Faith, Communication, and Culture: Ecumenism in Religion and Theology
A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444). This special issue belongs to the section "Religions and Theologies".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 October 2026 | Viewed by 24
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
History has shown us that there is a direct and indestructible relationship between faith and culture—faith is confessed through the culture and traditions of each individual people. In other words, if the cultural context of the listeners and their mentalities and spiritual sensitivities are not taken into account, the evangelical message may end up altered in their minds and hearts. On the other hand, faith is transmitted through the written, audio, and visual means of communication.
The main impediment to the valorization of Christian values in society is the secularization of European culture, which tends to eliminate God from objective reality in order to put a human person in His place, leading to a radical separation between the public and private spheres. This social dichotomy transforms religion into a private matter. Moreover, the emergence of a Christian ideology that confuses God's transcendence with His absence from creation has imprisoned human beings in the immanence of the world, separating them from the Creator. This state of affairs harbours catastrophic consequences for the destiny of human beings, who were not created for autonomy, but for communion with God. Autonomy is the state of a secularized human being, who has forgotten their purpose of discovering the path to immortality.
The diminishing role of religion in contemporary society does not benefit anyone because it represents a state of emotional instability. Therefore, there is a need for Christian solidarity regardless of denomination, for an ecumenical confession in the spirit of evangelical love, without affecting anyone's identity. This is why I believe that choosing this topic might be an example of cooperation between people of different faiths, with diverse concerns and interests. All contributions should show how religion unites rather than divides, how the relationship between faith and culture can be expressed in an ecumenical way and how it should be seen as a balancing factor in a world experiencing in a real spiritual crisis.
In the current context of increasing secularization, which seems to encompass all of contemporary society, I do not think there is any room for Christian confessional confrontations, rather only for brotherly cooperation and dialogue.
This Special Issue will help Christian people to gain a better overview of the different denominational emphases in faith and cultural matters, and will help them communicate better with one another when it comes to discussing their role and ecumenical communication.
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 this to the Guest Editor, Prof. Dr. Nicu Dumitrascu <nicud_ird@yahoo.com>, and cc the Assistant Editor, Margaret Liu (margaret.liu@mdpi.com) of Religions. 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.
A tentative deadline:
Deadline for abstract submission: 28 February 2026
Deadline for full manuscript submission: 15 October 2026
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Prof. Dr. Nicu Dumitrascu
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- Christian unity
- the “little way” of ecumenism
- contemporary secularism
- countercultural revolution
- theological communication
- faith and reason
- transmission of faith
- public discourse
- confessional language
- reconciliation
- interconfessional marriage
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