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Religions
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Theology and Anthropology: A Critical Discussion
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Theology and Anthropology: A Critical Discussion

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2025) | Viewed by 3024

Editors

Dr. Peter Versteeg

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Interests: material religion; ontological anthropology
Prof. Dr. Petruschka Schaafsma

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Protestant Theological University, Janskerkhof 12, 3512 BL Utrecht, The Netherlands
Interests: family; givenness; dependence; agency; evil (cf. dissertation); hermeneutics; Paul Ricoeur

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Throughout the past decades, the dialogue between anthropology and theology has expanded. For anthropology, this is due to the increase in studies of Christianity and self-critical reflection on the influence of Christian perspectives on the historical formation of discipline. Theology turns to anthropology primarily because of its fieldwork methods to provide detailed insight into how people actually practice their beliefs. This turn is also inspired by self-critical motives to change an all-too-abstract or idealistic practice of theology and the dominance of certain taken-for-granted normative perspectives. Anthropologist Joel Robbins is a central figure in initiating this dialogue from the side of anthropology. From the outset, he has emphasized that the dialogue should not just be a complementary one of borrowing from each other’s methods and data without questioning the existing disciplinary paradigms. In this Special Issue, we take up Robbins’ challenge to transform anthropology through interactions with theology, and vice versa by asking what it may mean, in researching concrete topics at stake at the interface of both disciplines. The topics have been selected because of their relationship to the overarching theme of ‘interruption’. This theme follows the shared concern for otherness between anthropology and theology. An initial formulation of this commonality is to view anthropology as studying human otherness and theology as concerned with otherness as an ultimate or transcendent dimension. Both disciplines do so because they expect something of this otherness beyond the regular aims of science. Relating to otherness implies a moment of interruption which cannot be controlled. This raises methodological difficulties which may require transformations in both disciplines. We wish to go beyond a complementary exchange to a more tranformative dialogue.

Research areas may include, but are not limited to:

  • The nature of the sacred in research;
  • The agency of God in theology and anthropology;
  • The transformative qualities of prophetic speech for theology and anthropology;
  • Flat ontology in the anthropology of religion;
  • Theological reception of anthropological concepts.

We request that prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially 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 of Religions. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring a proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo a double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Peter Versteeg
Prof. Dr. Petruschka Schaafsma
Guest Editors

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.

Keywords

  • anthropology
  • theology
  • dialogue
  • transformation
  • reception
  • methodology

