In the Colonies religious education was chiefly by means of in struction in doctrinal catechisms. In the 19th century catechetical instruction declined in the Protestant churches; and they came to depend generally, except in the more liturgical communions, upon successive waves of emotional-spiritual revival for the conversion and enlistment even of the children of their own members. Most churches had no definite policy for the religious education of children ; they cared little for the increasing secular ization of the public schools and failed to realize the larger edu cational responsibility which was thus being thrown upon them. This failure was due, not so much to neglect, as to the idea that regeneration is quite independent of all natural laws and processes, hence unaffected by nurture and education—an idea which was fostered by the great revival movements. This idea and the prac tices associated with it were sharply challenged by Horace Bush nell in an arresting book, Christian Nurture (1st ed., 1846), in which he maintained, in opposition to the current reliance upon emotional experiences of conversion, that the life of the family in the home is of primary importance in the religious education of children, and that it is possible for a child to grow up as a Christian, and never think of himself as being otherwise.
The Sunday school movement took firm root in the United States early in the 19th century, and expanded rapidly with the or ganization of the American Sunday School Union in 1824 and the initiation of the International Uniform Sunday School Lesson system in 1872. In spite of ungraded curricula, untrained volun teer teachers and short instruction periods, the Sunday schools rendered indispensable service through the promotion of Bible study and evangelism.
In the loth century American citizens began to awake to the dangers involved in the omission of religion by otherwise com petent public schools and the throwing of the main burden of re ligious education upon educationally incompetent Sunday schools. The organization of the Religious Education Association in 19o3 marks the getting under way of a new interest in the problems of religious education which has grown steadily. In 1920 the Protes
tant churches united to reorganize the old International Sunday School Association into the International Council of Religious Education. The movement has resulted in the grading of Sunday schools, the devising of better curricula, the training of teachers and the erection of church-school buildings designed and equipped for educational purposes. A new type of church school is being developed—a church school for the teaching of religion, main tained by a local church or a group of neighbouring churches, for children whose education in other respects is provided for in the public schools. These newer church schools are graded in the same way as the public schools ; they provide for the religious education of children through activity as well as through instruc tion; and their schedule includes week-day as well as Sunday hours.
A movement to establish week-day schools of religion is spread ing. In many communities, following the example of Gary, Ind., which began this policy in 1914, citizens of all creeds have united in petitioning the public school board to excuse pupils, at the request of their parents, for one or two hours a week of religious instruction. That such a practice is not illegal or contrary to public policy was affirmed by a decision of the Supreme Court of New York in the White Plains case (1927). Its desirability is urged on the ground that it constitutes a recognition by the public schools of the place of religion in human life and of the right of parents to secure the education of their children in the principles of religious faith. Week-day schools of religion are maintained in other communities without time being granted by the public schools. The Jewish congregations have long followed this policy. Throughout the country, there is a notable development of daily vacation schools for the teaching of religion, conducted for terms of two to four weeks. (L. A. WE.)