Category: Call For Papers

Call For Papers, Master Category

Call for Papers – International Wolfhart Pannenberg Symposium: 24–26 April, 2024

The International Wolfhart Pannenberg Symposium and the research project Talking about Divine Action are pleased to announce a call for papers exploring the concept of divine action in dialogue with Wolfhart Pannenberg.

The talk of God as agent is at the center of Christian theology and practice, but at the same time it is also the point where basic theological programs show deepest differences. After the topic had been the subject of intensive interdisciplinary research for several decades, its complex theological and philosophical presuppositions as well as questions of theological relevance have recently moved into the center of attention. Wolfhart Pannenberg stands out amongst contemporary theologians who have dealt with these issues. Ten years after his death, the impulses of his work for contemporary debate are ripe for further development.

The following key questions, among others, are helpful as starting points for the discussion with Pannenberg.

  • In what sense is it correct to talk about God as an agent? Is it for example plausible to say that God has intentions or capacities such as will and reason? Which concept of personhood is in the background of such a speech?
  • Are there better conceptual alternatives to “God’s action” that adequately describe God’s relationship to the world?
  • What is the relationship between analogy and doxology in the speech about God’s action? How are subject- or event-hermetical interpretations to be evaluated?
  • What possibilities for thinking from the theological tradition have not yet been sufficiently exhausted?
  • How does the notion of God as agent do justice to its trinitarian-theological context?
  • Is the idea of God’s action compatible with historiographical principles and sufficiently reflected hermeneutically? Moreover, is it fruitful for exegesis or church history? What are the possibilities and limits of speaking of God’s revelation in history?
  • Which possibilities of thinking that have been worked out in the science-and-religion-dialogue are also theologically fruitful and which are not?
  • Societally, few would say that our contemporary situation is not one marked by crisis all around the world.How are we to interpret the nature and implications of divine action along all these lines? Does the idea of God’s action exacerbate the problem of theodicy, or does it rather offer the possibility of coping with it?Or both?
  • Does it make sense to abandon a predicate such as “simplicity” or to transform “infinity” into an adverbial phrase (e.g., God being “infinitely good”) from a theological or philosophical perspective?

The research project “Talking about Divine action” (Tübingen) is pleased to announce a call for papers in cooperation with the “International Wolfhart Pannenberg Symposium”, exploring the questions raised in dialogue with the theology of Wolfhart Pannenberg. We welcome proposals on a wide range of topics on this fertile area of conversation concerning divine action and welcome all topics showing how Pannenberg’s conception of divine action can assist us in a variety of contexts as we make further progress in the world.

Proposals for papers should be no more than 500 words and will be evaluated on the contribution that they could make to the conversation, the clarity of the proposed research plan, and their significance for the field. Proposals should be received by 31 July, 2023 to receive full consideration. Email proposals to pannenbergsymposium@gmail.com.

Selected proposals will be presented at a conference at the University of Tübingen on 24-26 April, 2024.

After a proposal has been accepted, financial support for the participation in the conference can be applied for. We would particularly like to support those researchers who do not have their own funds with regard to flights and hotel accommodation. While we welcome attendance in person from all who are interested, proposals for papers to be delivered via virtual meeting will also be considered. At the conference, further plans and possibilities for cooperation on Wolfhart Pannenberg’s theology will be discussed.

Call For Papers, Master Category

CFP – The Last of Us: Violence, Ethics, Redemption? (Lexington Books, Theology, Religion, & Pop Culture series)

Dr. Peter Admirand, Dublin City University, is editing a book within the Lexington Books/Fortress Academic Press series (Theology, Religion, and Pop Culture). The book is titled: The Last of Us: Violence, Ethics, Redemption? More details available here. The book examines ethical and theological themes in The Last of Us television show and video games.

Proposals are due 26 June 2023 and can be sent to peter.admirand@dcu.ie.

General info on the series can be found here. : Theology, Religion, and Pop Culture. Information about the editor can be found here: Dr Peter Admirand, Dublin City University

The Last of Us, The Last of Us: Left Behind (DLC) and The Last of Us Part II video games embody sustained critical and commercial success, and are some of the most important genre-defining video games of the last decade. The new HBO Series has followed this trend with some 8.2 million viewers of Season One’s finale. The Last of Us universe is steeped in rich, complex narrative; thick, round characters; gorgeous and layered imagery; and gameplay that invites nuanced and creative, sometimes deeply harrowing and questionable, moral complicity. Tied in with the present HBO Series and the next planned video game installment (not to mention online multiplayer modes, the comic tie-in, American Dreams, and the two books on The Art of the Last of Us), an edited collection on The Last of Us universe begs for astute theological, philosophical, literary, and ethical analysis.

Drawing upon The Last of Us universe, possible topics and chapters could include:

  • The limits of forgiveness (and revenge)
  • The fine line between murder and self-defence
  • The portrayal (or absence) of God and religion
  • Survival v. living v. living morally
  • The (im)possibility of non-violence or pacifism
  • Victim/perpetrator ambiguity
  • Parenting amidst distress and through impending and real loss (death of Sarah)
  • Joel and Ellie’s growing adopted father/daughter relationship
  • Comparisons with other dystopian texts/films
  • The portrayal of non-human animals (giraffe scene)
  • Examination of moral catharsis and/or ultimate evil
  • Human Nature, Evil, and Theodicy
  • Choosing personal happiness at the cost of the greater good
  • Gender and body shaming (particularly as related to The Last of Us Part II)
  • Treatment of LGBQI themes and characters
  • Violent Video Games and Complicity (especially regarding narrative choices in The Last of Us Part II—playing as Abbie after the murder of Joel, for example, or playing as a vengeance-filled Ellie)
  • On false and real hope amid dystopia
  • Corporate America, despotic governments, and Clickers—and other evils
  • The Ethics of Love and relationships despite Runners and Stalkers
  • Role of brothers (Joel and Tommy) – or family and friendship in general during great travail
  • Predicted character arcs for (the hoped-for/expected) The Last of Us 3…
  • Examination of background imagery/architecture as moral and symbolic codes
  • Role of class, race, ethnicity, and other identity markers

Contributors will submit abstracts with CVs no later than 26 June 2023 to peter.admirand@dcu.ie. First drafts will be due by 26 September 2023 (Outbreak Day). Final manuscript will be delivered to publisher by 15 December 2023.

Logo of the Journal of Religions framed by light blue rectangle.
Call For Papers, Master Category

CPF – Journal of Religions (Special Issue): “Theological Metaphysics and Scriptural Interpretation”

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Journal of Religions is pleased to invite you to contribute to a Special Issue entitled “Theological Metaphysics and Scriptural Interpretation”. This edition seeks to facilitate an integration of two constructive theological domains: (i) the function of metaphysics vis à vis the doctrine of God and (ii) the theological interpretation of Scripture.

