Special Issues

Religions publishes Special Issues to create collections of papers on specific topics, with the aim of building a community of authors and readers to discuss the latest research and develop new ideas and research directions. Special Issues are led by Guest Editors, who are experts on the topic and all Special Issue submissions follow MDPI's standard editorial process. The journal’s Editor-in-Chief and/or designated Editorial Board Member will oversee Guest Editor appointments and Special Issue proposals, checking their content for relevance and ensuring the suitability of the material for the journal. The papers published in a Special Issue will be collected and displayed on a dedicated page of the journal’s website. Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies and Guest Editor responsibilities can be found here. For any inquiries related to a Special Issue, please contact the Editorial Office.

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Sacred Algorithms: Religion in the Digital Age submission deadline 30 Sep 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 3161 | Submission Open
Keywords: digital religion; algorithms; artificial intelligence; faith and technology; spiritual mediation; online ritual; religious authority; cybertheology; digital culture; contemporary spirituality
Landscape (山水) as Transcendent Existence
edited by Jingdong Qu and
submission deadline 30 Sep 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 2224 | Submission Open
Keywords: Shanshui; ritual sacrifice; sacred Grotto-Heavens; hermitism; folk religion; transcendence
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Humanities/Philosophies)
Radical Embodiment and Religious Practice and Thought: Rethinking the Body in Religious Studies and Theology
edited by
submission deadline 30 Sep 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 1668 | Submission Open
Keywords: embodiment; enactive cognition; embedded cognition; extended cognition; meaning; evolution; adaptiveness; ritual; theories of religion; theology
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Theologies)
Spatio-Temporal Plurality in the Connection Between Art and the Sacred in Contemporary Society
edited by Juan Antonio Roche Cárcel
submission deadline 30 Sep 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 1356 | Submission Open
Keywords: sociology of arts; sociology of religion; contemporary society; plastics arts; musique; architecture; danse; theatre; cinema; religious festivals
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Humanities/Philosophies)
Walking, Wandering, and Journeying: Approaches from Chinese and Greek Thought submission deadline 30 Sep 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 1144 | Submission Open
Keywords: Chinese philosophy; Greek philosophy; comparative philosophy; way or path (Dao; odos); walking; wandering; journey; self-cultivation
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Humanities/Philosophies)
Cross-Religious Encounters in East Asian Thought: Transcendence, Practice, and Shared Intellectual Horizons
edited by and
submission deadline 30 Sep 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 990 | Submission Open
Keywords: East Asian thought; cross-religious encounters; transcendence; self-cultivation; Confucianism; Buddhism; Daoism; comparative and cross-religious studies; intellectual history
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Humanities/Philosophies)
Philosophical Theology, Doctrine, and the Theological Virtues
edited by
submission deadline 30 Sep 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 710 | Submission Open
Keywords: theological theological virtues; faith; hope; love; cardinal virtues; theological anthropology; dispositions; virtue ethics; infused grace; merit
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Humanities/Philosophies)
Faith, Doubt, and the Rationality of Theistic Belief: Analytic and Continental Perspectives
edited by
submission deadline 30 Sep 2026 | Viewed by 579 | Submission Open
Keywords: theistic belief; epistemic justification; reformed epistemology; evidentialism; faith and doubt; phenomenology of religion; continental philosophy; analytic philosophy; rationality; metaphilosophy
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Humanities/Philosophies)
Histories of Islamic Civilizations
edited by
submission deadline 30 Sep 2026 | Viewed by 547 | Submission Open
Keywords: Islamic Civilizations; technology and religion; (Post-)Colonialism; Islamic Law; Sufism; bodies
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Humanities/Philosophies)
Modernity and Its Discontents: Religion, Social Life, and the Politics of Diversity Culture Wars in a Global Perspective
edited by , and Pablo Echeverría-Esparza
submission deadline 30 Sep 2026 | Viewed by 544 | Submission Open
Keywords: culture wars; multiple modernities; multiple secularisms; religion and diversity; global governance; identity politics; secularism; pluralism; intersectionality; conflict
The Science of Preaching
edited by , and Michael Spezio
