Faith, Doubt, and the Rationality of Theistic Belief: Analytic and Continental Perspectives

Dear Colleagues,

The rationality of theistic belief has long been a pivotal issue at the intersection of religious faith and philosophical thought—historically, analytic and continental approaches often diverged in their treatments of belief in God, one emphasizing logical and epistemic justification, the other emphasizing meaning and lived experience. In the 21st century, however, we have been witnessing a convergence of these traditions. Philosophers across the spectrum are engaging anew with questions of faith, belief, and doubt, making this topic especially timely and relevant. This Special Issue will highlight recent philosophical developments that stage a sustained and methodologically self-conscious encounter between analytic and continental approaches, aiming to articulate new models of rational theistic belief in which faith and doubt function as mutually structuring moments of responsible commitment.

The aim of this Special Issue is to fold into existing dialogs recent work in reformed epistemology and evidentialism (within the analytic tradition) with insights from continental phenomenology of religion. By examining how these perspectives can both complement and critically challenge one another, the Special Issue aims to articulate a more detailed account of what it means for theistic belief to count as rational. Contributions must be firmly rooted in philosophy (analytic, continental, or comparative), rather than in theology, religious studies, or cognitive science, so that the focus remains on philosophical questions and methods.

Submissions may address, but are not limited to, the following themes:

(1) Epistemic justification of theistic belief: Analyses of reformed epistemology, evidentialism, and more permissive or pragmatic accounts of justification in relation to belief in God, including the role of defeaters and higher-order evidence.

(2) Faith as action and commitment under uncertainty: Accounts of faith as an action-centered or commitment-centered attitude that guides long-term projects and practical reasoning in contexts of subpar or shifting evidence.

(3) Non-doxastic faith and “belief-less” religious commitment: Investigations into faith understood in terms of acceptance, assumption, hope, or related attitudes weaker than belief, and assessments of the rationality of such forms of religious commitment.

(4) Steadfastness, revision, and rational perseverance in the face of counter-evidence: Evaluations of when it is rational to retain, revise, or abandon theistic commitments in light of new evidence, including diachronic and risk-theoretic perspectives on faith.

(5) The dialectic of faith and doubt: Philosophical accounts of how different kinds of doubt (practical, emotional, intellectual, moral, or skeptical) interact with religious faith, and to what extent such doubt is compatible with, or even integral to, responsible theistic commitment.

(6) Divine hiddenness, silence, and the rationality of theism: Treatments of hiddenness, apparent divine silence, and unanswered petitions as challenges (or possible supports) to the rationality of theistic belief, including responses that integrate both analytic and continental resources.

(7) Religious disagreement, pluralism, and secularization: Analyses of how pervasive disagreement, religious diversity, and secular or “fragilized” social conditions affect the justification and stability of theistic belief.

(8) Virtue-theoretic approaches to faith and doubt: Accounts that treat faith and doubt in terms of intellectual and moral virtues and vices, exploring how traits such as courage, humility, honesty, or open-mindedness shape the rational standing of theistic belief.

(9) Metaphilosophical perspectives on method and standards of rationality: Reflections on differing conceptions of argument, evidence, and rational assessment in analytic and continental philosophy of religion, including proposals for convergence, critique, or productive incommensurability between these approaches.

Both original research articles and in-depth review papers are suitable for this Special Issue, and submissions are expected to employ rigorous philosophical argumentation and analysis. By uniting epistemic and existential approaches from different traditions, this Special Issue aims to clarify the epistemic and existential contours of faith, forge new connections between philosophical traditions, and expand the available frameworks for understanding the rationality of religious belief in contemporary contexts.

Prior to submitting a full manuscript, interested authors are asked to send a proposed title and an abstract (200–300 words) summarizing the intended contribution to the Guest Editor, Prof. Dr. Ľuboš Rojka (lubosrojka@unigre.it), and copy this the Assistant Editor of Religions, Katarina Antonic (katarina.antonic@mdpi.com). Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editor for thematic fit. Once an abstract has been approved, authors will be invited to submit full manuscripts through the Religions online submission system. All manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

A tentative timeline:
Deadline for abstract submission: 31 March 2026
Deadline for full manuscript submission: 30 September 2026
Contributions to this Special Issue are warmly encouraged.

Prof. Dr. Lubos Rojka
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-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.