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 29 February 2024

This Special Issue aims to engage in the methodology of Scriptural interpretation with respect to the underlying metaphysical substructure of that work. The question Jonathan Rowlands has addressed to those engaged in the study of the historical Jesus—namely to examine the underlying metaphysical assumptions of their work—is a question that ought also to be posed to systematic theologians in their interpretation of Scripture. In this, we welcome submissions that enquire into how the work of the theological interpretation of Scripture is affected if approached from, for the sake of argument, the basis of God as pure actuality as opposed to God’s absolute pronobeity (or vice versa). For example: how does the way in which the being of God is held in connection to the history of God’s act affect the way in which the interpreter of Scripture engages with the narrative of Scripture? Or, if God is God for us without remainder, then how does Scripture function in relation to the interpreter?

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • The relationship between metaphysics and the doctrine of God.
  • The intersection of the doctrine of God and Scriptural interpretation.
  • The role of metaphysical presuppositions in Scriptural interpretation.
  • Constructive proposals for theological interpretation of Scripture from a range of perspectives regarding the relationship between metaphysics and the doctrine of God.
  • Constructive proposals concerning the relationship between metaphysics and historiography (with particular attention to historiographical questions concerning Jesus of Nazareth).

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Alex Irving
Dr. Chris Tilling
Dr. Jonny Rowlands
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI’s English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Alex Irving E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

St Mellitus College, East Midlands, Leicester LE1 5PZ, UK
Interests: historical theology (4th century trinitarian theology; 20th century theology); doctrine of god; christology

Dr. Chris Tilling E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

St Mellitus College, East Midlands, Leicester LE1 5PZ, UK
Interests: christology; the trinity; the apostle paul and his theology; historical-critical exegesis; theology of scripture

Dr. Jonny Rowlands E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

St Mellitus College, East Midlands, Leicester LE1 5PZ, UK
Interests: theological hermeneutics; historical Jesus research; the doctrine of scripture; the book of Hebrews

Call For Papers, Conferences, Events & Conferences

Rutgers Analytic Theology Seminar – CFP Deadline Oct 15, 2023.

The Rutgers Analytic Theology Seminar solicits abstracts for papers in analytic theology, for a conference to be held March 10-12, 2024, at Rutgers University’s New Brunswick campus. Papers are welcome in all areas of analytic theology, including analytical historical theology. Abstracts should be a maximum of 500 words in length, and should be prepared for blind review. Those sending abstracts should specify whether the final paper will be colloquium (3000 word) or symposium (4-5000 word) length. At most one paper will be accepted for a submitted symposium; some who send an abstract for a symposium slot may be offered a colloquium slot instead. Some whose papers are not accepted may be offered commentator slots. All sessions will be single-reader; there will be no “panels.”

Abstracts are due by October 15, to frederick.choo AT rutgers.edu. Decisions will be announced by December 1.

Keynote and symposium sessions will be read-ahead, with commentators. Colloquium papers will be read out, and may or may not have commentators. Keynote and symposium sessions may last 90 minutes or two hours; colloquium sessions will be one hour. Keynote speakers will be Thomas McCall (Asbury), Samuel Lebens (Haifa), and Hud Hudson (Western Washington).

Further information on the conference will be forthcoming.

Call For Papers, Journals, Master Category, Publications

Call for Submissions – Doxology Journal vol 34.

Doxology: a journal of worship and the sacramental life is seeking submissions for upcoming issues. Founded in 1984, Doxology is a journal published by the Order of Saint Luke (OSL Publications) containing both peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed content. Distribution is to a number of university and seminary libraries in the United States, individual subscribers, and the members of the Order globally. In addition to peer-reviewed articles, Doxology also publishes newly written liturgical material, hymn texts and sacred poetry, sacred visual art, book reviews, and screen reviews. 

Articles intended for peer-review should deal with some practice or theology of Christian worship or the sacramental life, and should normally be between 6000-7000 words in length. Articles not intended for peer review can be of various lengths. Complete writing guidelines and a style sheet can be found on the OSL Publications website: www.oslpublications.org.  

Submission deadlines for Volume 34 are as follows:

  • 34.1 (Lent-Easter 2023): February 26, 2023
  • 34.2 (Pentecost 2023): April 16, 2023
  • 34.3 (Ordinary Time 2023): July 23, 2023
  • 34.4 (Advent-Christmas 2023): September 10, 2023

Submissions of articles, liturgical material, poems, visual art and any questions may be sent to the Editor of Doxology, Br. Jonathan Hehn, OSL, at jhehn@nd.edu. Please submit all material in the form of an email attachment (.docx, .odt, or .rtf file format for documents, .jpg or .pdf format for images). 

Those interested in submitting book reviews should please contact Sr. Sarah Mount Elewononi, OSL, at smount@bu.edu. Those interested in submitting screen reviews should please contact Sr. Heather Josselyn-Cranson, OSL, at hjosselyn@hotmail.com. Hymns and songs should be submitted to Kelly Grooms at iplstps@mac.com. Musical scores should be submitted both in an image format (such as a pdf) and in a MusicXML format. 

Thanks in advance for your submissions, and for sharing this email with your students and colleagues.

Call For Papers, Master Category

Open Theology – Call for Papers – “Religion & Spirituality in Everyday Life” Submission Deadline:

“Open Theology” (https://www.degruyter.com/opth) invites submissions for the topical issue “Religion and Spirituality in Everyday Life,” edited by Joana Bahia (State University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and Cecilia Bastos (National Museum of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil María Pilar García Bossio, UCA-CONICET, Argentina)

DESCRIPTION  

This Special Issue seeks to put in dialogue research focusing on religious and spiritual practices that take place outside institutional frameworks and in people’s everyday lives. We are interested in the presence of new spiritualities in daily life, whether understood as re-readings or even breaks from religious traditions. Typically, the category of spirituality refers to reinterpretations of spiritual disciplines from external historical-spatial contexts. However, here we understand them also as appropriations of institutionalised religions that are practiced outside their typical frameworks and, also, possible analogue configurations, but which are understood, implicitly or explicitly, as not religious. 

