History of Evangelization: Encounters and Disencounters During the Modern Age (16th–19th Centuries)
A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 February 2026 | Viewed by 70
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The history of Christianization, from the conquest of the Nasrid Kingdom by Spanish Christian troops (1492) to the end of the 19th century, has had common elements across different continents. The various trade routes that opened up across the oceans—such as the Portuguese Carreira da Índia, the Manila Galleon or Nao de la China, and the Spanish Carrera de Indias, as well as the English, Dutch, or French trade routes—became vehicles for the development of new missionary strategies of evangelization alongside trade. European Catholic, Protestant, or Anglican countries deployed missionaries in the new territories that had been conquered or with which trade relations had been established. This changed after the emergence of a new world order in the wake of the Congress of Vienna (1814–1815), which led to the reorganization of international balances of power. The fall of the empires of the Modern Age with their overseas territories also meant a change in the methods of Christianization.
This Special Issue will deal with these missionary methods in the different African, Asian, and American territories, where Catholics, Protestants, and Anglicans designed unique Christianization strategies for the populations they encountered. The encounters between different cultures and their varied degrees of scientific development influenced the design of different methods.
The form of economic globalization in which we currently live has led to a rediscovery and study of these catechetical programs and, along with this fact, there is also interest among the various Christian confessions in undertaking a new global evangelization in the contemporary age. In our opinion, and from the Catholic perspective, the fact that the previous Pope (Francis)—a Jesuit—appropitiated the mission from his religious tradition, and that the current Pope (Leo XIV)—an Augustinian—is an American and a missionary in Latin America who seeks to enhance the essential Catholic evangelizing dimension and the research thereof.
We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200–300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send this to the Guest Editor (jfolgado@comillas.edu) or to the Religions Editorial Office (religions@mdpi.com). Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the special issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Prof. Dr. Jesús Folgado García
Guest Editor
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 1800 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.
Keywords
- evangelization
- Christianization
- Papacy
- Protestant reformation
- Anglicanism
- cultural adaptation
- inculturation
- cultural hybridization
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
