To the contemporary reader the phrase 'the default of God' may suggest something shocking, such as a failure on God's part to keep a bargain or a promise. Accordingly, it may seem a curious imper tinence to make this 'default' an explicit theme in an essay on religious tradition and education. It is important therefore, at the outset, to secure the theme as far as possible against misunderstanding. Default here signifies 'to be wanting', or 'to be in want of, or 'to be deprived of. Hence, what is described as 'the default of God' is a human, historical event and, as such, it means, in Heidegger's words: 'that no god any longer gathers men and things unto himself, visibly and unequivocably, and by such gather ing disposes the world's history and man's sojourn in it.' Of course a relationship with God continues to live on in our own historical epoch, in individuals, in churches, in some homes and indeed within some schools.