Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
1.3
0.7
Journals
Religions
Special Issues
Spirituality for Community in a Time of Fragmentation
share announcement

Spirituality for Community in a Time of Fragmentation

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444). This special issue belongs to the section "Religions and Health/Psychology/Social Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2024) | Viewed by 10657

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Timothy Muldoon

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Philosophy, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
Interests: cultural growth; community renewal; spiritual development; solidarity

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A pressing concern in our age is the formation and nurturing of new models of community. What resources can inform our spiritual lives in order that our communities might flourish?

Current research about spirituality has elucidated historical sources; differentiated among hermeneutical approaches; analyzed historical trajectories of spiritual writings; initiated new dialectical approaches to spirituality; argued for new foundational approaches to questions of spirituality and human flourishing; articulated doctrines about the nature and goals of spiritual life; developed systems of thought and practice that conduce toward the human good; and provided new ways of communicating calls to deepening spiritual practices. Much of this literature centers on the autonomous person capable of cultivating a spiritual life, and offers persons resources for consideration, deliberation, and praxis. Less frequent is attention to the relationship between spirituality and the work of community formation and cultivation.

This Special Issue, therefore, invites research and review articles that explicitly draw connections between spirituality and community. How can the literature about spirituality across various traditions and communities of discourse inform our shared task of building and sustaining community life across diverse populations? What lessons might we draw from the great spiritual traditions about how to build a common good? How can spirituality inform a desire to live in solidarity with one another?

Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Philosophy/social philosophy as a spiritual practice;
  • Buddhist, Christian, Confucian, Daoist, Hindu, Islamic, Jewish, Stoic, or other approaches to community;
  • Catholic social teaching;
  • Personalist metaphysics of community;
  • Spirituality and social ethics;
  • Bernard Lonergan and cultural progress.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 100-150 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editor, Dr. Timothy P. Muldoon (muldoont@bc.edu), and CC the Assistant Editor, Ms. Joyce Xi (joyce.xi@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.

Dr. Timothy Muldoon
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

  • spirituality
  • community
  • growth
  • decline
  • common good
  • justice
  • solidarity

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (6 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

