TheoLogica Call for Papers: Analytic Science-Engaged Theology

Guest editors: Joanna Leidenhag and Benedikt Göcke

Analytic theology and Science-Engaged Theology are two of the most exciting  movements within theology in recent years. Both are interdisciplinary endeavours  that seek to use the tools and insights from others sub-disciplines (areas of analytic  philosophy and the natural sciences, respectively) in the service of theology. Analytic  theology and science-engaged theology both maintain the primacy and integrity of  the theological task, whilst simultaneously inviting other disciplines to enrich theological reflection, criticism, and declaration. 

What these recent trends show is that theologians no longer need to (if they  ever did) fear forms of rationalism or empiricism that, in previous generations, have  been used to exclude theological discourse from the public square or academic  University. It is clearly the case that theologians have long appealed to reason and  experience as sources for theological reflection and correction. But in analytic theology  and science-engaged theology, we can see that theologians can also use (as well as  critique) the highly constrained, specialised, and systematised forms of reasoning and  evidencing that is found in analytic philosophy and the natural sciences. Analytic  theology and science-engaged theology are in this sense complementary movements  that signal that theology has now reached a kind of quiet confidence that does not  need to fight, flee or submit to other forms of inquiry. 

Whilst analytic theology and science-engaged theology have developed  separately, they substantially overlap on the question of how theology can best engage  other disciplines. Thus, there is scope for a further alliance of these movements in the  form of analytic science-engaged theology. Such an analytic science-engaged theology  would use the tools of both analytic philosophy and some specific area of the natural  sciences within their theology. We are inviting papers that exemplify this kind of fine grained, interdisciplinary, constructive theological work. We are not primarily  looking for papers that discuss the possibility or nature of analytic science-engaged theology, but for papers that exemplify this sub-field by exploring a theological  question using both scientific and analytic resources.  \

We welcome all forms of analytic science-engaged theology; in particular, we  are very interested in papers that engage a theological tradition outside of mainstream  Christianity, or which prioritize the voices of marginalized groups.” 

Deadline for submissions: October 1st, 2021 

Full papers should be submitted via our website:  https://ojs.uclouvain.be/index.php/theologica/index. In order to contribute equally to  scientific international discussions held in several languages, articles written in  English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish are accepted. Visit the TheoLogica  homepage for a description of the journal and instructions to authors. 

PDF version of this CFP can be found here.

Yours sincerely, 

Joanna Leidenhag and Benedikt Göcke

 

 

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