We invite researchers to submit papers that contribute to the reflection about the places and contexts where religious and spiritual experiences take place in contemporary societies, which will contribute to widening the limits of what we call “religion” today. We expect to receive contributions that analyse some of the following topics: 

  • Manifestations of religious nature or resemblance, such as sacralisation and rituals, that take place outside “temples” and in everyday life. 
  • Interpretations and appropriations of religious and/or spiritual symbols in non-traditional practice contexts. 
  • Uses and negotiations of the categories of religion and spirituality in specific contexts. 
  • Ways in which the religious and/or spiritual shape or transform tangible or intangible heritage in public and private space. 


HOW TO SUBMIT  

Submissions will be collected until May 15, 2023, via the on-line submission system at http://www.editorialmanager.com/openth/  


Choose as article type: “Religion and Spirituality in Everyday Life”  

Before submission the authors should carefully read the Instruction for Authors, available at: https://www.degruyter.com/publication/journal_key/OPTH/downloadAsset/OPTH_Instruction%20for%20Authors.pdf  


All contributions will undergo critical peer-review before being accepted for publication.  

Further questions about content for this thematic issue can be addressed to Guillermo Andrés Duque Silva at guillermo.duque@urjc.es. Technical or financial questions can be directed to journal Managing Editor Katarzyna Tempczyk at katarzyna.tempczyk@degruyter.com.  

Call For Papers, Journals, Master Category

Journal of Biblical & Theological Studies – CPF on Ecclesiology. Submission Deadline, Dec 1, 2023

The Journal of Biblical and Theological Studies, a peer-reviewed, open access journal, invites scholarly submissions for a forthcoming issue on Ecclesiology. JBTS is an interdenominational, broadly evangelical journal that seeks to provide high-level scholarship to both scholars and students. In this special issue, we seek a broad engagement with the Doctrine of the Church. Potential topics can range from the church’s identity, its mission and/or how the church relates to the state and society, its sacraments, its unity and diversity, catholicity, ecumenism, or practical concerns that today’s church encounters.

For inquires, contributors may reach out to justin.mclendon AT gcu.edu. 

Deadline for submission is 12/1/2023.

Invitation link can be found here.

Article guidelines can be found here.

Call For Papers, Master Category

Call for Abstracts: Theology, Religion, and Dungeons & Dragons (Feb 15 Deadline)

Dungeons & Dragons is a tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) that was created in 1974 and popularized in the 1970’s and 1980’s, though it has found a renaissance in contemporary popular culture due in part to its prominent role in the Netflix series Stranger Things. The COVID-19 pandemic saw a surge in virtual Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) gaming via work-from-home platforms such as Zoom; from their living rooms, people across the world would work in the virtual office by day and venture into the fantasy worlds of D&D by evening. Additionally, the rising popularity of live-streamers and groups with enormous followings, such as Critical Role, underscores the prominent role that the game continues to hold with tabletop gamers and speaks to the diverse manners in which D&D is enjoyed.

The fantasy worlds of D&D are replete with religious imagery and rely on the theological imagination. Real-world theological and religious concepts and ideas inform this theological imagination, placing human players in foreign yet familiar settings. Guidebooks provide source material for religious and belief structures, as well as deities and player classes that engage both religion and theology. D&D utilizes theology and religion in its expansive mythos, worldbuilding, and everyday experiences of adventures.

The editors gladly invite submissions on, but not limited to, the topics below for a volume on the intersections of academic disciplines of theology, religious studies, and the creative world of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), to be published in the Theology, Religion, and Popular Culture book series. Interested authors should send chapter abstracts of 300-700 words, along with a CV or resume, to theology.religion.dnd@gmail.com.

Methodologies and Approaches: theological, religious, or other disciplines intersecting with some aspect or concepts from the D&D universe. Topics might include:

  • The relationship between theology and role-play for spiritual formation.
  • Pastoral theology: D&D and spiritual care.
  • The three-tiered universe, the sacred canopy, and postmodern epistemology.
  • Gaming or games as spiritual or religious practice.
  • The collaborative roles of the Dungeon Master and players, the roles of clergy and laity.
  • The place of ritual and spellcasting, the place of liturgy and sacrament.
  • Diverse theological systems, henotheism, polytheism, etc. and D&D pantheons.
  • Mythology and formation: understanding the structuring role of narrative.
  • Existentialism, adventuring, and the quest for meaningful living.

Themes: theological and/or religious explorations of major themes related to the D&D universe. Topics might include:

  • Mainstream acceptance, how popular culture contributed to shifting public perceptions of D&D.
  • Race (now changed to species), class, gender, and other revisions in the D&D universe.
  • The commodification of hobbies, capitalism and D&D.
  • Fantasy/Tolkien’s influence on D&D.
  • Can good people play evil characters?
  • Theological or religious tolerance and pluralism amid competing complex belief structures.
  • The lingering impact of past-trauma in characters’ backstories and the enactment of woundedness. The death of an imagined character and loss.
  • Interaction between human and non-human (“others”). 
  • Non-combative conflict transformation.
  • Are the dice gods mad at me, determinism and free-will?
  • Good versus evil, are devils beyond redemption?
  • Friendship, companionship, and mental health.
  • Vocation/Calling and teamwork: multiclassing outside of traditional boxes.

Works: Topics might include:

  • Stranger Things and Christian fear of D&D.
  • An analysis of part of some aspect of a prominent campaign or popular culture portrayal of D&D (like Critical Role, the “C” Team, or Onward).
  • Media portrayal of D&D, or stereotypes of table-top gamers and bullying, exclusion, or escapism.
  • An analysis of a major D&D campaign like Tomb of Annihilation, Lost Mine of Phandelver, Storm King’s Thunder, etc.
  • Engagement with the fantasy books set in the D&D universe like The Legend of Drizzt.
  • Baldur’s Gate: online RPG in the D&D universe

The call for chapters ends February 15, 2023. Authors will be notified of accepted proposals on March 1st, 2023. Authors will submit their accepted chapters by August 31st, 2023. Final chapters with revisions will be due March 1st, 2024 with an anticipated publication date honoring the upcoming 50thanniversary of D&D.

Call For Papers, Master Category

CFP: For special issue of Religious Studies

Special Issue Guest editors:
Meghan D. Page, Loyola University Maryland,
US Ignacio Silva, Universidad Austral, Argentina

Religious Studies in collaboration with the SET Foundations Project calls for papers that integrate practice-based philosophy of science with topics in philosophy of religion and theology. The best submitted paper, as judged by a committee, will receive a prize of $5,000. That paper, along with others selected, will be published in a special issue of Religious Studies.

Although both practice-based philosophy of science and philosophy of religion and theology explore topics such as causation, explanation, laws of nature, natural kinds, representation, models, and evidence, there is a significant lack of constructive dialogue between them. However, we believe that deeper theological and philosophical interaction with practice-based philosophy of science is likely to produce novel approaches to the big questions in theology and philosophy of religion.

