Reformed Theology in Dialogue: Faith, Culture, and Everyday Practice
A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 24
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Reformed theology tends to resist tidy definitions. Though some branches of Reformed Christianity view a particular confession (such as Westminster) as preeminent, most Reformed churches opt for confessional plurality, understand many confessions as authoritative, and encourage the writing of new confessions in each generation. Some branches of the Reformed family emphasize essential, distinctive tenets of the faith (such as limited atonement), whereas others maintain that the only “essential” beliefs are those shared with the church catholic. While some doctrinal themes stand out over time (divine sovereignty, covenant, biblical authority, and human depravity), the degree to which those themes are contested within the tradition is striking. Indeed, a perennial characteristic of Reformed theology is an ongoing argument about what it means to be reformed and always being reformed by God’s word, an argument that has gathered many voices in dialogue with the past, attuned to present realities in church and society, mindful of a future that is related in some mysterious way to God’s purposes.
This Special Issue exemplifies some of the internal diversity within Reformed theology. It focuses on challenges, opportunities, shortcomings, history, and hope as the Christian church enters its twenty-first millennium, and the Reformed tradition begins its fifth century. Essays explore the ongoing vitality of a tradition that began in Central Europe and now has its largest representation in the Global South. Some essays focus on doctrinal themes—sovereignty, covenant, and atonement—that have marked the tradition since its inception. Other pieces focus on emerging perspectives and underdeveloped themes within the tradition. Still, others explore the present impact of historical witnesses within and beyond the tradition, and how these voices have shaped Reformed theology for good and ill. The result is a collection that demonstrates how a moderately sized branch of the Christian family has avoided stasis by fostering a degree of pluralism in its attempt to discern the ongoing task of reform.
We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200–300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send this to the Guest Editor, or to the Assistant Editor of Religions Esme Zheng (esme.zheng@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. David Jensen
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
- reformed theology
- confessions
- revelation
- authority
- christology
- covenant
- divine sovereignty
- sin
- election
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