ABSTRACT
Religious education in Britain, as in many other Western countries, has been moving away from its traditional function, that of fostering the Christian faith, towards an open, descriptive, critical, enquiring study of religion. The British education systems have never been secular. The British experience has thus been an evolution within existing legislation using the same teachers. Although traces of the present British approach may be found in the non-directive ‘discussion method’ suggested by Harold Loukes and in the ‘experiential Christian education’ of Douglas Hubery it is correct to regard the then-called ‘new RE’ of the sixties as a Christian nurture movement along liberal and progressive lines. The British experience in rests upon the distinction between Christian nurture and education. Some British groups appear unaware of the distinction, continuing to treat education as if it is or should be Christian nurture, if not Christian evangelism.
