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The art of architectural design, no less than its technology, is surely of great intrinsic interest, and even if the subtleties of Norman and Gothic styles of the great historic cathedrals elude all but the enthusiast, an appreciation of the symbolism of the mediaeval architects and builders should not be beyond the imagination of the primary-age child.
Go inside a cathedral or your local parish church and there will be a wealth of artistic imagery: stained-glass depictions of Bible stories and lives of saints, beautiful carving in wood and stone, statues and paintings, murals and monuments. We have become quite good in recent years at looking at the 'nuts and bolts' of church furniture: font, nave, pulpit, altar, lectern; perhaps we need to rediscover the aesthetics of church design.
If we are fortunate in the timing of our church or cathedral visit, the organ may be playing or the choir singing. The Anglican sung service is no less than an aural representation of heaven: 'Welcome to the college chapel and to this service of Evensong in which the choir leads the worship. One way to think about a service such as this is that it gives us "a glimpse of heaven". The congregation largely remains silent, while the choir, like the angels of God in traditional Christian imagery, sings his praise in the heavens. Inwardly, we are lifted into his presence, so we join in the worship of God.'
If an experience of heaven is available here on Earth, should we not be offering it to our children? It may of course have to be introduced to them in small doses at first; too much heaven at one go might be difficult to take! But even if a visit to a choral evensong in a cathedral or college chapel is difficult to arrange, there are CDs and cassettes. There is also a world of oratorio to be introduced to children, where great biblical epics are presented musically. You may have to start with Joseph's Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, but you don't have to stop there.
While thinking about visits to places of Christian worship, and the visual and aural beauty to be found there, how about a visit to one of our great national art galleries to see the way in which biblical scenes, particularly the Nativity and the Crucifixion, have inspired artists down the ages? Again, if a visit is difficult to arrange, there are colour slides available of wonderful quality at minimal cost.
There may also be a special
role for Church schools in introducing children to the
cultural experience of Anglican church worship, so that
at least they are familiar with what goes on inside those
sometimes forbidding buildings, and at best can find in
the various forms of Anglican worship a way of expressing
their own praise and worship of God. It is worth giving
serious consideration to what this introduction might
include, and how it might best be achieved.
Sunday worship is perhaps the staple diet, with the
family or parish communion its most typical expression,
but there are problems for schools in encouraging church
attendance on Sundays without straying from education
into indoctrination. Baptism and confirmation are closer
to the children's experience, and an explanation of these
practices should surely be part of the curriculum in
Church schools. The extent to which preparation for
confirmation might be linked to the Church school will
depend upon local circumstances, but clearly the
opportunity could be offered to children and their
parents, particularly (but not exclusively) in Aided
schools.
There should at some point in the child's religious education be a study of the cultural practices connected with weddings and funerals - the special dress and symbolism, the superstitions and customs, and the deep-seated beliefs which undergird these most fundamental rites of passage and which draw people with the most minimal of religious faith or church allegiance back to the church at such key points in their lives. There is an overlap here with spiritual development, but insofar as the dominant culture of the country includes the central place of the Anglican Church for so many significant aspects of life, education in such matters must be a part of the child's cultural development.
There are many aspects of what goes on inside a church which may be seen as more specifically 'cultural' - choirs and church music, bell ringing, drama and sometimes dance, hymn and psalm singing, to all of which children might be introduced either as part of the experience of a Church school or through the 'grey' area of overlap between church and school. Many Church schools have reintroduced hymn singing, sacred music and handbell ringing as part of the curriculum or as an extra-curricular activity.
The question must arise as to whether it is the role of the Church school to introduce children exclusively to the culture of their local parish church, or to extend this initiation to the variety of Christian cultural experiences available in the neighbourhood - Roman Catholic ritual, Methodist hymn singing, Salvation Army enthusiasm, the austerity of Friends' worship - where does one draw the line? Concentrating on one Church may appear exclusive and indoctrinatory; being open to all could be seen as confusing and eclectic. The decision must be made locally, and the responsibility must rest with the governors, and particularly with the foundation governors.
Last but at no means least, drama has been a profoundly moving way of expressing Bible stories and theological ideas through the centuries, from the medieval mystery plays to T. S. Eliot's Murder in the Cathedral. Latterly, the medium of film has produced masterpieces of interpretation (quite apart from Hollywood epics); Palolini's The Gospel According to St Matthew is even on the Vatican's list of '100 best films'.
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