This new approach encourages scholars to explore general questions regarding the aims and methods of scientific practice
rather than emphasize specific scientific theories or theses. We are particularly interested in work by philosophers of religion and theologians that engages with recent literature in practice-based philosophy of science, exemplified by questions such as: How do scientific explanations work? How do scientists use models? How do causal concepts vary across different domains of scientific inquiry? What are scientific “laws” and do all scientific theories employ them? How do we determine what counts as “good” science? We take this approach to be distinct from theory-based philosophy of science, which focuses on the metaphysical implications of particular scientific theories.

We do not intend to privilege any style or tradition of theology or philosophy. We hope scholars from across the globe will integrate philosophy of science into their preferred theological or philosophical approach. We view this engagement as one aspect of a rich and complex theological methodology, to be appropriately paired with historical, social, and textual analysis. We

invite philosophers of religion and theologians to submit papers that

Examples of possible paper topics include:

  • What counts as evidence for claims in theology and philosophy of religion?
  • How do we understand the content and meaning of theological or religious terms? Do we gather our understanding of these terms from experience?
  • What role do models play in theology? Is doctrine best thought of as a kind of model? Or is it something else?
  • Can experience confirm or undermine theological claims?
  • Are there multiple, distinctive strands of evidence used in • theology? What are they?
  • Can scientific evidence be used as support for theological views?
  • Do multilevel explanations (which integrate more than one scientific theory) offer a path for integrating multiple levels of explanation in theology (e.g. reconciling human and divine action)?
  • Are theological models like scientific models? Can scientific models offer a template for new models in theology?

Deadline for submissions: April 1, 2023

Full papers should be submitted via the Religious Studies Portal (a special section has been established for papers for this issue). Visit the Religious Studies homepage for a description of the journal and instructions to authors. More at setfoundations.com.

Call For Papers

CFP: The Psychological Science of Emotions for Spiritual Formation and Soul Care

In recent years, social scientists have increasingly directed their attention to investigating topics at the intersection of religion, psychology, and human well-being. Among these topics are character traits, virtues, and processes closely associated with growth in Christlikeness, such as gratitude, grace, humility, forgiveness, hope, faith, and suffering. Many of these traits and virtues have characteristic affective states that attend them. Frequently though, emotions are thought to be outside of the range of our will or choice. They are something that happens to us. If true, then the many injunctions of Scripture to cultivate certain emotions and virtues and to avoid others become more perplexing. For this special issue we seek articles that engage empirical
findings from the social sciences to aid spiritual growth by answering questions such as the following:

  • What are the social scientific findings regarding the factors that shape our emotions and by extension impact our virtues (or vices)?
  • What implications do these findings have for what should shape our emotions?
  • What are the implications of these scientific findings for spiritual formation and soul care? How can we apply these insights to growth in Christlikeness?

Answering these questions requires 1) consideration of how to move from descriptive social scientific findings to prescriptive recommendations for growth and 2) integration of social scientific findings with the traditional sources of Christian formation: Scripture and the spiritual experiences of God’s people through the centuries. For this special issue, we seek two kinds of contributions: 1) shorter data-driven descriptions of empirical findings with applicability to Christian formation and 2) theoretical integration and application of scientific findings with spiritual theology.

Submissions Due May 1, 2023
General submission information: https://journals.sagepub.com/author-instructions/JSF
Guest editors: Jason McMartin, Ryan Peterson, Timothy Pickavance, and Kyle Strobel
Questions: jason.mcmartin AT biola.edu

Call For Papers

Call For Papers: Theology and The Office (Deadline Jan31)

Title: Theology and The Office

Volume Editors: Daniel J. Cameron & John W. McCormack

Abstract and CV Due: January 31, 2023

Initial Final Paper Due: June 30, 2023

In 2020, seven years after the show officially ended, the hit NBC series The Office was the number 1 streamed tv show with over 57 billion viewing minutes beating out the second most streamed show (Grey’s Anatomy) by 45%.[1] In 2016, Rolling Stone Magazine listed The Office within the top 50 most popular tv shows of all time.[2] The show has had a lasting and deep influence on the trajectory of popular culture. It is because of The Office, that shows like Brooklyne Nine-Nine, Parks and Recreation, and The Good Place exist.[3]The show is beloved by many for its witty humor, relatable characters, and simple  storyline. But, can The Office be reduced down to another comedy that seeks cheap laughter from its one liners such as “that’s what she said,” its jello pranks, or its absurd characters (i.e. Dwight Shrute) or is there something more, something deeper that we can learn from the things that happen at this fictional Pennsylvania paper company?

This book will argue along with Pam Beasley that “there is a lot of beauty in ordinary things.”[4] Or more specifically there is a lot of theology in ordinary things. This book will be an addition to the Theology, Religion, and Pop Culture series(Lexington Books, Fortress Academic) and while it imagines a broad range of readers, it will be of particular interest to those with an interest in comedy and tv sitcoms, as well as academics interested in intersections of religion and culture.  This volume seeks to gather a diverse group of scholars across the field of theology, religion, and related fields in order to produce a book that will provide both a theological lens through which to view The Office as well as to be a space for current cutting edge theological research to take place.

Potential Topics:

– Vocation/calling

– Friendship/fellowship/romance

– Difficult people, imperfect people

– Ethics in The Office

– Religion, “Religion,” and Religions in the Office

– Holidays/ritual observances/liturgical practice (Halloween episodes, Christmas episodes, pretzel day, Diwali, the Christening, weddings, birthday parties)

– Emotions in The Office (Andy’s anger management, Kelly’s manipulations, Gabe’s anxiety, Dwight’s refusal to smile, Toby’s face, etc.)

 – Gender, Sexuality, Family, and Relationships (Michael Scott’s masculinity; Oscar, Angela, and the Senator; Ryan and Kelly; “You have to tolerate a lot when you’re part of a family.”)

– Bosses and Authority (Michael, Jan, David Wallace, Robert California, etc.) 

– Acceptance and Belonging (Michael: “I like to be liked. I enjoy being liked. I have to be liked, but it’s not like this compulsive need to be liked, like my need to be praised;” “Everybody likes the guy who offers them a stick of gum.” Dwight: “Do you want to form an alliance with me?”)

– Racial and ethnic identities in The Office (Diversity Day, The Convict,  Warehouse employees, IT guy, Hidetoshi Hasagawa, Sabre’s “Print in All Colors” initiative,  etc.)

– Transgression, Sin, and Punishment (Fake firings, Pizza by Alfredo, Michael’s nephew, the Scranton Strangler, etc.)

