Christian Spirituality: Ancient Foundations, Modern Expressions

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on the exploration of authentic Christian spirituality (as revealed in Christian scripture) and its application to modern life.

Christian spirituality begins with its namesake. Jesus’ lived experience in the Spirit of God became the paradigm for a way of living that the authors of the NT (deeply formed by the OT) put forward as “the life that is truly life” (1 Tim. 6:19). And yet, their expression of that Jesus-style spirituality, while rooted in what might arguably be considered the same overarching theology, naturally took slightly different forms in various contexts. Likewise, Christian spirituality, while often derived from readings of sacred writings, re-forms and re-shapes over time as cultural and religious concerns arise. Theological traditions often cement spiritual practices (e.g., the Lord’s Supper, prayer, Bible reading) in dogma, creating divisions between believers rather than building unity. Every generation encounters the need to examine whether those practices and rituals match the experience of the earliest churches and the embodiment of the faith as it was handed down by the Apostles to the churches they planted and pastored. This Special Issue aims to provide a platform by which to do just that: return to the sacred writings of Christian scripture as a pedagogue for an understanding of Christian spirituality in modern contexts.

Undergirding this Special Issue is a desire to explore both the processes and the outcomes of an authentic Christian spirituality. Attention to the processes—the means by which a person becomes conformed to the image of Christ—has traditionally been defined as “spiritual formation.” But historically, spiritual formation has primarily focused on the interior life as a personal development of one’s own relationship with God, distinctively (though not exclusively) separate from any corporate inclusion or identity. “Discipleship,” while often including an attention to the means of unity with God (i.e., processes), is nuanced more carefully as leading others in spiritual formation. “Christian spirituality” is the outcome—the goal of spiritual formation and discipleship—and encompasses the entirety of the Christian life. 

What does a spirituality inaugurated by a Jewish prophet in first-century Roman Judea have to do with any 21st-century expression? Is a decidedly Christian spirituality (rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition and scriptures) viable for modern life? The distance between those ancient texts and the current technological landscape is vast. What does such spirituality look like in the 21st century? Is it completely different or radically similar? Would Jesus’ proclamation that “the kingdom of God has arrived” (Mark 1:15) change in a ChatGPT world? Would Paul’s implementation of Jesus’ ethic find another expression in cultures consumed by smartphones? What would Peter, Matthew, or Jude have to say about following Jesus in a world hyper-concerned with social media?

Integral to the goal of Chrisitan spirituality is a consideration of the spiritual disciplines as a means to it. How does the way of Jesus come about in such a high-tech, super-busy existence? The literature that forms the basis for nearly all conversation about the spiritual disciplines (e.g., Brother Lawrence, Practice of the Presence of God; William Law, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life; Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline; Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines) was written before the invention of the smartphone and AI, some of it before the invention of the internet. Are certain spiritual disciplines timeless? Do some disciplines appear for a limited time only to disappear for either lack of relevance or shifting concerns in the church’s ministry? What might have changed? What remains? Do the Christian spiritual disciplines need rethinking in a techno-driven society? And to what extent do they help shape Christian ethics and identity?

Outside the scope of this Special Issue are questions about Christian origins (how the church began), the interrogation of the historical veracity of the New Testament texts, and spiritualities outside the Judeo-Christian tradition. So also are apologetic treatises overtly focused on defending partisan theologies and general biblical studies. While such concerns are noteworthy, they are best suited for other endeavors. Our work here focuses on the canonical works of the Judeo-Christian tradition (often referred to as the Old and New Testaments) as sources informing and shaping a spirituality in the tradition of Jesus and the Apostles.

We request that prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 150–200 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editor, Dr. Les Hardin, Professor of New Testament, Kentucky Christian University (lthardin@kcu.edu), and CC the Assistant Editor, Ms. Loretta Chen (loretta.chen@mdpi.com). Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editor 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. Les Hardin
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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-anonymized 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.

• spirituality
• spiritual formation
• discipleship
• spiritual disciplines
• new testament
• Christianity
• prayer
• scripture
• restoration
• renewal