Building a Hospitable Christian School Community: An Exploration of Theological Concepts That Inspire Dealing with Special Needs

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

From the article's title, one can not conclude whether the author examines the significance of Christian theological concepts in dealing with differences in Christian schools or all (public) schools. The concept „in Christian schools“ should be put very clearly in the title.

Inclusion can refer to different kinds of differences. In the title, it is also not clear that the focus is on the students with special needs and the inclusion of the students with special needs, which seems to result from the later passages (for example, line 54).

In line 15 the author speaks about „…be attentive for all kinds of needs.“ In the passage „From instrumentalism to realism“ (line 275 and following) it becomes clear that it is about integrating students with special needs. Throughout the entire article, it should be clear if it is only about them or if all kinds of differences (gender, race, culture, religion, social status, etc.) are included.

It would also be good to know of education in which part of the world the author is speaking about, because the situation and the relevant documents (on the educational policies of inclusion) and literature may differ.

In the Introduction, after stating in lines 23-25 „The problem of dealing with differences in gifts and needs are currently approached by the ideal of inclusive education“ the author should say in at least one paragraph something about the development lines of inclusive education i.e. about "the education for all" that encourages the pass from the access to education to the justice in education – including gender, (dis)ability, culture, etc. (UNESCO Conferences, Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, etc.). In the Euro-Atlantic space, the socio-political developments encouraged interdisciplinary research (philosophical: Axel Honneth, Charles Taylor, Paul Ricoeur) and contributed especially to the development of the pedagogy of diversity or pedagogy of recognition (Annedore Prengel, Tzvetan Todorov, Krassimir Stojanov, etc.) that was receipted in the context of religious education as well.

How to understand school as a community and strengthen community life in schools has also been a highly discussed pedagogical issue for many decades.

Some statements in the article like „This is problematic because a high level of differentiation strengthens an individualistic culture.“ (line 29-30) require reference to literature. For example, the statement „Moreover, the tendency to personalized approaches is highly demanding for teachers and teacher training institutions“ is true, but must be documented through literature as well.

Thematizing the meaning of community and communion from a Christian or biblical point of view is justified, but this must be put in correlation with pedagogical approaches, which is required especially in the school space.

In developing his/her own position by explaining biblical concepts the author should base on some more specific and relevant literature, especially the already existing religious pedagogical literature on some components of the topic.

One more question is how much the concept of hospitality (lines 36-38) is suitable to refer to special needs education or if the students are only guests in schools. The concept of hospitality usually refers to students of other religious affiliations or worldviews who attend confessional religious education of a majority religious community. Moreover, hospitality and community building (line 36-38) are not the same. The author could problematize the individualistic culture and the communitarian cultures, still existing in many non-western parts of the world, bringing to the light strengths and limitations of both.

Line 290: „… in this book“? This is an article!

Line 305: „does our school system create a setting in which students can practice looking with different eyes and carrying other people’s burdens?“

Whose school system? The system of Christian schools, or schools in a special region or a special type of society, or how that society is characterized?

Author Response

Many thanks for giving time and energy for reviewing my article.

Comments and responses are put in a changelog annex.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The strength of the argument is undermined in places by poor use of English, this is unfortunate in that the author does have something interesting to say in places.

The overall thesis is a good one, i.e. that Christian schools can make a contribution to social cohesion and to acceptance of the other. The focus on the biblical theme of hospitality is also relevant and has potential. The author is clearly familiar with relevant scholarly literature. 

 

The article could benefit from being rewritten in places so that both the meaning is clearer and the argument is stronger. 

The material could potentially be worked into a good article, but much work would be needed.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Comments on the Quality of English Language

I have attached the original article, with corrections incorporated into the first 3-4 pages, to give an indication of the need for the use of English to be improved.

Author Response

Many thanks for giving time and energy for reviewing my article.

Comment 1: The strength of the argument is undermined in places by poor use of English, this is unfortunate in that the author does have something interesting to say in places.

Response 1: In the revised version, a great number of changes have been made. Moreover, the language is carefully proofread, by a professional editor. Thank you for your efforts to examplify the corrections in the language. Very much appreciated.

