Conversation with religious classics: A shared interpretation approach to religious education

This study focuses on applying elements of the philosophical hermeneutics of Hans-Georg Gadamer to one facet of religious education: the reading and discussion of classic religious texts. I seek to elucidate a particular pedagogical practice of seminar discussion of classic texts from perspectives inspired by Gadamer, and then to look at spiritual dimensions and religious applications of this educational approach as hermeneutically understood.;The discussion of major themes in Gadamer's hermeneutics relevant to religious education includes the metaphor of "conversation", which indicates the interpretive and dialogical character of human understanding and of education in particular. This hermeneutical theme is explored through the consideration of a concrete practice of education through conversation, the "Great Books" approach. Special consideration is given to Sophie Haroutunian-Gordon's study of the practice of interpretive discussion of texts because it (1) is exemplary of what this approach has to offer and (2) it employs Gadamer's phenomenological description of interpretation to elucidate the teaching and learning processes involved in such an approach.;As a transition to the application of this hermeneutical approach to religious education, I explore relevant aspects of David Tracy's theological method. Tracy claims that doing theology can be understood as a fundamentally hermeneutical practice--as the interpretation of a religious tradition for the present situation through conversation with the classics of that tradition. Tracy also emphasizes the distinctiveness intrinsic to interpreting particularly religious classics. In this way he critically appropriates some of Gadamer's key hermeneutical insights in a manner suitable for a shared interpretation approach to religious education.;Next, a religious education pedagogy that includes conversation with religious classics as an important component is investigated in the light of the preceding study. Parker Palmer articulates a pedagogy for shared interpretation as a spiritual practice. While not self-consciously hermeneutical, there are strong analogies between Palmer's principles and guidelines and Gadamerian hermeneutical theory.;Finally, the dissertation will offer some guidelines for a "shared interpretation" approach as a practical spirituality for religious education.