Secular Social Theory and Christian Schools

Abstract

This article argues that Christian educators should be aware of the way that Christian beliefs interact with the structure and practices of secular education policies and that engaging with established secular social theory can help them to do this. Drawing on an example from empirical research carried out in the new Academies in the United Kingdom the author models how concepts associated with Bourdieu’s social theory can illuminate the cultural impact of Christian worldview on students. The article concludes that this type of engagement counters the marginalization of religion within sociology of education research.