submission deadline 30 Sep 2026 | Viewed by 526 | Submission Open
Keywords: preaching; homiletics; neuroscience; science; psychology; theological reflection; narrativity
Reinterpreting the Bible: Intercultural Approaches to Biblical Hermeneutics
edited by Larry W. Caldwell
submission deadline 30 Sep 2026 | Viewed by 484 | Submission Open
Keywords: intercultural Bible interpretation; cultural exegesis; ethnohermeneutics; contextual hermeneutics; intercultural hermeneutics
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Theologies)
Kierkegaard’s Philosophy of Religion
edited by Maurice Ashley Agbaw-Ebai
submission deadline 30 Sep 2026 | Viewed by 429 | Submission Open
Keywords: subjectivity; the leap of faith; the absolute paradox; the absurd; inwardness; passion; the single individual; existential commitment (decision); agape; stages on life’ s way; teleological suspension of the ethical; angst (anxiety/dread); despair; sin; repentance (sorrowing); infinite resignation; knight of faith; infinite qualitative distinction; christendom; repetition
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Humanities/Philosophies)
Religion and the Senses: Perception, Artifacts, Practices
edited by and Sergi Castellà Martínez
submission deadline 30 Sep 2026 | Viewed by 361 | Submission Open
Keywords: religion and the body; aesthetics; perception; sensory anthropology; ritual; material culture; embodiment; affect theory; devotional practices; religious epistemology
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Humanities/Philosophies)
Orthodox Christianity in Sociopolitical Landscapes
edited by
submission deadline 30 Sep 2026 | Viewed by 347 | Submission Open
Keywords: orthodox church; mission studies; missiology; ecclesiology; religion and modernity; sociology of religions; history; law; sacred arts; philology
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Humanities/Philosophies)
Religion, Social Networks and Community Support: Exploring Faith-Based Approaches to Mental Health and Well-Being
edited by Joana Romeiro and
submission deadline 30 Sep 2026 | Viewed by 305 | Submission Open
Keywords: health; mental health; religion; religious coping; religious practices; society; spirituality; spiritual coping; spiritual well-being; well-being
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Health/Psychology/Social Sciences)
Mendicant Networks and Mobility in the Global Medieval and Early Modern Worlds
edited by and Diego Sola Garcia
submission deadline 30 Sep 2026 | Viewed by 301 | Submission Open
Keywords: mendicant orders; Franciscans; Dominicans; missionary activity; mobility networks; medieval history; early modern history; material culture; knowledge circulation; cross-cultural interaction; religious exchange
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Humanities/Philosophies)
Performing Faith: Worship, Ritual, and Intercultural Dialogue
edited by and Jefferson Zeferino
submission deadline 30 Sep 2026 | Viewed by 272 | Submission Open
Keywords: practical theology  ; public theology  ; liturgical and ritual studies  ; worship practices  ; ritual performance  ; embodied experience; liturgical aesthetics  ; intercultural dialogue  ; post secularity
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Theologies)
Women and Preaching in the Contemporary World: Voices, Contexts, and Transformative Practices
edited by Hyveth Williams
submission deadline 30 Sep 2026 | Viewed by 164 | Submission Open
Keywords: women’ s preaching; homiletics; gender and religion; religious authority; global Christianity; global religious practices
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Health/Psychology/Social Sciences)
Spiritual Care and Bioethics: Exploring Theological Perspectives and Practical Applications
edited by and Matyas Szalay
submission deadline 1 Oct 2026 | 2 articles | Viewed by 2300 | Submission Open
Keywords: bioethics; religion; spirituality; medical ethics; ecological ethics; principlism; clinical chaplaincy; beginning-of-life questions; end-of-life questions; neuroethics
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Health/Psychology/Social Sciences)
The Interplay of Religion, Media, and Politics in the Digital Age
edited by Stefan Bratosin and Mihaela-Alexandra Tudor
submission deadline 1 Oct 2026 | Viewed by 2148 | Submission Open
Keywords: religious and political mediatization; artificial intelligence and symbolic power; media visibility and legitimacy; religion– politics– media entanglement; critical methodologies in communication
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Health/Psychology/Social Sciences)
Christian and Muslim Communities and Interactions in the Balkans and Eastern Europe
edited by and Mila Maeva
submission deadline 1 Oct 2026 | Viewed by 1648 | Submission Open
Keywords: Christianity; Islam; local and transnational communities; interactions; Balkans; coexistences; conflicts
The Implications of Spirituality for Mental Well-Being and Public Health
edited by
submission deadline 1 Oct 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 1507 | Submission Open