– Technology (Michael’s GPS; Dunder Mifflin Infinity (2.0); “Unleash the power of the pyramid”; WUPHF)

– Aesthetics, decor, identity (desk toys  and all that)

– Creativity (Here Comes Treble, Improv, Art School, Local Ad, Second Life, the Flenderson Files, etc.)

– Popular Culture in the Office (Parkour, Bobbleheads, Sweeney Todd)

– Time (“It’s a quarter to 5, and I have begun to gather my things.” “I’ve been salesman of the month thirteen out of the last twelve months.”)

– Space and place (The Break Room, the Conference Room, the Warehouse)

– Life inside and outside The Office (Call Center, Schrute Farms, truth and reality, etc.)

– The relationship between the Scranton branch and “Corporate” (and other branches, Sabre/Tallahassee, etc.)

– Cinematography and The Office (Talking Heads and the Idea of Hope, mockumentary style storytelling, etc)

Timeframes:

Please send a 500-word abstract, accompanied by a current CV, to TheologyAndTheOffice@gmail.com by January 31, 2023. Acceptance notifications will be sent out February 15, 2023. Full manuscripts (6,000-8,000 words)  are due on June 30, 2023. Manuscripts will be returned to contributors on August 1, 2023. Final revised manuscripts will be due by October 15, 2023. The completed volume will be submitted to the publisher December 1, 2023 for anticipated publication in 2024.

Daniel J. Cameron holds an MA from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and is a Ph.D. candidate  in systematic theology from the University of Aberdeen and serves as the Bible Department head and Spiritual Life Director at Chicago Hope Academy (IL, USA) where he teaches a course in theology and film.

John W. McCormack holds an MAR from Yale Divinity School and a PhD in History from the University of Notre Dame and is Associate Professor of Religion and History at Aurora University (IL, USA). 

Notes

[1] Rick Porter. “’Ozark,’ ‘the Office’ Lead Nielsen’s 2020 Streaming Rankings.” The Hollywood Reporter. The Hollywood Reporter, January 13, 2021.

[2] Rob Sheffield. “100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.” Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone, July 29, 2019.

[3] Kelly Lawler, “’The Office’ Turns 15: All the Ways NBC’s Quirky Sitcom Changed Pop Culture,” USA Today (Gannett Satellite Information Network, March 24, 2020).

[4] The Office. 2013. Season 9, Episode 25, “Finale.” Directed by Ken Kwapis. Aired May 13, 2013 on NBC.

woman typing on laptop
Call For Papers

Call for Papers: Jonathan Edwards Miscellanies Companion, Volume 3

CALL FOR PAPERS: Students and scholars are now invited to contribute essays for publication in The Jonathan Edwards Miscellanies Companion, Volume 3, Foreword by Rhys Bezzant, Director of the Jonathan Edwards Center Australia, Senior Lecturer, Ridley College, Melbourne. Participants in this project must have at minimum a master’s degree in history, theology, philosophy, religious studies, literature, or related fields, or be able to demonstrate their qualifications to contribute to the project. Essays should be 5000–7000 words and not previously submitted or published elsewhere. Visit https://jesociety.press/call-for-papers-miscellanies-companion-vol3/.

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Call For Papers

Open Theology (Call for Papers) – Cultural Trauma and the Hebrew Bible.

Open Theology (https://www.degruyter.com/OPTH) invites submissions for the topical issue “Cultural Trauma and the Hebrew Bible,” edited by Danilo Verde (KU Leuven) and Dominik Markl (Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome).

Deadline – March 31, 2022

In his work titled Trauma: A Social Theory, American sociologist Jeffrey C. Alexander argues: “Cultural trauma occurs when members of a collectivity feel they have been subjected to a horrendous event that leaves indelible marks upon their group consciousness, marking their memories forever and changing their future identity in fundamental and irrevocable ways” (p. 19). From this perspective, the mere occurrence of historical catastrophes or collective traumas does not necessarily result in cultural trauma, since cultural trauma only emerges when a collective catastrophe indelibly shapes a group’s collective memory and produces a profound revision of that group’s collective identity. Cultural trauma studies by no means constitute a single, monolithic research paradigm; yet, scholars in this field largely agree that cultural traumas “are for the most part historically made, not born” (Neil J. Smelser, Psychological Trauma and Cultural Trauma, 37), in the sense that they are the result of complex social processes.


Assuming the perspective of cultural trauma studies in Hebrew Bible/Old Testament scholarship involves understanding how texts and traditions that eventually formed the HB/OT both represented and shaped ancient Israel’s collective identity as profoundly disrupted and in need of recreation. The HB/OT frequently refers to collective experiences of disasters and crises. We accept papers that investigate the interrelationship between biblical representations of collective suffering and the creation of collective identity in ancient Israel and early Judaism in light of cultural trauma theory. Authors will explore biblical texts such as collective laments, curses, narratives, etc. not only as texts representing and voicing the community’s experience of catastrophic events, but also as tools to shape cultural trauma in ancient Israel and early Judaism. Authors are also encouraged to explore relevant texts as “equipment for living” (see  Kenneth Burke, Literature as Equipment for Living, 593-598) for the addressed community, namely as the literary and religious heritage through which the carrier groups of biblical texts attempted to build social resilience by coping with and giving meaning to collective suffering. Among others, topics or areas of focus might include:

  • Representations of collective trauma in the HB/OT: Narrative texts
  • Representations of collective trauma in the HB/OT: Poetic texts
  • Biblical strategies for the shaping of cultural traumas
  • Biblical strategies for the shaping of social resilience
  • Cultural trauma in the HB/OT and in ancient near Eastern literature: Patterns and motifs
  • Carrier groups of cultural traumas and their agendas in ancient Israel and early Judaism
  • Cultural trauma hermeneutics and historical critical approaches
  • The use of the Bible in shaping cultural trauma in the history of Judaism and Christianity

Authors publishing their articles in the topical issue will benefit from:– Transparent, comprehensive, and efficient peer review.

– Free language assistance for authors from non-English speaking regions. Because Open Theology is published in Open Access, as a rule, publication costs should be covered by so called Article Publishing Charges (APC), paid by authors, their affiliated institutions, funders or sponsors. Authors without access to publishing funds are encouraged to discuss potential discounts or waivers with Managing Editor of the journal Katarzyna Tempczyk (katarzyna.tempczyk@degruyter.com) before submitting their manuscripts.


