Religion, Worldview and Diversity in School: What to Expect from Teachers?

Child theology aims at focusing on religious questions and experiences of children. Literature underlines this as a dominant dimension of religious dialogue and the development of a personal identity of children. In primary and secondary schools, the connection between personal identity and dialogue in the classroom, in the context of worldview diversity, means that teachers need to emphasize the religious questions and views of children themselves. What does the focus on personal identity of children and worldview dialogue mean for the role of teachers to foster the dialogue about the theological perspectives of children? This article builds on an hermeneutical communicative perspective on this role that is significant for teachers who work in the context of religious diversity. The presupposition is that child theology requires specific and professional characteristics of teachers. The author distinguishes five characteristics: Translator, Imaginator, Moderator, Explorer, Source. This perspective invites the reader to reflect on the question what and how professionals in child theology contribute to the development of children’s identity.