11 pages, 234 KiB  
Article
The Priority of Interior Life: Berdyaev and Lonergan in Dialogue on Democracy
by Francesca Zaccaron
Religions 2025, 16(3), 308; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030308 - 27 Feb 2025
Viewed by 435
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the priority of interior life for democracy, imagining a dialogue between Nicolai Berdyaev and Bernard Lonergan. My claim is that Berdyaev and Lonergan converge on the same perspective, while affirming that only a subject who [...] Read more.
The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the priority of interior life for democracy, imagining a dialogue between Nicolai Berdyaev and Bernard Lonergan. My claim is that Berdyaev and Lonergan converge on the same perspective, while affirming that only a subject who considers the spiritual life as the source of her own life and actions and is open to conversion, is able to collaborate with others in building what Lonergan calls a cosmopolis, which represents a core aspect of democracy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spirituality for Community in a Time of Fragmentation)
11 pages, 240 KiB  
Article
A Spirituality for Cosmopolis
by Timothy P. Muldoon
Religions 2024, 15(12), 1466; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15121466 - 1 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1298
Abstract
This essay will draw from the classical Greek notions of cosmopolis and cosmopolitanism—world citizenship—as a heuristic for contemplating the question of contemporary participation in a wholly good global society. The first part of this paper will explore how the ancient notion of cosmopolis [...] Read more.
This essay will draw from the classical Greek notions of cosmopolis and cosmopolitanism—world citizenship—as a heuristic for contemplating the question of contemporary participation in a wholly good global society. The first part of this paper will explore how the ancient notion of cosmopolis offers contemporary thinkers a compelling hermeneutic for considering cultural growth over history. Then, in part two, it will focus on spirituality, returning to the ancient Greek world through the lens of Pierre Hadot’s work on philosophy as spiritual exercise. Finally, this essay will engage Bernard Lonergan’s suggestion that cosmopolis as a heuristic is fundamentally oriented toward reversing the kinds of decline that emerge from shortsightedness and various forms of bias. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spirituality for Community in a Time of Fragmentation)
15 pages, 327 KiB  
Article
Kenotic Solidarity in Discernment
by Ligita Ryliškytė
Religions 2024, 15(12), 1453; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15121453 - 28 Nov 2024
Viewed by 889
Abstract
This article employs a Christological lens, deeply informed by Bernard J. F. Lonergan’s theology of history and soteriology, to discern the conditions necessary for all-inclusive solidarity. It highlights the twofold kenotic aspect of solidarity, addressing a gap in mainstream theological discourses that often [...] Read more.
This article employs a Christological lens, deeply informed by Bernard J. F. Lonergan’s theology of history and soteriology, to discern the conditions necessary for all-inclusive solidarity. It highlights the twofold kenotic aspect of solidarity, addressing a gap in mainstream theological discourses that often emphasize ‘particular’ solidarity with those in need while neglecting its ‘universal’ (all-inclusive) dimension. Affirming ‘universal’ solidarity necessitates guarding against a misleading notion of neutrality and against totalization, as well as resisting a truncated understanding of intersubjectivity that is prone to group bias. After laying the foundations for understanding solidarity in light of its secular origins and Christian theological context, the article concludes that redemptive solidarity cannot exist without a christomorphic kenosis, which encompasses two incommensurable dimensions: solidarity with victims and solidarity with victimizers as potential converts (that is, as capable of metanoia). In the pursuit of transforming evil into good in history, kenotic solidarity requires prioritizing the common good over personal advantage, even to the extent of refusing to exploit what is (or seems to be) rightfully one’s own—whether privilege, possessions, or the right to strict retribution— just as Christ did when he did not exploit his equality with God to his own advantage (Phil 2:6). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spirituality for Community in a Time of Fragmentation)
15 pages, 282 KiB  
Article
Negotiating the Affordance of Greco-Roman Spiritual Exercise for Community Flourishing: From and beyond Foucauldian Care of the Self
by Yulong Li and Zhen Chen
Religions 2024, 15(10), 1215; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101215 - 7 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1002
Abstract
The worldwide launch of neoliberalism ushered everyone into an atomized society. Neoliberalism transforms Homo sapiens into Homo economicus, a narcissistic self-entrepreneur that positions their body as a factory, skills as resources, and earnings as products while relying less on others. Such atomization of [...] Read more.
The worldwide launch of neoliberalism ushered everyone into an atomized society. Neoliberalism transforms Homo sapiens into Homo economicus, a narcissistic self-entrepreneur that positions their body as a factory, skills as resources, and earnings as products while relying less on others. Such atomization of individuals undermines the community. Following the Cartesian moment, enlightenment, and postmodernism’s later wave, the world is disenchanted, deprived of unity in the form of community fragmentation. Foucault offered a Greco–Roman philosophical remedy for contemporary society, focusing on the formulation of ‘Spiritual-Corporality’ through the practice of care of the self. Foucault believed the one who takes good care of himself is often self-assured of his ability, expectations, and missions in relationships with others, he does not resort to tyranny in those relationships, giving him an ethical advantage in caring for his family and fellow citizens. If everyone strives to take care of themselves, the city-state will prosper. However, Foucault relied on Stoic philosophy over other ancient schools and failed to provide concrete practices on how to bind ourselves with others through care of the self. In partial agreement with Foucault, the present study chooses Hadot’s spiritual exercise as a more accurate terminology to justify Greco–Roman philosophies’ affordance to contemporary social unification. After reviewing the philosophies of Aristotle, the Stoics, and Epicurus, the present study selected the spiritual exercises of ‘hitting the mean as deliberation’, ‘reframing of self’, and ‘thinking outside the box’ as suitable practices for community flourishing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spirituality for Community in a Time of Fragmentation)
15 pages, 246 KiB  
Article
Josiah Royce, William James, and the Social Renewal of the “Sick Soul”: Exploring the Communal Dimension of Religious Experience
by Michael Andrew Ceragioli
Religions 2024, 15(9), 1045; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091045 - 28 Aug 2024
Viewed by 912
Abstract
In The Sources of Religious Insight, Josiah Royce assesses William James’ pragmatic evaluation of exalted, private religious experience, advanced in The Varieties of Religious Experience as inadequate to encompass the full range of religious experience. Among other contributions, Royce adds social and [...] Read more.
In The Sources of Religious Insight, Josiah Royce assesses William James’ pragmatic evaluation of exalted, private religious experience, advanced in The Varieties of Religious Experience as inadequate to encompass the full range of religious experience. Among other contributions, Royce adds social and communal experience to James’ individualistic appraisal. Rather than tacking on to the familiar contemporary critical conversation about the Jamesian restriction to private experience, I argue that James and Royce are helpfully brought together through an understanding of religious conversion: James’ foundational predicament of the “sick soul” returned to health through religious conversion gains depth and coherence through the attention Royce gives to overcoming alienation through communal participation. In our time of dislocation and self-preoccupation, drawing together these two seminal models of religious experience provides an instructive account of the individual’s transformation by way of communal renewal. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spirituality for Community in a Time of Fragmentation)
9 pages, 253 KiB  
Article
Religious and Spiritual Communities Must Adapt or Die: Surviving and Thriving during Challenging Contemporary Times
by Thomas G. Plante
Religions 2024, 15(7), 791; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15070791 - 28 Jun 2024
Viewed by 4483
Abstract
Current trends within both religious and secular communities suggest that contemporary times mean that people spend more time alone than with others. Community engagement in general has been declining, while religious and spiritual community engagement in particular has dropped off significantly in recent [...] Read more.
Current trends within both religious and secular communities suggest that contemporary times mean that people spend more time alone than with others. Community engagement in general has been declining, while religious and spiritual community engagement in particular has dropped off significantly in recent decades, and most especially following the COVID-19 global pandemic. Although humans are social beings and benefit from community engagement, we tend to avoid or minimize our affiliations and associations, including our religious and spiritual ones today. Religious and spiritual communities must adapt to changing times or risk becoming irrelevant, diminishing further, and losing their sustainability to continue with their activities and services. Religious communities might wish to consider the best state-of-the-art evidence-based practices to engage their members, as well as appeal to those who might be interested in joining with them. There are many mental and physical health benefits to active engagement with spiritual religious practices and communities. The world could use more rather than less community engagement, including religious and spiritual engagement, during our challenging contemporary times. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spirituality for Community in a Time of Fragmentation)
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-6
Back to TopTop