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Religions
Special Issues
Engaging Sacred Practices: Explorations in Practical Theology
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Engaging Sacred Practices: Explorations in Practical Theology

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 August 2024) | Viewed by 1759

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Jennifer M. Buck

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Theology, Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, CA 91702, USA.
Interests: feminist theology; practical theology; liberation theology; global theology; cultural studies

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Our forthcoming Special Issue will highlight the relevance of Practical Theology with regard to complex areas of concern for the church in relation to spiritual practices, and its relation to the broader trends in religious studies. We invite scholars to connect spiritual practices through practical theology methodology to explore the issues faced by the modern Christian church.

This Special Issue aims to engage contemporary issues (immigration, opoid addiction, gun control, etc.) with both historic and contemporary Christian spiritual practices. Intersectional lenses on contemporary issues such as mass incarceration, policing, racism, gender equality, and others are also welcome. Accepted articles will pair scientific research with theological reflection. We desire to amplify underrepresented voices and encourage forward-thinking research. Both original research articles and reviews are welcome.

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

  • Contemporary Issues in Practical Theology.
  • New Movements in Sacred Practices (digital or embodiment, for example).
  • Intersectionality in Practical Theology Methodology (postcolonial, feminist/womanist, etc.).

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors submit a proposed title and a 200–300-word abstract summarizing their intended contribution to the Guest Editor of Religions, or to the Assistant Editor, Ms. Violet Li ([email protected]). Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors to ensure 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. Jennifer M. Buck
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

  • practical theology
  • Christian spirituality
  • spiritual practices
  • intersectionality
  • religious practices
  • reflection

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

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 246 KiB  
Article
‘It Never Ends’: Disability Advocacy and the Practice of Resilient Hope
by James B. Gould
Religions 2024, 15(10), 1166; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101166 - 25 Sep 2024
Viewed by 610
Abstract
Political advocacy is an important religious practice. But social activism can be discouraging. This paper integrates moral theology, virtue ethics, positive psychology and spiritual formation to highlight the importance of resilient hope for social justice advocates. Part 1 describes an important justice issue—public [...] Read more.
Political advocacy is an important religious practice. But social activism can be discouraging. This paper integrates moral theology, virtue ethics, positive psychology and spiritual formation to highlight the importance of resilient hope for social justice advocates. Part 1 describes an important justice issue—public services for disabled people. Part 2 defines transformational advocacy and outlines an advocacy theology. Part 3 analyzes despair and hope. Part 4 summarizes spiritual practices for building resilient hope. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engaging Sacred Practices: Explorations in Practical Theology)
15 pages, 237 KiB  
Article
Gathered: A Theology for Institutions in a Changing Church
by Dustin D. Benac
Religions 2024, 15(10), 1154; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101154 - 24 Sep 2024
Viewed by 820
Abstract
Practical theology has historically engaged in sustained theological reflection on the practices of the Church that intersect with the practices of the world. As field of study, it engages in interdisciplinary engagement that combines social and theological forms of reasoning and analysis. As [...] Read more.
Practical theology has historically engaged in sustained theological reflection on the practices of the Church that intersect with the practices of the world. As field of study, it engages in interdisciplinary engagement that combines social and theological forms of reasoning and analysis. As a broader field of praxis, it seeks to support the conditions where people of faith are formed, and communities of faith may flourish. In both expressions, practical theology exists in a dynamic relationship to institutions (e.g., congregations, denominations, universities) and contributes research and praxis that supports the future of institutions and the faith they mediate. While institutions are often the source and site of practical theology, “institutions” are taken for granted as a clearly-identifiable social form and a fixed expression. However, transnational changes in congregations and related faith-based institutions require an account of the nature and role of institutions within practical theology. In this gap, this paper advances a two-part argument: first, institutions are sites of multimodal gathering, creating containers for various forms of encounter where individuals and communities gather around a shared context, shared stories, shared practices, shared resources, and a shared journey. Second, theology for institutions can be sustained by attending to five modes of institutional engagement and analysis that are marked by attention to shared context, narratives, practices, resources, and a journey. Three sections advance this argument. The first part introduces three different situations of institutional encounter to question the relationship between theology and institutions amid a changing organizational landscape. The second part engages Alasdair MacIntyre as an interpretive framework to identify the gap of institutions in the field of practical theology. The third part concludes by detailing the structure of a theological account that resolves this gap in the field and may attend to the forms of gathering institutions provide. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engaging Sacred Practices: Explorations in Practical Theology)
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