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Call for Papers

Special Issue: “Religious Education and Non-Religion”

Paedagogia Christiana 2/58 (2026)

For a long time, the prevailing assumption was that religion constitutes a quasi-anthropological constant: mutable in form and content, yet fundamentally persistent despite ongoing secularisation. Recently, however, this assumption has come under considerable pressure, leading to a paradigm shift, particularly in European contexts (Pollack & Rosta, 2025). We are witnessing a move beyond mere non-denominationalism (Domsgen & Evers, 2014; Käbisch, 2014; Milerski, 2021; Kropač & Schambeck, 2022) towards genuine non-religion (Strhan & Shillitoe, 2022; Unser, 2024; Ahn et al., 2025; Kropač & Schambeck, 2025). This means recognising that a growing number of pupils experience no religious socialisation, develop no personal religious convictions, and possess only a rudimentary understanding of religion. For them, religion holds little to no relevance. Current trends show no indication that this secular dynamic is weakening.

Against this backdrop, this special issue of Paedagogia Christiana focuses on religious education. How can (confessional) religious instruction respond to advancing secularisation in its conceptual frameworks, didactic methods, curricular content, and pedagogical practices? We aim to assemble interdisciplinary contributions from pedagogy, theology, religious studies, ethics, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, and cultural studies. We welcome theoretical analyses that critically reflect on non-religion and its educational implications, as well as empirical research illustrating specific experiences in schools, families, and public spaces. International comparisons and case studies that propose new teaching models to address the rise of the "nones" are also encouraged. Our goal is not only to describe the phenomenon but also to provide a thorough diagnosis and creative perspectives that can advance research in religious education in an era of growing non-religion.

Contributions may address, but are not limited to, the following topics:

• theoretical frameworks for analysing the relationship between religious education and the phenomenon of non-religion in different countries;
• sociological and psychological studies of pupils’, parents’ and teachers’ attitudes towards religion and non-religion, including quantitative or qualitative research;
• comparative models of religious education in the context of the growing number of pupils identifying as “nones”, with particular attention to international and intercultural perspectives;
• political and ethical implications of the presence of religion and non-religion in schools and in the wider education system, taking into account public policies;
• teaching strategies and innovative methods for engaging with groups of people holding diverse worldviews, supporting dialogue, cooperation and critical thinking in the context of religion and non-religion;
• teachers’ autobiographical and biographical narratives as sources of knowledge about educational experiences and practices in the context of non-religion, including reflective and reconstructive perspectives;
• cultural representations and media discourses on religion and non-religion, and their impact on shaping educational ideas and practices, especially in the school environment.

Deadlines:

• Submission of abstracts (approx. 300 words) to mariusz.chrostowski@ku.de: by 15 December 2025
• Notification of acceptance: by 20 January 2026
• Submission of full papers for review: by 31 May 2026
• Planned publication of the issue: autumn/winter 2026

Submission guidelines:

Manuscripts written in English should be prepared in accordance with the journal's editorial requirements and submitted via the Paedagogia Christiana platform: https://apcz.umk.pl/PCh/index

All articles will be subject to a double-blind peer review process.

Guest editors:

Dr. Dr Mariusz Chrostowski (Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt)

Prof. Dr Ulrich Kropač (Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt)

Prof. Dr Paweł Mąkosa (Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II)

References:

Ahn, M. Y., Lundie, D., & Kennedy, L. (2025). Who studies Religious Education? Understanding young people’s perceptions of religion, religious identity and religious education in England. British Journal of Religious Education, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/01416200.2025.2549733

Domsgen, M., & Evers, D. (Eds.). (2014). Herausforderung Konfessionslosigkeit: Theologie im säkularen Kontext [The Challenge of Non-denominationality: Theology in a Secular Context]. Leipzig: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt.

Käbisch, D. (2014). Religionsunterricht und Konfessionslosigkeit: Eine fachdidaktische Grundlegung [Religious Education and Non-denominationality: A Subject-didactic Foundation]. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck.

Kropač, U., & Schambeck, M. (Eds.). (2022). Konfessionslosigkeit als Normalfall: Religions- und Ethikunterricht in säkularen Kontexten [Non-denominationality as the Norm: Religious and Ethics Education in Secular Contexts]. Freiburg im Breisgau: Herder. https://doi.org/10.5771/9783451840463

Kropač, U., & Schambeck, M. (Eds.). (2025). Religiöse Bildung in einer zunehmend religionslosen Gesellschaft: Fundierungen und Perspektiven [Religious Education in an Increasingly Non-religious Society: Foundations and Perspectives]. Freiburg im Breisgau: Herder.

Milerski, B. (2021). Konfessionslosigkeit als Herausforderung für den religionspädagogischen Diskurs in Polen [Non-denominationality as a Challenge for the Religious Education Discourse in Poland]. Theo-Web. Zeitschrift für Religionspädagogik, 20(1), 83–93.

Pollack, D., & Rosta, G. (2025). Religion in der Moderne: Ein internationaler Vergleich [Religion in Modernity: An International Comparison] (3rd ed.). Frankfurt am Main & New York: Campus.

Strhan, A., & Shillitoe, R. (2022). The experiences of non-religious children in religious education. Journal of Religious Education, 70(3), 261–272. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40839-022-00180-y

Unser, A. (2024). Non-religious pupils in religious education: An exploration of their specific learning conditions. Journal of Beliefs & Values, 45(1), 55–68. https://doi.org/10.1080/13617672.2022.2156751