Spirituality for Community in a Time of Fragmentation

Dear Colleagues,

A pressing concern in our age is the formation and nurturing of new models of community. What resources can inform our spiritual lives in order that our communities might flourish?

Current research about spirituality has elucidated historical sources; differentiated among hermeneutical approaches; analyzed historical trajectories of spiritual writings; initiated new dialectical approaches to spirituality; argued for new foundational approaches to questions of spirituality and human flourishing; articulated doctrines about the nature and goals of spiritual life; developed systems of thought and practice that conduce toward the human good; and provided new ways of communicating calls to deepening spiritual practices. Much of this literature centers on the autonomous person capable of cultivating a spiritual life, and offers persons resources for consideration, deliberation, and praxis. Less frequent is attention to the relationship between spirituality and the work of community formation and cultivation.

This Special Issue, therefore, invites research and review articles that explicitly draw connections between spirituality and community. How can the literature about spirituality across various traditions and communities of discourse inform our shared task of building and sustaining community life across diverse populations? What lessons might we draw from the great spiritual traditions about how to build a common good? How can spirituality inform a desire to live in solidarity with one another?

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

• Philosophy/social philosophy as a spiritual practice;
• Buddhist, Christian, Confucian, Daoist, Hindu, Islamic, Jewish, Stoic, or other approaches to community;
• Catholic social teaching;
• Personalist metaphysics of community;
• Spirituality and social ethics;
• Bernard Lonergan and cultural progress.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 100-150 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editor, Dr. Timothy P. Muldoon ([email protected]), and CC the Assistant Editor, Ms. Joyce Xi ([email protected]). Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editor for the purposes of ensuring 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. Timothy Muldoon
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.

• spirituality
• community
• growth
• decline
• common good
• justice
• solidarity