THE CHALLENGE TO ORIGINALITY - AS ENCOUNTERED IN THE METHODOLOGY APPROACH OF CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS EDUCATION COURSES DEVELOPED IN AFRICA

After Jesus had brought a surprisingly original message, and had stressed the importance of understanding his invitation to a changed life style, the Christian church too often reverted to traditional content teaching and indoctrination. Honest, critical research was rejected and educational developments were ignored. Against such a background the recovering of Christian originality in the Christian Religious Education courses developed in Eastern Africa is to be welcomed. In these courses a life-related method is duly justified and effectively used. Jesus’ message and method were indeed original, in the dual sense of being first and being fresh. This challenge to implementation life-related originality instead of abstract traditionality should definitely be taken seriously in Christian Religious Education. But a similar life-approach should also be propagated in all education.