Philosophical Theology, Doctrine, and the Theological Virtues
A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444). This special issue belongs to the section "Religions and Humanities/Philosophies".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 21
Special Issue Editor
Interests: reformed theology; nineteenth century Protestant theology; Søren Kierkegaard; theology and aesthetics; philosophical theology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
In many Christian traditions, “virtues” are dispositional patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior in relation to God, the neighbor, and all creation. Typically, the “theological” virtues have been identified as faith, hope, and love. Often, they have been regarded as the fruits of God’s grace, unattainable by unaided human effort. This conceptuality raises several recurrent and contentious issues: What is the relation of these theological virtues to the “natural (or cardinal) virtues” that humans can cultivate without grace? How are the theological virtues related to one another? How is the orientation toward God connected to our engagement with our neighbors? How is human agency related to the infusion or elicitation of gracious dispositions? Do the virtues become a person’s possession? Even more generally, how is the waxing or waning of the virtues linked to specific intentional acts? These questions have sweeping implications for current conversations about the relation of divine and human agencies, meritorious action, and the spiritual life.
This Special Issue invites original research articles on any of these (or related) topics. The proposals can engage with the history of theology, virtue ethics, philosophical/theological anthropology, or theories of agency. They can focus on individual thinkers, such as Aquinas, Calvin, Wesley, or Barth, or on broader theological or philosophical movements, such as radical orthodoxy, nouvelle theologie, existentialism, or womanist theology.
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 these to the Guest Editor or to the Assistant Editor of Religions. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purpose 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.
References:
Romano Cessario, The Moral Virtues and Theological Ethics, (University of Notre Dame Press, 2nd edition, 2008).
Christopher Kaczor, Thomas Aquinas on Faith, Hope, and Love, (The Catholic University of America Press: 2020).
Robert C. Roberts, Spiritual Emotions: A Psychology of Christian Virtues, (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans,1st edition, 2007).
Todd A. Salzman, and Michael Lawler, Virtue and Theological Ethics, (Orbis Books: 2018).
Prof. Dr. Lee C. Barrett
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
- theological theological virtues
- faith
- hope
- love
- cardinal virtues
- theological anthropology
- dispositions
- virtue ethics
- infused grace
- merit
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