SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 16 June 2023
Each issue divides contributions into two categories:
- Those which respond to the theme in the Call for Papers
- Those which come under the general scope of the journal
The journal also publishes critical book reviews, media reviews, and featured articles.
As an affiliate of the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford, the scope of the journal is defined by the breadth of research undertaken by fellows and postgraduate students of the faculty. As such, articles address questions pertinent to the critical study of theology and religion from a variety of disciplines and methodologies, including (but not limited to): biblical criticism, modern systematic theology, philosophy of religion, patristics studies, ecclesiastical history, anthropology, and sociology of religion.
THEME: FAITH AND FIGHTING - WARFARE AND ITS THEOLOGICAL AND RELIGIOUS CONTOURS
Whether one considers the war-torn ancient Near East, the military conquests waged by Alexander the Great, the two World Wars, or the contemporary conflicts in Europe and other regions around the world, warfare seems an enduring element in human relations, governance, and culture. If often ignored or otherwise treated as ancillary to political and economic analyses, the theological and religious factors influencing, underlying, or resulting from warfare are nevertheless immeasurably important areas of inquiry. For example, studying church doctrine, religious movements, and specific beliefs about doctrinal topics such as immanence, transcendence, eternity, reincarnation, the afterlife, and immortality can shed valuable light upon the complex sociocultural and ideological reasons and dynamics giving rise to and shaping warfare. So, too, carefully studying theologians and religious scholars who have lived through war may disclose the ways in which thinkers past and present have used theological, philosophical, and religious resources to address the hellish realities in which they find themselves. For this issue of The Journal of the Oxford Graduate Theological Society, the Editorial Board invites papers exploring queries falling under the broad theme of ‘Warfare and Its Theological and Religious Contours’ from a variety of perspectives including study of religion, science and religion, hermeneutics, comparative religion, textual studies, sociology and psychology of religion, politics and political theology, philosophical theology, history and historical theology, systematic theology, practical theology, and others.
Papers may wish to respond to one of the following questions:
- How have theologies and religions throughout the ages responded to warfare and conflict?
- In what ways have theological and/or religious doctrines and beliefs shaped and characterised particular conflicts?
- As warfare reaches the environment, what are the theological, ecclesial, and/or religious responses to the damage of the earth?
- How have implements of science, technology, religious texts, hymns, poems, battlefield pamphlets, radio, film, and other media deployed to theological and religious ends characterised conflicts in both hot and cold wars?
- How have specific beliefs about doctrines such as reincarnation or personal immortality shaped how certain groups view what is at stake in war?
- Has eschatology ever had a direct impact on attitudes towards conflict? Conversely, in what ways does war itself shape eschatology?
BOOK REVIEWS
Book reviews for JOGTS should be between 800 and 1,200 words long. JOGTS publishes only those reviews that are relevant to each issue’s theme, so all reviews submitted for this issue must demonstrate how the book they discuss pertains to ‘Warfare and Its Theological and Religious Contours.’ Reviews should survey the structure, substance, and methodology of the book they discuss and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each of these elements: reviews must analyse, not merely summarise.
At the end of the review, please provide: (1) your name; (2) your programme of study, qualification, or position; (3) your institutional affiliation, including (if applicable) your college.
See journal page for more information
