGION in a Polarized World

June 18, 2026

Religion is not just a private matter, and secularism is a religious orientation, says Dr. Leo Van Arragon in his latest book. Follow a dialogue on this book between four experts on the subject of religious literacy, and see the contentiousness of the dominant secular paradigm, its historical promise, and its current malaise. Is there a better way to acknowledge our religious plurality in Canada (and around the world?) … More The Contentious Fourth “R” in Education: Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, and RELIGION in a Polarized World

Joseph and The Whale: The Decline in Biblical–and Religious–Literacy and What to Do about it

April 9, 2025

We are losing our religious literacy in North America, and it is much to our detriment. There can be no peace without knowledge of each other’s faith, and no understanding of the Western world without knowledge of the Bible. Religion is the fourth “R” in any basic education, and our world would be better for including more rather than less religion in its education systems.
… More Joseph and The Whale: The Decline in Biblical–and Religious–Literacy and What to Do about it

Why Enter A Temple of Another Religion? Crossing the Threshold into Your Neighbour’s House of Prayer

September 25, 2023

I teach World Religions at Redeemer University and require my students to visit a non-Christian house of prayer: a temple, mosque, gurdwara, or synagogue. Many of them are conservative Christian students, and many have never been to such a place, and some are worried and anxious about the assignment. Here I delve into the reasons why this is such an important experience for a Christian. … More Why Enter A Temple of Another Religion? Crossing the Threshold into Your Neighbour’s House of Prayer

An Elephant in the World Religions Classroom: Parsing a Parable

September 14, 2021

The Blind Men and the Elephant is a well-known story that reminds us we are all a little bit right and a little bit wrong. But are we equally right and equally wrong? And who is the king who sees that there are blind men and an elephant? There is something suspicious in this parable worth parsing… … More An Elephant in the World Religions Classroom: Parsing a Parable