Creating a Robust Spirituality in Family and Relational Life in a Challenging World
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: 1 July 2026 | Viewed by 6
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Cultural and community challenges around the globe create unique opportunities for family and relational life to develop a robust spirituality that can provide a brave space for people to flourish. Further, the development of systemic relational strength in family and relational life can counter the abusive behavior that exists in some families.
This Special Issue of Religions invites scholars from social science, psychotherapeutic, and spiritual/religious backgrounds to submit articles that address opportunities for family and relational life to not only to contribute to individuals and families but also to impact community and global brokenness. Areas of focus include, but are not limited to, developmental family lifecycles, spiritual growth, racial ethnicity, cultural uniqueness, and community connection with family.
By focusing on relationships in the family, larger cultural systems, such as societal and political systems, can benefit from an understanding of families as a source of change. Spirituality through the lens of the family will then gain the potential to address the oppressive mechanisms that work against those systems in ways that contribute to the breakdown of the family.
Yet, a spirituality that supports family life and relationships with both flexibility and strength can contribute. The family can thus learn from the world and the world from the family by lifting up values and beliefs that sustain hope for a better world filled with families.
We encourage interested authors to submit a proposed title and a 200-300 word abstract summarizing their intended contribution before submitting a full manuscript. Please send your proposal to the Guest Editor, Professor Dr. Suzanne M. Coyle at scoyle@cts.edu, or to the Administrative Editor of the Special Issue, Ms. Evelyn Zeng, at evelyn.zeng@mdpi.com. The Guest Editor will review the abstracts to ensure they fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo a double-blind peer review process.
Deadline for abstract submission: 31 October 2025
Deadline for full manuscript submission: 1 July 2026
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Prof. Dr. Suzanne Coyle
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
- family
- relationship
- spirituality
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.
