Cole Sahib

W Owen Cole, has had a distinguished career in Religious Education, and has a world-wide reputation as a distinguished commentator on multifaith issues and practice, as well as on Sikhism. He has written -- on his own and in conjunction with others many well received books, continually used in teaching from primary to tertiary education, including: Six World Faiths (Continuum); Religious Education in the Primary Curriculum: Teaching Strategies and Practical Activities (with Judith Evans Lowndes; Religious and Moral Education Press); Six Religions in the Twenty First Century (with Peggy Morgan; Stanley Thornes); Spirituality in Focus (Heinemann); Hinduism (with Hemant Kannitkar, Heinemann); Understanding Sikhism (Dunedin Academic Press); The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs & Practices (with Piara Singh Sambhi; Sussex Academic Press). Owen Cole sets out on his journey towards a multifaith world view detailing his encounters with the Indo Pakistan subcontinent and the UK and those individuals -- Sikh, Hindu, Muslim, Jewish and Christian -- who were to shape his thinking and educational stances. This book is required reading for those who have benefited from Owen Cole's previous books, educators involved in multi-faith issues and questions associated with faith schools and school worship, and all those who enjoy biography at its sharpest.

"What comes across strikingly is the unswerving faithfulness to his background and to his guiding insights. It is expressed over and over again in meeting creatively the challenges of changing circumstances and it is this that will inspire readers. Owen remains a 'Bradford nonconformist'and one whose commitment is to respecting and nurturing the cultures and consciences of all." Eleanor Nesbitt, The Friend, 23 October 2009

W. Owen Cole's teaching career began in 1954 and has continued into the twenty-first century, a period of considerable social change but, in his opinion one of too little educational response. In England he has taught at all stages of education from primary schools to university and in India at universities. His principal interest has been in teacher training. His life has been one of opportunities gratefully received. Readers are encouraged to share his journey and pursue their own. All that is needed is vision, empathy and a willingness to accept the unexpected.