Call for Papers: Ecology and Mission
Anabaptist Witness
In an age when environmental disasters and political discussions of climate change are a daily presence in the news cycle, the voice and actions of the church related to environmental issues has become even more urgent. Many mission efforts, both local and international, address environmental issues including climate change, environmental justice, and sustainable agriculture. Theologians, historians and biblical scholars are also increasingly concerned with understanding the relationship between people, the land, and God in Christian tradition. Anabaptists and Mennonites have a long history of sustaining both the land and their communities through agriculture, and scholars are increasingly relating Anabaptist peace traditions to caring for and restoring the environment.
There are many forms of mission both local and global that connect to the restoration and protection of the natural world. Communities and dedicated activists are working to address environmental racism and prevent further destruction of their neighborhoods and landscapes. Ecological factors play a role in mission to communities throughout the world, as mission workers recognize that the wellbeing of God’s people is bound up with the wellbeing of the created world.
Anabaptist Witness invites submissions on ecology and mission for the April 2018 issue. Possible questions to address include the following. How do particular congregations, communities, and mission agencies engage in mission that addresses climate change or environmental justice? What does the Bible say about the relationship between people and the land and how does this relate to mission work in the current era? How does peacemaking relate to addressing environmental destruction? How might Anabaptist and Mennonite theologies of creation support environmental initiatives today? How might Anabaptist and Mennonite theologies of creation support environmental initiatives today? Ecumenical and interreligious perspectives on these and related topics are welcome, insofar as they connect to Anabaptist and Mennonite mission.
Because this journal is an exchange among peoples from around the world, from laity and pastors to academics and administrators, submissions are welcome from a variety of genres including sermons, photo-essays, reflections, interviews, biographies, poems, and academic papers.
Guidelines and deadline:
Submissions on this topic are welcome through October 1, 2017. Through a peer review process, we will choose 3–4 shorter articles of approximately 1,500 words in length, and 5–6 academic papers of no more than 7,500 words (including footnotes). Image-based submissions are also subject to peer review. Please familiarize yourself with our editorial process and technical requirements at http://www.anabaptistwitness.org/guidelines/. If you have an idea you would like feedback on, you are welcome to submit a one-page abstract by September 1, 2017. Address all correspondence to Sarah Werner, Issue Editor, guesteditor@anabaptistwitness.org
Anabaptist Witness is a publication of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Mennonite Church Canada, and Mennonite Mission Network.