Theology and Public Life: Contemporary Perspectives on Public Theology
A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444). This special issue belongs to the section "Religions and Humanities/Philosophies".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 July 2026 | Viewed by 18
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Public theology, as a disciplinary focus, offers the world of academia a canvas on which to paint the world as it should be as opposed to the world as it is. The idea that theology is "faith seeking understanding," as proclaimed by St. Anselm in the 11th c. still rings true today. How do theologians help people seek a true understanding of faith, public witness, love of neighbor, and other concepts of radical hospitality in the face of terrorism, war, division, and abject poverty? The answer lies in the need to cultivate the prophetic voice of public witness. In ancient times the oracles of God pronounced the blessings and admonitions of God. They spoke messages of truth revealed by God. In this present epoch of history, truth is shrouded by deceit. False witnesses promote claims as the truth—a kind of political theology that masks itself as Godly wisdom when in fact it is anathema to the gospel message. Who will speak for God? Who will God send and who will go?
Sebastian Kim in his manuscript Theology in the Public Sphere: Public Theology as a Catalyst for Open Debate suggests “the engagement of living religious traditions with their public environment—the economic, political and cultural spheres of common life” presents theologians with a methodology for tackling issues through the discipline of public theology. No longer may we rely upon the notion of privatized religion to conquer public concerns. Christians must take their hope to the streets. Years ago, the Doobie Brothers and Michael McDonald published and performed a song entitled “Taking it to the Streets.” It was track 14 on “The Very Best of the Doobie Brothers” produced May 19, 1976. The lyrics “you don’t know me, but I’m your brother; I was raised here in this living hell. You don’t know my kind in your world, fairly soon, the time will tell” offer a description of the harsh reality of a world completely numb to the suffering of the other.
This Special Issue welcomes papers with regard to wrestling with the role of the prophetic voice in the global context and how the prophetic voice might speak truth to power, in power.
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 it to the Guest Editor, or to the Assistant Editor Esme Zheng (esme.zheng@mdpi.com) of Religions. 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.
Dr. Teresa L. Smallwood
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
- public
- theology
- voice
- prophetic
- power
- witness
- political
- sphere
- truth
- false
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