How Religious Literacy Builds Global Competence And Civic Skills

In this episode of the Arizona Civics Podcast, host Liz Evans is joined by Dr. Tim Hall, educator and founder of Religion Matters, for a thoughtful conversation on religious literacy—what it is, why it matters, and how it can be taught responsibly in public schools.

Dr. Hall explains how religious literacy helps students better understand history, civic life, global affairs, and one another in a pluralistic democracy. The conversation explores constitutional guardrails, classroom strategies, and trusted resources for educators who want to approach religion academically, not devotionally.

What You’ll Learn

• What religious literacy means in a public school context
• Why religion is essential to understanding history, civics, and global issues
• How religious literacy supports global competence and civic engagement
• Constitutional guidelines for teaching about religion in K–12 classrooms
• The Six-Point Framework and the “lived religion” approach
• Why the Scopes Trial still matters nearly 100 years later
• Trusted, classroom-ready resources for educators

Resources & Links Mentioned in the Episode

Core Religious Literacy & Civics Resources

• National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) – Religious Studies Companion to the C3 Framework
  https://www.socialstudies.org
  
  
• First Amendment Center – Guidelines for Teaching About Religion
  https://www.freedomforum.org
  
  
• American Academy of Religion (AAR) – Definition of Religious Literacy
  https://www.aarweb.org
  
  
• Pew Research Center – Religion & Public Life
  https://www.pewresearch.org/religion
  
  

Teaching & Curriculum Resources

• Tanbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding
  https://tanbaumcenter.org
  
  
• Harvard Divinity School – Religion and Public Life
  https://rpl.hds.harvard.edu
  
  
• Religion & Education Collaborative
  https://religionandeducationcollaborative.org
  
  
• Religion Matters (Dr. Tim Hall)
  https://religionmatters.org
  
  

Global Competence Resources

• World Savvy
  https://www.worldsavvy.org
  
  
• Asia Society – Center for Global Education
  https://asiasociety.org/education
  
  
• Project Zero (Harvard Graduate School of Education)
  https://pz.harvard.edu
  
  

Historical & Civic References

• The Scopes Trial (1925) – Religion, science, and public education
• Declaration of Independence – Religious influences on the Founders
• First Amendment Religion Cases – Including cases related to the Pledge of Allegiance

The Arizona Constitution Project

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