Comment 2: The overall thesis is a good one, i.e. that Christian schools can make a contribution to social cohesion and to acceptance of the other. The focus on the biblical theme of hospitality is also relevant and has potential. The author is clearly familiar with relevant scholarly literature. The article could benefit from being rewritten in places so that both the meaning is clearer and the argument is stronger. The material could potentially be worked into a good article, but much work would be needed.

Response 2: I have revised the article substantially, by strenghtening the argument and inserting evidence from many others sources. 

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The article titled "Building a Hospitable School Community: More Than the Sum of Its Parts: An Exploration of Christian Theological Concepts That Inspire the Approach to Differences" addresses a relevant theme by linking theological concepts with educational practices, especially in the context of inclusive education.

The text identifies the current trend of excessive personalization in inclusive education and proposes a shift in focus toward community building, inspired by theological concepts. The article is well-structured and follows a classic format, starting with a theological foundation that explores christological and ecclesiological concepts that support the ideal of community, highlighting hospitality as a central virtue.

It then analyses specific biblical keywords that, according to the author(s), can inspire inclusive practices in schools, such as safety, care, mercy, equivalence, justice, gifts, and bearing one another's burdens. Subsequently, the author(s) translate these theological concepts into practices for the school environment, suggesting shifts in orientation, such as from individuality to community and from organization to pedagogy. The article concludes by summarizing the main ideas and proposing a definition of hospitable education.

The central idea of the text is well-developed and innovative. However, we believe that internal reinforcement would make the article scientifically more robust. This reinforcement essentially involves improving the literature review, critically reflecting on previous studies that support the research and place the work in the current academic context. Including practical examples or case studies that illustrate the proposed ideas would also give the article greater solidity.

 

Regarding formal issues, it is advisable to review the entire text, as there are grammatical and spelling errors, as well as inappropriate sentence constructions that compromise the clarity and fluency of the reading.

 

Let's look at some examples:

 

- "It is argued that a number of Biblical key words help to imaging how a inclusive school practice can be shaped that is community directed."

  - Correction: "imaging" should be "imagine"; "a inclusive" should be "an inclusive".

- "Keywords: Inclusive education; hospitability."

  - Correction: "hospitability" should be "hospitality".

- "All authors mentioned, refer to the Bible, but not of them explores the connection with other biblical key concepts."

  - Correction: "not of them explores" should be "none of them explore".

- "The problem of dealing with differences in gifts and needs are currently approached by the ideal of inclusive education..."

  - Correction: Subject-verb disagreement; "The problem... are" should be "The problem... is".

 

Confusing or poorly structured sentences:

 

- "Those who are insignificant in the eyes of are counted (1 Cor. 1:27), are seen and respected."

- "I propose to define as follows: hospitable education aims for creating a welcoming and safe space for all students, counting with gifts as well as all kinds of hardship, troubles and needs, in which a team of teachers, leaders and other professionals, counting with everyone's strengths and vulnerabilities, assist all students with their particular gifts and needs, in a collective responsibility in a way all school staff can flourish and learn to serve with these gifts others and the common good."

 

These examples, among others, show how the text needs to be thoroughly reviewed.

 

It is also important to review the bibliography, ensuring that all elements are correctly formatted. There is also a reference indicating a publication in 2025, which has not yet occurred. It is essential to confirm the correct publication date or, if it is a typing error, correct it:

 

- Wolter, M. & Brawley, R.L. (2025). Paul: An Outline of His Theology. Baylor University Press.

 

In summary, we believe that the article has the potential to be published, but to meet the standards of a high-level scientific article, as we are accustomed to from the journal “Religions”, significant improvements are necessary to strengthen the scientific quality of the work and make it more suitable for publication.

 

Comments on the Quality of English Language

To enhance the overall quality of the text, a careful review would be beneficial. There are a few areas that could use some polishing. These small improvements would help the text flow more naturally and make the reading experience even more pleasant for your audience.

Author Response

Many thanks for giving time and energy for reviewing my article.

Comments and responses are given in de changelog annex.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The author has corrected all that was required in the comments and has significantly improved his/her paper.