Teaching That Transforms: Worship as the Heart of Christian Education

by Debra Dean Murphy

This is an important book! With a generous spirit and discerning eye, Murphy unmasks the ways in which the biblical and theological context of Christian education has been co-opted, on the one hand, by a focus on learning experiences and, on the other hand, by modernity's understanding of what it means to be human. She summons Christian education back to its integral relationship with Christian worship, drawing it out of the church basement and into the sanctuary where Christian persons and communities are most regularly formed and where the content of Christian formation -- Bible and Theology -- are 'practiced' by the church. Murphy's critique of contemporary religious education theory is provocative; her interpretation of the 'lessons' of the liturgy are prophetic. I will be recommending it to my colleagues in Christian education and liturgical studies alike. -- E. Byron Anderson, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary Few tasks facing the contemporary church are more urgent than coming to an understanding of the critical importance of Christian formation. Yet as Debra Dean Murphy demonstrates so ably in these pages, this task is too often undermined by the alien assumptions that reside at the core of the 'religious education establishment. Murphy's penetrating analysis and profound proposals will be welcomed by anyone who had ever longed for a theory and practice of Christian education that would flow out of and do justice to the deep and abiding mysteries at the heart of Christian worship. -- Philip D. Kenneson, author of Life on the Vine Debra Dean Murphy is Adjunct Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Meredith College and director of Christian education at Fuquay-Varine United Methodist Church, a 1,500-member congregation in suburban Raleigh, North Carolina. She holds a PhD in theological and religious studies from Drew University.

256 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2004

Reviews

[Anthony Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly excellent work. A fantastic Christian vision of catechesis as opposed to a malnourished, generic “religious education.” The first section critiquing other religious educators may be a drag for some readers but they highlight her (legitimate) complaints.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure - I know Debra Dean Murphy and we are part of a group that is involved in discussions that are similar to the topics in this book, so I am somewhat predisposed to agree with her thoughts.

As I began this book, I started to think it was not written for me. I am not a professional educator and I have no detailed knowledge of how Christian Education is managed in the academic world. However, Murphy makes a good case against three prominent pedagogical themes that she identifies in current religious education: Religious Education as Quest for Transcendence, Religious Education as Modern Project, and Religious Education as Responsible Citizenship. Though these chapters are not as engaging for non-academics as the remainder of the book, they are necessary to explain some of what has guided religious education for decades.

Once these first three fallacies are exposed, Murphy explores how worship should be the guiding form for religious education. As someone who has spent time in good Sunday school classes, as well as teaching Sunday school and other religious education for adults, this is where I felt most engaged. She sums up her guiding argument on p. 113: "To say that Christian education begins with the worship of the Triune God -- and not with understanding religion...or with freedom and justice...or with cultivatiog responsible citizenship...is to recognize that our coming to "know" this God requires nothing less than our moral transformation."

She then goes on to expand that argument and show us how a focus on worship can lead to discipleship. Murphy discusses the Book of Common Prayer, catechisms of various traditions and the ways in which we are shaped by these in worship. This isn't a book for a casual Sunday school teacher to pick up for tips on leading a class. It's a book for people who consider it their responsibility to walk with other followers in the way of Christ Jesus.