Ecclesiology

2025 Call for Papers 

Grace Agolia, Boston College (MA)

agolia@bc.edu

Deepan Rajaratnam, College of St. Benedict and St. John's University (MN)

drajaratn001@csbsju.edu

 

The Ecclesiology Unit of the College Theology Society invites paper and panel proposals exploring the intersection of ecclesiology with this year’s theme, “Reclaiming Faith amid Christian Nationalism.” We welcome submissions that critically examine the impact of Christian nationalism on the life of the Church and its mission. What theological resources, practices, and historical precedents can inform responses to nationalist interpretations of Christianity today? How might theologians support local ecclesial communities in responding to Christian nationalism?

 

Specific areas of interest include:

 

●      Does the political ideology of Christian nationalism, whether in the United States or other nations, advocate a particular ecclesiology? How do its proponents draw on, reinterpret, or distort theological reflection on the Church and its mission in the world?

 

●      How might synodality offer an ecclesiological vision that is received as a real and compelling alternative to Christian nationalism? Are there ways to listen to and engage the concerns of Christian nationalists synodally?

 

●      How might ministers and preachers be formed to respond to the presence of Christian nationalism in their ecclesial communities? How might they lead the Church in a thoroughgoing ecclesial formation?

 

●      How does the presence of an “alternative magisterium” in social media and the action of ideologically-motivated organizations influence the Church’s response to Christian nationalism?

 

●      What is the relationship between ecclesiology and political theology? What principles should inform ecclesiological reflection in order to avoid becoming political ideology? How might the history of Christianity shed new light on the relationship between Church and politics in our present ecclesial moment?

 

●      How do we distinguish between the Christian nationalism of various state-aligned churches (e.g., the Reich Church, the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, Russian and Serbian Orthodoxy) and those Christian communities, especially in diaspora, that are shaped by their national and cultural origins?

 

●      The Second Vatican Council's Dignitatis humanae was a landmark declaration on religious freedom. Its lead author was American theologian John Courtney Murray, who wrote about the relationship between Church and state. How might his theology be resourced for ongoing ecclesiological reflection on Christian nationalism, whether in the United States or abroad?

 

●      We will meet at Villanova University, an Augustinian institution. Does St. Augustine’s ecclesiology, and his view of the relationship between Church and politics, offer any insight for an ecclesial response to the challenge of Christian nationalism today?

 

●      Pope Leo XIV has named Christian unity a priority for his pontificate. How does the phenomenon of Christian nationalism affect ecumenical dialogue today?

 

We also welcome proposals on any other topics related to ecclesiology that engage with the conference theme.

 

Submission Criteria:

●      You must be a CTS member in good standing to present at the conference.

●      Proposals should be 250-500 words and include the scholar’s name, position, institution, and anticipated AV needs.

●      Please submit your proposals by December 15, 2025.

●      Please email your proposals to both of the Ecclesiology section conveners:

○      Grace Agolia, Boston College, agolia@bc.edu

○      Deepan Rajaratnam, College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, drajaratn001@csbsju.edu

●      Notifications of acceptance will be sent out by mid-January.

 

We look forward to receiving your submissions and discussing the impact of Christian nationalism on the life and mission of the Church.