- Should Religious Education (RE) debates begin with a generosity of spirit toward the contributors who may argue for quite opposing and diverse visions and conceptions of the subject?
- What makes someone who feels so strongly about a particular conception of a subject make the case in public and what are the terms of engagement in the blogosphere and social media space to respond to that case?
- Can we inquire into the positions RE professionals and academics take to try and deeply understand their cases, their concerns, and their motivations?
- Do we take those expressed concerns seriously or harbor suspicion of malicious intentions?
- Can we show charity to the other and (irrespective of our own point of view) help them refine their argument, improve it, even if it is not our own?
- Should we show sensitivity when we explain how and why we stand apart from their conclusions and think they need to revise?
- Should exchanges by professional and academic contributors to RE show to each other, reflect the kind of tolerance or even respect and empathy we hope children might learn in RE towards each other?
- When was the last time we saw that kind of exchange in online RE debates?
I wonder what my own answers would be to these questions and the light they cast on my online writing approach.