Peterborough head SC Jenkins asks why his pupils should learn about Christianity every year, when none of them is religious (“Irrelevant Christianity”, TES, October 1). Try these answers.
1. Christianity has been a force in these islands for at least 1,500 years, informing politics, society and the arts. No one can understand much about these areas without grasping the ideas that shaped them.
2. In the last census, some 70 per cent of respondents wanted to be called “Christian”. The next generation of citizens needs a grasp of these key beliefs.
3. Christianity is the world’s largest religion, in terms of numbers of adherents and in terms of social, ethnic and cultural diversity. No student can understand much about our world unless they understand something of it.
I suspect that Mr Jenkins’ pupils are actually complaining about being taught in an unimaginative and uninspired way by staff unsure of their subject with poor resources.
Chris Hudson. 14 Windyridge Road Sutton Coldfield West Midlands