HOW TO SUBMIT – Submissions will be collected by March 31, 2022, via the on-line submission system at http://www.editorialmanager.com/openth/
Choose as article type: Cultural Trauma and the Hebrew Bible
Before submission the authors should carefully read over the Instruction for Authors, available at: 
https://www.degruyter.com/publication/journal_key/OPTH/downloadAsset/OPTH_Instruction%20for%20Authors.pdf

All contributions will undergo critical peer-review before being accepted for publication.
Further questions about this thematic issue can be addressed to Danilo Verde at danilo.verde@kuleuven.be. In case of technical or financial questions, please contact Managing Editor of the journal Katarzyna Tempczyk at katarzyna.tempczyk@degruyter.com

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Call For Papers

Open Theology (Call for Papers) – After the Theological Turn: Essays in (New) Continental Philosophical Theology

(This announcement is a second call)

“Open Theology” (https://www.degruyter.com/opth) invites submissions for the topical issue “After the Theological Turn: Essays in (New) Continental Philosophical Theology”, edited by Martin Koci (University of Vienna).

DESCRIPTION

This topical issue aims to explore, interrogate and reflect on the ways in which contemporary continental philosophy, and phenomenology in particular, unfolds and advances the development of philosophical theology. What does it mean to practice theology after the philosophical return to religion? During the last few decades, the renewal of theology has been much discussed in light of philosophical lectures that have revisited fundamental Christian concepts. However, the debate seems to be stuck on rather formal questions about whether the theological turn happened or not, whether it has been a legitimate or illegitimate development, and whether theology and philosophy can benefit at all from reconsidering their disciplinary borders. Moreover, from the theological perspective, crucial issues continue to be unresolved: What should the proper propaedeutic framework for theological work be in a secular context? How to formulate theologically valid as well as contextually plausible truth-claims? What kind of grammar should be employed in theology to create not only rational but also credible discourse? The working hypothesis behind this thematic issue is that philosophical—in particular phenomenological—engagement with theological concepts transforms the fundamental theological practice, revisits its rigor, and provides the possibility of developing an intelligible grammar for articulating normative theological claims. 

     We invite scholars in theology and continental philosophy of religion to address the following questions: Is phenomenology a suitable ancilla theologiae to provide theologians with sufficient philosophical grammar? Is it possible to develop, after the demise of metaphysics, a phenomenological theology? How does theology look after Marion, Henry, Chrétien, Lacoste, Falque et al.? Does theology benefit from philosophical reconsiderations of fundamental Christian concepts such as Revelation, the Incarnation, the Resurrection, etc.? The nerve and, at the same time, novelty of raising the question about after the theological turn is a critical application of explicit theological perspectives to thus test both the potential of and limits to philosophical reconsiderations of the theological for formulating plausible as well as credible theology.

Authors publishing their articles in the topical issue will benefit from:

– transparent, comprehensive and fast peer review,

– free language assistance for authors from non-English speaking regions.

Because “Open Theology” is published under an Open Access model, as a rule, publication costs should be covered by Article Publishing Charges (APC), paid by authors, their affiliated institutions, funders or sponsors.

Authors without access to publishing funds are encouraged to discuss potential discounts or waivers with Managing Editor of the journal Katarzyna Tempczyk (katarzyna.tempczyk@degruyter.com) before submitting their manuscripts. 

HOW TO SUBMIT

Submissions will be collected until April 15, 2022, via the on-line submission system at http://www.editorialmanager.com/openth/.

* Choose as article type: “After the Theological Turn”
* Before submission the authors should carefully read over the Instruction for Authors, available at: https://www.degruyter.com/publication/journal_key/OPTH/downloadAsset/OPTH_Instruction%20for%20Authors.pdf
* All contributions will undergo critical peer-review before being accepted for publication.

Further questions about this thematic issue can be addressed to Martin Koci at martin.koci@univie.ac.at. In case of technical or financial questions, please contact journal Managing Editor Katarzyna Tempczyk at katarzyna.tempczyk@degruyter.com.

Call For Papers

“Death & Religion” CFP by Open Theology (second call)

 A call for papers has been issued by Open Theology for a topical issue on “Death and Religion”

This is a (second call). Submissions will be collected until April 30, 2022

    “Open Theology” (https://www.degruyter.com/journal/key/OPTH/html) invites submissions for the topical issue “Death and Religion”, edited by Khyati Tripathi, Jennifer Moran Stritch and Peter G.A.Versteeg.

    Death and religion share an interdependent relation. Where death is an event or state that threatens to disintegrate worlds and meaning, religion can be seen as a practice that categorizes, consoles and makes sense of this kind of disintegration. According to Oxford dictionary, death is defined as “end of life”, but behind this simple definition, there is a web of complex ideas that could be understood from not just biological but also religious or cultural perspectives. Death has been conceptualized differently in different religious traditions as their texts and practices demonstrate. According to Lifton, religion is ‘life power’ and dominates death. Similarly, Davies put forth rituals as culture’s ‘words against death’.

     The relationship between death and religion should be seen as a broad scholarly query, which includes philosophical and theological questions, as well as more applied perspectives such as social work. Although death is a clinical process of organs that cease to function, dying and death are events that are surrounded by various sense-making practices, ranging from intricate traditional ceremonies as part of established religious repertoires, to more personal, individualized rituals. Social-cultural context, therefore, is of utmost importance to understand how we interact with dying persons and dead bodies, and why we do it in that particular way.

    In theology we see how faith traditions historically account for the reality of death, reflecting upon its existential meaning and thus trying to understand how to deal with the event of death. As such, a theology of death raises both practical (e.g. in spiritual care) and systematical (e.g. in ethics) questions regarding death and dying.

     In psychology death anxiety or fear of death invited a great deal of interest starting in the late 1950s with Fiefel’s work on death anxiety and religion. Different studies pointed at different relationships between death anxiety and religiousness; some studies found a positive relationship between the two while others found an inverse relationship.  Some research argued for a curvilinear relationship between death anxiety and religiousness, explaining that moderately religious participants have more death anxiety than those who are extremely religious or not religious at all. The relationship between religion and death anxiety has been an inconclusive one because of the multidimensional nature of both religion and death anxiety. There is, however, a lack of scholarship on death anxiety and religion in non-western cultures.

    In cultural anthropology, death studies have developed into a substantial research niche. There has been ample attention for practices pertaining to e.g. the process of dying, death as transition, as well as to the interaction with the dead body. Important here, too, is the global perspective on death, also in the sense of engaging with ontologies of life and death outside of the established scientific-medical spectrum.

