Abstract

This is a story of the intertwining of moral education with religious education in a professional lifetime. It is told episodically. Instead of the purported intellectual respectability of total separation of one from the other, even elimination of one by the other, it favours their mutual critique. It begins with strong sentiment, inspired in part by an early exposure to American Social Gospel thinking. It unwinds and rewinds to create a tapestry for lifespan research which considers how children and young people begin an engagement with religion and ethics which will extend into their future lives. Alongside this is the development of a university curriculum in which Christianity is challenged by other faiths and philosophies, and equal attention is given to Social Ethics as to Religion. Empathy and mutual enrichment are prioritised throughout, and provide a procedural base for national ecumenical endeavour. Finally, it reflects on the moral learning which has taken place during this process, with implications for the Journal of Moral Education.