Marife Dini Araştırmalar Dergisi, cilt.14, sa.2, ss.85-105, 2014 (Hakemli Dergi)
This paper analyzes the shared praxis approach to the religious education of Thomas
Groome. In seeking a solution to the distant stance, as a religious educational problem,
between life and faith pervaded in modern societies, shared praxis is a religious educational approach aiming to bring life and faith together. By this approach outlined in the
statement of “bringing life to faith and faith to life”, it is aimed, on the one hand, to bring
closer daily life and subject matters in faith, and to re-read the sacred texts, here and
now, which are mostly kept away or out of the current life on the other hand. Thus, the
modern man’s life which is brought together with faith, is exposed to develop and convert
according to the principles of faith, and also, it is aimed to re-comprehension and reinterpretation of the subject matters in faith in the current conditions of contemporary life. It can be said that shared praxis is an approach which has a potential to be effective in religious education in bringing life and faith closer. However, though it is possible to aim a balanced interaction between life and faith, it is also possible to become an
approach by which the life is sacrificed for the faith, or the faith is sacrificed for the life at
the hands of its practitioner.