    This special issue encourages scholars from different disciplines, not just restricted to the ones we mentioned, to contribute to this debate. Of special interest are situations in which religion becomes overbearing and a burden to carry forward in times of death, or if religious practices are obstructed, for example, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. How do these crisis situations affect the relationship between religion and death? This special issue aims at invoking curiosity, enquiry and interest in looking at the different facets of this topic.

     The special issue on ‘Death and Religion’ invites empirical (qualitative and quantitative), review/conceptual and analytical papers focusing on the different facets of this relationship from scholars in different disciplines such as: Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Theology, Philosophy, Cultural Studies, Thanatology, Health Humanities, Social Care and Social Work. Among others, topics or areas of focus might include:

  • Death anxiety and religiosity in non-western cultures
  • The different perspectives to ‘Extrinsic Religiosity’
  • Is ‘Intrinsic Religiosity’ really the reliever of anxiety?
  • Psychological/sociological/psychosocial significance of death rituals
  • The changing nature of death rituals
  • Personal religious beliefs and ideas about death
  • Belief in afterlife and death anxiety
  • The changing relationship between death and religion due to the COVID-19 pandemic
  • The non-religious traditions and death
  • Autoethnographic accounts of performing/witnessing death rituals
  • Death as latent and religion as evident in Freudian texts
  • Religious Literacy and the end of life care
  • Extinction as ultimate death and other morbid anxieties of the Anthropocene

Authors publishing their articles in the topical issue will benefit from:

– transparent, comprehensive and efficient peer review,

– free language assistance for authors from non-English speaking regions.

Because “Open Theology” is published in Open Access, as a rule, publication costs should be covered by so called Article Publishing Charges (APC), paid by authors, their affiliated institutions, funders or sponsors.

Authors without access to publishing funds are encouraged to discuss potential discounts or waivers with Managing Editor of the journal Katarzyna Tempczyk (katarzyna.tempczyk@degruyter.com) before submitting their manuscripts.

HOW TO SUBMIT

Submissions will be collected until April 30, 2022, via the on-line submission system at http://www.editorialmanager.com/openth/

Choose as article type: “Death and Religion”

Before submission the authors should carefully read over the Instruction for Authors, available at: https://www.degruyter.com/publication/journal_key/OPTH/downloadAsset/OPTH_Instruction%20for%20Authors.pdf

All contributions will undergo critical peer-review before being accepted for publication.

 Further questions about this thematic issue can be addressed to Khyati Tripathi at khyatitripathi27@gmail.com. In case of technical or financial questions, please contact journal Managing Editor Katarzyna Tempczyk at katarzyna.tempczyk@degruyter.com

Call For Papers

Deadline Extension – TheoLogica CFP on Analytic Science Engaged Theology

The journal TheoLogica  has published a CALL FOR PAPERS on ANALYTIC SCIENCE-ENGAGED THEOLOGY 

Deadline for submissions is now extended to January 31st 2022 

Joanna Leidenhag (University of St Andrews) 

Benedikt Paul Göcke (Ruhr University Bochum/ University of Oxford) 

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.” 

EXTENDED Deadline for submissions: October 1st 2021 January 31st 2022 

Full papers should be submitted via our website:  

https://ojs.uclouvain.be/index.php/theologica/index or sent to:  managingeditor.theologica @ gmail.com. 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.

Call For Papers, Conferences, Master Category

ESSSAT book/dissertation & student essay prizes. Submission deadlines approaching (Nov 30 / Jan 15).

ESSSAT Prizes for Studies in Science and Theology 2022  

In connection with ECST XIX (2022, in Ålesund/Norway), two ESSSAT  prizes are open for competition between early career scholars working in Europe. 

The ESSSAT Research Prize (of 2500 €) will be awarded for an outstanding original  contribution at book length, e.g. a doctoral thesis, submitted to the ESSSAT Prize Responsible  by November 30th 2021.  

The ESSSAT Student Prize (of 1500 €) will be awarded for an essay of 10.000 words  maximum, written in an academic context at undergraduate or postgraduate level, submitted to  the ESSSAT Prize Responsible by January 15th 2022.  

The works, whose topic may address any aspect of the interface between religion/theology and  the natural sciences, should exemplify the aims of ESSSAT to advance open and critical  communication between the disciplines of theology, religious studies and science, to promote  their cross-fertilization, and to work on the solution of interdisciplinary problems. The prize 

winning contributions should be outstanding reflections bearing on the relationship between  religion, theology and natural sciences in contemporary culture. The submissions will be  evaluated based on their originality, quality, and relevance. 

A candidate for the Research or Student Prize must be nominated by a senior faculty member of a university or similar institution of higher education in Europe. ESSSAT membership is not  required. The work must be based on research done in Europe (with allowance for a period of  research elsewhere of at most one year) and have been accepted for academic credit, presented  or published in 2020-2022. It may be in any major European language. It need not have been  published.  

The prizes will be presented at the Nineteenth European Conference on Science and Theology  (ECST XIX), in Ålesund/Norway, 4-8May 2022. The prize winners are required to attend the  conference. Their conference fees will be covered. 

See official posts here —> a CfP for the European Society for the Study of Science and Theology (ESSSAT), 

For applications, mail to ESSSAT prize organizer Andreas Losch (andreas.losch @uzh.ch). 

Each application must include: 

(a) The work itself as a pdf-file.  
(b) A brief curriculum vitae of the author (stating nationality); and 
(c) A letter of nomination. 
(d) Applications for the research prize need to add a ten-page summary of the work in English  (1.5 line spacing, font size 12). 

Submitted material will not be returned. 

The Organizer of the ESSSAT prizes: 

Andreas Losch 
Le-Corbusier-Platz 6 
CH-3027 Bern 
Switzerland 
Email: andreas.losch @ uzh.ch

Call For Papers, Events & Conferences, Master Category

CFP: LATC 2022: Confessing the Church

March 17-18, 2022 at Biola University, La Mirada, CA

The 2022 Los Angeles Theology Conference will engage ecclesiology, that is, the doctrine about the Church. The goal of the conference is to offer constructive proposals for understanding and confessing the doctrine of the Church with historical depth, ecumenical scope, and analytic clarity. We are inviting theologians (philosophical, biblical, historical, and otherwise) to address this vital Christian doctrine.

Call for Papers

Abstracts of no more than 200 words should be sent to LAtheology@gmail.com before October 1, 2021. An acceptable paper will be approximately 3,500 words (to be delivered in 35 minutes with 5–10 minutes for Q&A).

The 9th Annual Los Angeles Theology Conference will be held on March 17-18, 2022 on the campus of Biola University in La Mirada, CA. The theme of the conference is “Confessing the Church.” We are inviting theologians who can situate the doctrine of the Church in its larger systematic theological context, showing its connections and implications with other doctrines.

