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As Robin D'Angelo (2018) describes it, white normativity rests on the "definition of whites as the norm or standard for human, and people of color as a deviation from that norm." Consequently, going beyond white normativity is not a simple feat. Racism and normativity have been an entrenched part of many of cultures, societies, and lives. For some who are part of the white majority population, many have not been able to address racism and normativity effectively, let alone move forward and make changes, because, like an iceberg, much of it lies below the surface. It is invisible, subtle, and unconscious to many in the majority population who benefit from normativity while it is painfully visible for those who suffer under it. As a result of this journey, the author believes the critical issues central to addressing the theme in a meaningful way include (1) understanding white normativity; (2) recognizing how whites contribute to normativity both consciously but more importantly unconsciously; and (3) what needs to change in order to create truly brave spaces in classrooms or houses of worship that will allow to move beyond white normativity and dare to be transformative.

Our returning veterans face many challenges from loss of limb and physical disabilities to posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, substance abuse, homelessness, family problems, and unemployment. The greater challenge, though, for returning veterans is the injury to their soul due to the war and violence they have experienced. Our challenge is to create a place for grace to help them unlearn violence.

The constellation of religious education courses that are offered in the author's school seek to equip students with the tools and knowledge they need to not only provide a solid understanding of faith for those they will teach but also a passion to seek out profound spiritual growth. Since she teaches most of the religious education courses, the author is always engaged in looking for those theories and methods that will better enable her to meet this challenge. An important component of her courses has always dealt with how people learn for the purpose of integrating the theological concepts into their very lives, forming spiritually healthy habits while getting rid of less desirable habits, thus initiating more profound spiritual growth and daily conversion. To reach this goal in her courses, she traditionally made use of developmental theories, the concept of transformational learning together with the idea of meaning-making. This is one reason why she found Jack Seymour's use of the concepts of "meaning perspectives" and "meaning schemes" to be of particular value. When she integrated these concepts into her teaching materials, it led her to seriously look at the obstacles one may face when it comes to spiritual formation and, in particular, adult religious education. Then, she discovered the early concepts of neuroscience and neuroeducation. In this article, the author reflects on the impact of brain-based learning and neuroscience in theological education.

More than a decade ago, the popular topic of discussion in higher education and in pop culture concerned the character traits of what was then called "Generation X" or "GenX" for short. One lasting impact of this focus has been a renewed effort on the part of higher education to define young adulthood and to reassess young adult education. In the field of religious education, there has likewise been renewed interest in the area of young adulthood and what this means for the field of religious education. In this article, the author describes five diverse resources for young adult religious education. These resources include: (1) "Handbook of Young Adult Education" edited by Harley Atkinson; (2) "Virtual Faith: The Irreverent Spiritual Quest of Generation X" by Tom Beaudoin; (3) "The New Faithful: Why Young Adults Are Embracing Christian Orthodoxy" by Colleen Carroll; (4) "The Fabric of Faithfulness: Weaving Together Belief and Behavior during the University Years" by Steven Garber; and (5) "Thank You for Asking: Conversing with Young Adults about the Future Church" by Sara Wenger Shenk.

In this contribution, we explore youngsters' positionality regarding religion and present an example to facilitate them to 'research' their own beliefs and their affective commitments to their faith. We start with a short general introduction in Fowler's theory of faith development. This is followed by findings from research in England, Estonia, Ghana, the Netherlands, and Malawi. From these findings, we conclude that youngsters need to be guided in their exploration of religious and secular worldview traditions. For this, we developed an instrument in particular for Muslim youngsters 'at risk' for radicalization: '&I/&you'. It is along the lines of religious tradition(s), citizenship, discrimination, and environmental concerns that students explore their convictions, broaden their horizons, and further develop their own (religious or secular) life orientation. Our innovative and explorative instrument ('&I/&you')—part of the PIREd (PIREd: Playful Islamic Religious Education) module of seven lessons—is described in detail. Preliminary results of pilot studies are promising. Students see this instrument as a 'space' for dialogue and love to share their ideas and sharpen their mind 'in the presence of the other'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]