Keywords: ethics; ethical practice; social seterminants of health; negative spiritual coping; positive spiritual coping; spiritually integrated healthcare; spiritual practices in healthcare; well-being of caregivers  
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Health/Psychology/Social Sciences)
Ecclesiological Legacy of the Second Vatican Council in Light of Contemporary Challenges
edited by Alenka Arko
submission deadline 1 Oct 2026 | Viewed by 410 | Submission Open
Keywords: Second Vatican Council; mystery-based ecclesiology; communion; hierarchical structure of the Church; synodality; accountability; contextual reception of the Council; missionary conversion; dialogue
Teaching and Interpreting Biblical Texts in “Such a Time as This”
edited by Jina Kang
submission deadline 1 Oct 2026 | Viewed by 366 | Submission Open
Keywords: Bible; religion; critical pedagogy; trauma; postcolonial; interdisciplinary; critical praxis; community
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Theologies)
Jewish Women Thinkers in the Face of Shoah and Its Aftermath
edited by Orietta Ombrosi
submission deadline 5 Oct 2026 | Viewed by 471 | Submission Open
Keywords: Jewish thought; gender difference; Jewish feminism; Shoah; antisemitism; violence; history & Judaism; 20th- and 21st-century philosophy
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Humanities/Philosophies)
Religion and Restorative Justice
edited by Harold Dean Trulear
submission deadline 8 Oct 2026 | Viewed by 326 | Submission Open
Keywords: restorative justic; harmed party; responsible party; criminal justice reform; theological anthropology; redemption; punishment; accountability
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Humanities/Philosophies)
Reimagining Ministry: Formation, Leadership, and Innovation for the 21st Century
edited by Seidel Abel Boanerges
submission deadline 15 Oct 2026 | Viewed by 479 | Submission Open
Keywords: ministry; ministerial formation; church leadership; digital innovation; digital theology; practical theology; ecclesiology; global christianity; theological education; faith and practice
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Theologies)
Faith, Communication, and Culture: Ecumenism in Religion and Theology
edited by Nicu Dumitrascu
submission deadline 15 Oct 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 425 | Submission Open
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
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Theologies)
Research on John’s Use of the Synoptics
edited by Fergus King and Blake Wassell
submission deadline 15 Oct 2026 | Viewed by 195 | Submission Open
Keywords: Gospel of John; Synoptic Gospels; source criticism; socio-rhetorical criticism; early Christianity; gospel writing; textual reuse; literary imitation
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Theologies)
Religious Identity and Solidarity in Sociological Theory
edited by Ferdinand Okorie
submission deadline 16 Oct 2026 | Viewed by 388 | Submission Open
Keywords: God; Jesus Christ; Holy Spirit; theology; church; culture; context; postcolonial; community; dignity; justice; hermeneutic
Hebrew Bible in the Ancient Near Eastern Context submission deadline 30 Oct 2026 | Viewed by 408 | Submission Open
Keywords: the Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near-East; comparative studies; extra-canonical parallels; ANE comparative literature; intertextuality; Ancient Near-Eastern Literature
Monastic Lives and Buddhist Textual Traditions in China and Beyond
edited by Limei Chi, and Dewei Zhang
submission deadline 31 Oct 2026 | 13 articles | Viewed by 21577 | Submission Open
Keywords: monastic lives; Buddhist textual traditions; transmission and transformation of Buddhist texts; Buddhist manuscript culture; Buddhist biography and hagiography; Buddhist miracle tales
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Humanities/Philosophies)
Reimagining Protestant Theology: The Asian Experience and Christian Tradition
edited by
submission deadline 31 Oct 2026 | 3 articles | Viewed by 2647 | Submission Open
Keywords: Asian theology; Asian christianity; contextualization; theology of Korea; theology of India; theology of China; theology of Philippines; comparative studies; comparative ethics; theological imagination
Practice of Religious Media in the Twenty-First Century
edited by Thomas Jerome Sienkewicz
submission deadline 31 Oct 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 2512 | Submission Open
Keywords: broadcasting media; social media; Facebook; Twitter; YouTube; Instagram; religious media; religious television; religious radio
Preserving the Master’s Word: Rituals and Protective Accessories for Sacred Scriptures in the Himalayan Culture
edited by Michela Clemente
submission deadline 31 Oct 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 1687 | Submission Open
Keywords: consecration rituals; book rituals; Himalayan book culture; Buddhist studies; bon studies; materiality of the books; codicology; book conservation; Himalayan art history
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Humanities/Philosophies)