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 231 KB  
Article
Grasped by the Spirit: An Anthropological and Theological Understanding of an Existential Religious Experience
by Marten van den Toren-Liefting
Religions 2026, 17(5), 612; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17050612 - 19 May 2026
Viewed by 324
Abstract
Over the course of 2021, I conducted ethnographic research among transnational Pentecostal communities in Madrid. During this research, ethnographic data on manifestations of the Spirit was collected. This data appeared to defy the perspective of a distant and critical observer. In this article [...] Read more.
Over the course of 2021, I conducted ethnographic research among transnational Pentecostal communities in Madrid. During this research, ethnographic data on manifestations of the Spirit was collected. This data appeared to defy the perspective of a distant and critical observer. In this article I explore how an anthropologist might incorporate Tillich’s theology of the Spirit to make sense of and think through existential religious experiences within Pentecostal communities, such as experiences of being possessed or grasped by the Holy Spirit. This article begins by presenting data from a Pentecostal culto in Madrid in which the Spirit plays a defining role. Initially, I reflect on how an anthropologist might make sense of similar ethnographic data. Subsequently, I turn to Paul Tillich’s theology of the Spirit. I discover how Tillich’s theology can aid in making sense of ethnographic data of manifestations of the Spirit. Tillich’s theology enables anthropologists to make sense of ethnographic encounters with the Spirit beyond secular registers dominant in the anthropological discipline. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Theology and Anthropology: A Critical Discussion)
15 pages, 216 KB  
Article
Accounting for the Other as Everyday: Anthropology and Theology in Dialogue on Morality
by Petruschka Schaafsma
Religions 2026, 17(5), 583; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17050583 - 12 May 2026
Viewed by 287
Abstract
The call for a dialogue between the disciplines of anthropology and theology was initiated by anthropologist Joel Robbins in 2006. Within theology it was elaborated in 2014 by Michael Banner. This article compares both authors in order to understand what the highly generalising [...] Read more.
The call for a dialogue between the disciplines of anthropology and theology was initiated by anthropologist Joel Robbins in 2006. Within theology it was elaborated in 2014 by Michael Banner. This article compares both authors in order to understand what the highly generalising formulation of a dialogue between disciplines is about. They will turn out to aim at a conversation about what the disciplines are ultimately concerned with, formulated as otherness and everydayness, respectively. However, Robbins and Banner do not elaborate on their grand claims in a systematic and detailed way. This article offers a more systematic elaboration and aims to evaluate their views as a contribution to what is at stake in their calls for dialogue. For this purpose, it is necessary to better account for the complexity of the specific character of studying morality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Theology and Anthropology: A Critical Discussion)
16 pages, 254 KB  
Article
Discerning: The Call of Theology
by Michiel Bouman
Religions 2026, 17(5), 581; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17050581 - 12 May 2026
Viewed by 292
Abstract
In this paper, I contribute to the recent dialogue between anthropologists and theologians by focusing on the disciplinary self-understanding of the latter. In the first part, I present the results of an analysis of interviews conducted with thirty theologians and religious studies scholars [...] Read more.
In this paper, I contribute to the recent dialogue between anthropologists and theologians by focusing on the disciplinary self-understanding of the latter. In the first part, I present the results of an analysis of interviews conducted with thirty theologians and religious studies scholars in the Netherlands and in Germany. I argue that the disciplinary coherence of theology found in these interviews is well captured by theology’s overarching purpose of ‘discerning life lived in God’s presence’. In the second part, I try to put more flesh on the bones of this ‘theology as discernment’. I start by introducing the work of Dutch theologian Erik Borgman, whose theology exemplifies what theology as discernment might look like. I then introduce a central discussion within theologically engaged anthropology, namely that on the relationship between description and judgment. Bringing the reflections of my main anthropological interlocutor, Joel Robbins, in dialogue with Borgman’s theology, I suggest that discernment can uniquely bring description and judgment together. In the final section, I return to the first part by reflecting on discernment as theology’s disciplinary coherence, tying this to the description/judgment discussion and drawing conclusions for what this means for the distinction between theology and anthropology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Theology and Anthropology: A Critical Discussion)
14 pages, 248 KB  
Article
Pedagogies of Judgement: A Dialogue Between Theology and Anthropology of the Good
by Matthias Teeuwen
Religions 2026, 17(5), 543; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17050543 - 30 Apr 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 361
Abstract
In anthropologist Joel Robbins’ pioneering work on divergences within cultural anthropology about the goals of anthropology and crucial differences between anthropology and theology on this matter, he diagnoses anthropology with a lack of criteria and training in rendering critical judgments on the ‘dark’ [...] Read more.
In anthropologist Joel Robbins’ pioneering work on divergences within cultural anthropology about the goals of anthropology and crucial differences between anthropology and theology on this matter, he diagnoses anthropology with a lack of criteria and training in rendering critical judgments on the ‘dark’ situations that anthropologists encounter. I suggest that the trouble anthropologists have with critically addressing the darkness of poverty, oppression and suffering is due to an inability to articulate standpoints on what counts as good. Following Robbins’ argument that anthropology can learn practices of rendering judgment from theology, I offer an ethnographic description and analysis of the way theology trains students in delineating their theological position and developing practices of judging in order to explore avenues toward anthropological ways of doing so. Building on the hermeneutical insight that judgment is an integral part of Verstehen, I argue that practicing judgment may not only further the critical capacity of anthropology but also enhance our ability to understand other ways of imagining the good. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Theology and Anthropology: A Critical Discussion)
13 pages, 219 KB  
Article
Interruption: From Theology to Anthropology—And Back Again?
by Lieven Boeve
Religions 2026, 17(4), 463; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040463 - 8 Apr 2026
Viewed by 499
Abstract
Joel Robbins wishes to renew anthropological theory from a transformative dialogue with theology. There, he looks for actors’ categories which may assist him in anthropologically interpreting his ethnographical data on Christian life. One of these categories is the notion of interruption which he [...] Read more.
Joel Robbins wishes to renew anthropological theory from a transformative dialogue with theology. There, he looks for actors’ categories which may assist him in anthropologically interpreting his ethnographical data on Christian life. One of these categories is the notion of interruption which he borrows, among others from my theological work, in order to describe the radical conversion of the Urapmin and, more broadly, radical change in religion. In my contribution, I first examine how Robbins uses the category of interruption to enrich his anthropological theory. In a second and third part, I explain how I have conceived of interruption in my theological work and, afterwards, how that concept itself has gained significance from a transformative dialogue with philosophy. Finally, I evaluate Robbins’ use of the category of interruption and engage in conversation with him again about how the interaction between theology and anthropology can be mutually interruptive. The twofold lesson to be drawn from this interdisciplinary dialogue appears to be (a) that our categories, vocabularies and approaches are caught up in a ceaseless game of borrowing and reinterpretation between disciplines and language games and (b) that we—each in our own discipline—have every interest in allowing our own theory formation to be interrupted by dialogue with other disciplines. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Theology and Anthropology: A Critical Discussion)
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