Exploring Lived Theology: Empirical Research on Religious Experience

Dear Colleagues,

Human existence cannot be understood—either in practice or in theory—without experience. Experience is one of the most central concepts of both practical theological research and social science and humanities theory formation [1]. Friedrich Schleiermacher did much to make it legitimate in theology to speak of religious experience as a scientific subject [2]. Since then, the issue has not lost its importance, but its position continues to grow, especially concerning questions of the relation of (practical) theology to the lifeworld. This is especially true because personal experiences have become the individual point of reference and orientation for interpreting the world and understanding oneself and God: as Gerhard Ebeling provocatively put it, "Instead of relying on tradition as before, one now relies on one's own experience" [3].

Since Ebeling, the discourse, especially in theology and science of religion, has not become more straightforward but has further increased in complexity within the horizon of social changes. Nevertheless, and all the more so, theology, which at the same time sees itself as a science of perception [4] and orients towards the lifeworld [5], is called upon to confront precisely this complexity of religious experience and the resulting and lived theology [6]. This is in the knowledge that both hermeneutic and empirical approaches to the concept of religious experience, especially from a practical–theological perspective, can only ever be fragmentary and incomplete and must be contextualized [7]. Current (practical–)theological science theories must necessarily turn to these individual experiences and contextual interpretations of people and integrate their voices and lived theologies into their theory formation [8].

This Special Issue invites scholars to explore, with a pronounced emphasis on empirical research, the complex interplay between religious experience and lived theology. By fostering a nuanced understanding of the impact of religious experiences within the realm of practical theology, this Special Issue aims to illuminate the multifaceted dimensions of these challenges and pave the way for thoughtful, inclusive discourse. Additionally, we welcome performative pieces that deeply engage with religious experience within the field of practical theology.

Contributions should critically assess how religious experiences impact the practices of religious communities, drawing from various religious traditions. We particularly encourage scholars using postcolonial, decolonial, and feminist methodologies to provide a comprehensive understanding of how religious experiences affect diverse communities.

Submission Guidelines:

• We welcome original and unpublished manuscripts that align with the journal’s submission guidelines.
• Submitted papers will undergo a thorough double-blind peer-review process to ensure academic excellence and relevance to the Special Issue theme.
• Kindly mention in your submission that your manuscript is intended for the Special Issue titled “Exploring Lived Theology: Empirical Research on Religious Experience”.
• The anticipated publication date is within one to three weeks after manuscript acceptance.
• For submissions and inquiries, please reach out to the Guest Editor.

We eagerly await your submissions and anticipate engaging in enriching discussions on this captivating topic.

References

[1] Cf. Sabrina Müller, Religious Experience and Its Transformational Power: Qualitative and Hermeneutic Approaches to a Practical Theological Foundational Concept, 1st ed. (Boston: De Gruyter, 2023).

[2] Grethlein on Schleiermacher: Here, Herrnhut’s congregational ideal shimmers through, in which religious experiences, not hierarchical offices, were regarded as decisive. Cf. Christian Grethlein, Christsein als Lebensform: Eine Studie zur Grundlegung der Praktischen Theologie (Leipzig: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, 2018), 70.

[3] Gerhard Ebeling, ‘Die Klage über das Erfahrungsdefizit in der Theologie als Frage nach ihrer Sache’, in Wort und Glaube. Band 3: Beiträge zur Fundamentaltheologie, Soteriologie und Ekklesiologie, vol. 3 (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1975), 3.

[4] Cf. Albrecht Grözinger, Es Bröckelt an Den Rändern: Kirche Und Theologie in Einer Multikulturellen Gesellschaft (München: Kaiser, 1992), 51–52.

[5] Cf. Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore, ‘The Contributions of Practical Theology’, in The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Practical Theology, ed. Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore (Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell, 2013), 1–3; Cf. also: Thomas Klie et al., eds., Lebenswissenschaft Praktische Theologie?! (Berlin / New York: de Gruyter, 2011).

[6] E.g. Sabrina Müller, Lived Theology: Impulses for a Pastoral Theology of Empowerment (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2021); Knut Tveitereid, ‘Lived Theology and Theology in the Lived’, in Wiley Blackwell Companion to Qualitative Research and Theology, ed. Pete Ward and Knut Tveitereid (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell, 2023), 67–78; Charles Marsh, Peter Slade, and Sarah Azaransky, Lived Theology: New Perspectives on Method, Style, and Pedagogy, Illustrated Edition (Oxford University Press, 2016); Jeff Astley, Ordinary Theology: Looking, Listening and Learning in Theology (Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate Publishing Company, 2002); Anthea June Colledge, ‘Grounding Theology in Experience: A Theological and Grounded Theory Exploration of the Narratives of People with Lived Experience of Altered Moods and Christianity’ (PhD, Leeds, UK, University of Leeds, 2021), https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/29670/.

[7] Representatives of liberation theologies, contextual theologies as well as feminist theologies have repeatedly referred to the contextuality of all theologies as well as to experience as primary sources of knowledge. Cf. a.o. Gustavo Gutiérrez, A Theology of Liberation: History, Politics, and Salvation, trans. Sister Caridad Inda and John Eagleson (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 1973); Juan Luis Segundo, Liberation of Theology, trans. John Drury (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 1976); Robert J. Schreiter, Constructing Local Theologies, Revised (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 2007); Stephen B. Bevans, Models of Contextual Theology (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 2002).

[8] Cf. for example Phillis Isabella Sheppard, Tilling Sacred Grounds: Interiority, Black Women, and Religious Experience (Lexington Books, 2024); Müller, Religious Experience and Its Transformational Power.

Prof. Dr. Sabrina Müller
Dr. Knut Tveitereid
Guest Editors

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.

• empirical theology
• religious experience
• empirical research in religion and theology
• live theology
• lived religion
• contextual theology/theologies
• postcolonial theology
• feminist theology
• theological anthropology