The Challenges and Future of Religious Education submission deadline 31 Oct 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 1052 | Submission Open
Keywords: religious education; identity formation; meaning-making; horizons of meaning; narratives; religious pluralism; secularization; personal autonomy; multicultural society; integral formation
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Humanities/Philosophies)
New Religious Movements in Historical and Political Contexts: Interactions, Conflicts, and Identities
edited by William Ashcraft
submission deadline 31 Oct 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 948 | Submission Open
Keywords: New Religious Movements; New Religious Studies; the history of NRMs; NRMs and politics; NRMs’ beliefs and practices
Integrating Christian Spirituality into Contemporary Therapy Practice
edited by and Susan Purrington
submission deadline 31 Oct 2026 | 1 articles | Viewed by 850 | Submission Open
Keywords: Christian devotion meditation; MBCT; ACT; Christian contemplative practices; psychotherapy
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Health/Psychology/Social Sciences)
Religion and Migration in the Middle Ages (c.1100–c.1500): From a Religious Perspective, Redefining the Boundaries of Community and Identity
edited by Martial Staub and Lidia L. Zanetti Domingues
submission deadline 31 Oct 2026 | Viewed by 647 | Submission Open
Keywords: migration; religion; pluralism; late Middle Ages; refuge; respectability; resource; social groups; identity
The Intangible into the Perceptible: Ethereal Aspects of Religious Spaces and Their Theological Foundations
edited by
submission deadline 31 Oct 2026 | Viewed by 461 | Submission Open
Keywords: religious architecture; sacred buildings; space and form; philosophical concepts; theological concepts
Interpreting Islamic Sacred Texts
edited by
submission deadline 31 Oct 2026 | Viewed by 371 | Submission Open
Keywords: Islamic sacred texts; Qurʾān; ḥadīth; tafsīr; hermeneutics; Islamic law; ethics; modernity; postcolonial studies; lived religion  
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Humanities/Philosophies)
Moral Sources and Political Limits: Religious Ethics, Humanitarianism, and National Interest
edited by John A. Rees and Marianne Rozario
submission deadline 31 Oct 2026 | Viewed by 360 | Submission Open
Keywords: religious ethics; humanitarianism; national interest; foreign policy; moral sources; state sovereignty; international norms
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Humanities/Philosophies)
Revolutionary Mothering and Sacred Rage: Black Feminist Theologies in Action
edited by Deidre Hill Butler and Gabrie’l Janine Atchison
submission deadline 31 Oct 2026 | Viewed by 240 | Submission Open
Keywords: Black feminist theology; womanist theology; revolutionary mothering; sacred rage; care ethics; lived religion
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Theologies)
Buddhist Prints of the Ancient Northern Silk Road: Text, Religion and the Exchange of Knowledge
edited by Abdurishid Yakup
submission deadline 31 Oct 2026 | Viewed by 200 | Submission Open
Keywords: Buddhist prints; ancient Northern Silk Road; Text; religion; knowledge exchange
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Humanities/Philosophies)
Holy Cities in the 21st Century: Images, Identities, and Networks
edited by Stanley Brunn
submission deadline 1 Nov 2026 | Viewed by 457 | Submission Open
Keywords: holy cities; pilgrimage; religion and globalization; sacred and secular; interfaith encounters; digital religion; religious tourism
Living Faith, Shaping Identity: Social and Religious Practices of Minority Communities in Japan submission deadline 5 Nov 2026 | Viewed by 559 | Submission Open
Keywords: religious diversity in Japan; minority communities; cultural identity; indigenous religions; social practices and rituals; intercultural dialogue; minority rights and inclusion; migration and religion; religious and cultural preservation
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Humanities/Philosophies)
The Nature of Religion in Ancient Egypt submission deadline 15 Nov 2026 | Viewed by 786 | Submission Open
Keywords: anthropology of religion; phenomenology; landscape archaeology; pyramid texts; ontological turn; kingship; Egyptian religion; funerary ritual; religious art; architecture of religion
Religious Architecture in East Asia and the Manifestation of Cultural Identity
edited by and
submission deadline 15 Nov 2026 | Viewed by 386 | Submission Open
Keywords: religious architecture; East Asia; cultural identity; ritual space; sacred landscape; folk cult; pilgrimage site; monastery; temple; shrine
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Humanities/Philosophies)
Polemics and Conversion: Setting and Crossing Boundaries in Medieval Jewish–Christian Relations
edited by Eveline Brugger
submission deadline 15 Nov 2026 | Viewed by 334 | Submission Open
Keywords: Middle Ages; Jewish history; conversion; polemics; Jewish– Christian relations
(This special issue belongs to the Section Religions and Humanities/Philosophies)
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