Beyond the five plenary papers, nine papers will be selected from the responses to this call. We are especially seeking papers that are theologically constructive accounts of the Church, describing how it is related to the catholic confession as being “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.” In particular, we welcome papers that offer reflection on the way in which the Church exhibits (or fails to exhibit) one or more of these features. Preference will be given to papers that offer constructive proposals rather than merely critiques.

The plenary sessions feature Natalie Carnes (Baylor University); Millard J. Erickson (independent scholar); Tom Greggs (University of Aberdeen); Jennifer Powell McNutt (Wheaton College); and Paul Nimmo (University of Aberdeen).

Those with completed doctorate degrees are invited to submit paper proposals on this year’s theme. The focus of the conference is on constructive or systematic theology, rather than upon exegesis, the history of doctrine, or social scientific approaches to religion. Papers that engage the theological tradition as a means of theological retrieval are most welcome.

Call For Papers, Master Category, Opportunities

IVP Early Career Philosopher of Religion Contest

Inter-Varsity Press and the Tyndale Fellowship’s Study Group for Philosophy of Religion are pleased to announce this year’s ‘Early-Career Philosopher of Religion’ competition.

This year’s essay question:
What does it mean that God is good?

Prizes: Book prizes are to be awarded to the value of:
1st Prize: £100
2nd Prize: £50
Books must be purchased from IVP books.

The winner is also to be named ‘IVP Early-Career Philosopher of Religion 2021’, and offered a slot to present at the 2022 Tyndale Conference.

Submissions are welcome from those that are either within three years of their first, permanent academic position (on the closing date) or have never held such. Previous winners are requested not to re-enter. Submissions must be between 2,000 & 4,000 words, and will be assessed by a small committee on professional Philosophy benchmarks, including:

  • Display of a questioning intelligence
  • Ability to engage critically with ideas
  • Clarity in making relevant distinctions
  • Ability to construct reasoned arguments
  • Ability to evaluate arguments critically
  • Knowledge of the history of Philosophy and the Philosophy of Religion

There is no requirement that the essay defend any particular theological or philosophical view. Essays must be written in English, and submitted electronically as either a Word Document or a PDF to:

Daniel Hill (djhill1972@gmail.com) by midnight on Friday September 10th 2021.

We hope to announce the winners within one month of the closing date.
Dr Daniel Hill (Chair, Tyndale Fellowship’s Study Group in Philosophy of Religion)
Dr Yang Guo (Co-Chair, Tyndale Fellowship’s Study Group)

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Call For Papers, Master Category

Open Theology – Call for “Topical Issues” Proposals.

Open Theology (degruyter.com/opth) invites groups of researchers, conference organizers and individual scholars to submit their proposals of edited volumes to be considered as topical issues of the journal. 

Proposals will be collected by October 31, 2021. 

To submit your proposal please contact Dr Katarzyna Tempczyk at katarzyna.tempczyk @ degruyter.com

Information about the journal and past proposals can be found here https://www.degruyter.com/journal/key/OPTH/html

OUR PAST TOPICAL ISSUES INCLUDED: 

2015:

  • Violence of Non-Violence (ed. Michael Jerryson and Margo Kitts)
  • Manichaeism – New Historical and Philological Studies (ed. John C. Reeves)
  • In Search of a Contemporary World View: Contrasting Thomistic and Whiteheadian Approaches (ed. Joseph Bracken)
  • Science and/or Religion: a 21st Century Debate (ed. Shiva Khalili and Fraser Watts) 

2016:

  • Cognitive Science of Religion (ed. Jason Marsh)
  • Is Transreligious Theology Possible? (ed. Jerry L. Martin)
  • Psychotherapy and Religious Values (ed. P. Scott Richards)
  • Bible Translation (ed. Mark L. Strauss)
  • Religious Recognition (ed. Heikki Koskinen, Ritva Palmen and Risto Saarinen) 
  • Religion and Race (ed. Daniel White Hodge)

2017: 

  • Multiple Religious Belonging (ed. Manuela Kalsky and Andre van der Braak)
  • Phenomenology of Religious Experience (ed. Olga Louchakova-Schwartz and Courtenay Crouch)
  • Analytic Perspectives on Method and Authority in Theology (ed. Joshua Farris and James Arcadi)
  • Alternative Religiosities in Soviet Union and Communist East-Central Europe (ed. Rasa Pranskeviciute and Eagle Aleknaite) 

2018: 

  • Cognitive Linguistics and Theology (ed. John Sanders)
  • Intersubjectivity and Reciprocal Causality within Contemporary Understanding of the God-World Relationship (ed. Joseph A. Bracken)
  • Rethinking Reformation (ed. Niels Henrik Gregersen and Bo Kristian Holm)
  • Religion in Latin America: Theological and Philosophical Perspectives (ed. Charles Taliaferro, Marciano Adilio Spica, and Agnaldo Cuoco Portugal)
  • Phenomenology of Religious Experience II: Perspectives in Theology (ed. Olga Louchakova-Schwartz and Martin Nitsche)
  • Recognizing Encounters with Ultimacy Across Religious Boundaries (ed. Jerry L. Martin) 

2019:

  • Digital Humanities in Biblical Studies and Theology (ed. Claire Clivaz and Garrick Allen)
  • Phenomenology of Religious Experience III: Visuality, Imagination, and the Lifeworld (ed. Martin Nitsche and Olga Louchakova-Schwartz)
  • Existential and Phenomenological Conceptions of the Relationship Between Philosophy and Theology (ed. Nikolaas Deketelaere, Elizabeth Li, and Steven DeLay)

2020:

  • Women and Gender in the Bible and the Biblical World (ed. Zanne Domoney-Lyttle and Sarah Nicholson)
  • Issues and Approaches in Contemporary Theological Thought about Evil (ed. John Culp)
  • Motherhood(s) and Religions (ed. Giulia Pedrucci)
  • Phenomenology of Religious Experience IV: Religious Experience and Description (ed. Olga Louchakova-Schwartz, Aaron Preston and James Nelson)

2021 (in progress):

  • The Bible and Migration (ed. Carly Crouch)
  • The Reception History of the Biblical and Patristic Heritage: Reflections on Theory an Method in a Burgeoning Field of Study (ed. Miriam Jane de Cock)
  • Women and Gender in the Bible and the Biblical World II (ed. Zanne Domoney-Lyttle and Sarah Nicholson)
  • Rationality and Religiosity During a Pandemic: Pehnomenology of Religious Experience V (ed. Olga Louchakova-Schwartz, Jason Alvis and Michael Staudigl)