Reading John’s Gospel in the 21st Century: Contemporary Reception of a Controversial Text

Dear Colleagues,

The Gospel of John is an early Christian text with a striking range of impact on societies both ancient and modern. Few literary works have proven to be so influential. Though the Fourth Gospel has promoted and sustained life-giving institutions and inspired core theological convictions, it has also been implicated in ethno-religious violence and deemed lacking in ethical vision. The message of the Beloved Disciple is itself beloved yet simultaneously besmirched in scandal—how should religious and secular communities read this text in our current cultural moment?

We invite you to help us answer this question.

The aim of this Special Issue is to explore how a controversial religious text held to be sacred scripture by a major world religion can be constructively received within the complex cultural contexts of the 21^st century. We invite scholars to think creatively about John’s theological voice in the contemporary world from a diverse range of approaches, perspectives, and contexts.  

Scholars may wish to explore John’s alleged anti-Judaism vis-à-vis contemporary theology or current sociopolitical realities. Questions to examine may include how Jews and Christians can read John together today, how Christians should preach on the Gospel’s scenes featuring the Jews, or how the evangelist’s oi Ioudaioi should be translated in specific religious contexts. Another prospective set of inquiries may explore Johannine theology within Western secularism or other cultural settings (in the West and, hopefully, outside the West). Questions may arise about socio-cultural factors that condition the Gospel’s reception (positive or negative) in particular environments. As a text opening with the divine Word becoming flesh, other scholars may find contemporary notions of embodiment as a fruitful line of inquiry.

Potential contributors should feel free to take either a positive or a negative stance toward the Gospel, as long as the argumentation is well-reasoned and constructively presented. Methodologies ranging from practical theology, feminist criticism, trauma theory, theological interpretation, and historical, systematic, or political theology are all open for consideration. We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Andrew Byers
Dr. Elizabeth Corsar
Dr. Julia Lindenlaub
Guest Editors

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• Gospel of John
• Johannine theology
• anti-Judaism
• anti-Semitism
• reception
• evil
• “the Jews”
• culture
• secularism