Articles in English

“What do we want?” –– “The future of theology”. “When do we want it?” ––– “Now…”

Beyond the Analogical Imagination: The Theological and Cultural Vision of David Tracy is a recently published collection of essays that explore and develop the vision of the American theologian David Tracy. In his contribution, Barnabas Palfrey, one of the volumes editors, introduces some of the major themes of Tracy’s work that tries to offer new ways of thinking to respond to the challenges that both society and theology are facing today.

Gender-Affirming Surgery as a Liberation of the Self

At the end of last year, the conference of the Association of Bioethicists in Central Europe (BCE), with a focus on the topic of gender-affirming surgery took place in Vienna. In his contribution, Paul Draganoff reflects onthe different perspectives that need to be taken into account to properly understand the phenomenon and closes with a look at the current state of the theological debate on the issue.

The Wind Blows from Indonesia: The Emerging Global Role of Indonesian Islam

Taking the ASEAN Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue Conference 2023 as his starting point, RaT member Rüdiger Lohlker sheds light on the organization Nahdlatul Ulama. With its millions of members, the Indonesian organisation is, under the heading of „Humanitarian Islam“, engaged in combatting Islamic extremism in South East Asia and beyond.

Tackling the Complex Issues of Migration and Religious Diversity at the European Level: The International COST Action “COREnet”

In their article, Regina Polak and Gintarė Pocė introduce us to the research network „COREnet: Connecting Theory and Practical Issues of Migration and Religious Diversity“. For more information visit: the COREnet homepage.

“Politics of Dis-enclosure: Religion – Community – Violence”. A Conference for the Decolonial Fugitivity of the Passer-by

What is the relation between religion, violence and community? How is it possible to think of being in common from a decolonial perspective? Some of these questions have been dealt during the conference „Politics of Dis-Enclosure. Religion – Community – Violence“ that took place from 26–27 April 2023. In this article Marco Fiorletta and Marian Weingartshofer give a small insight about it.

“Commentaries on Psalms”: Insights from a Workshop

In his article, Arnim Janssen-Wnorowska presents the results of a conference held on 5 June 2023 on the subject of „Psalm commentaries“. In particular the conference focused on Psalm 14 and Psalm 53, and tried to understand which new perspectives these Psalms may offer us.

An Ecofeminist Utopia – the Hope for a Common Future

The talk of utopias is part of the Christian tradition. It is tantamount to a dream for the future and at the same time a critique of the present reality. Mirijam Salfinger sees ecofeminism from Latin America as a meaningful utopia in the face of the crises of our time.

God’s Pronouns? Displacing Hegemonic Masculinity within Theological Scholarship through a Diversity of Language, Imagery, and Symbols

Drawing on two case studies, a Facebook post from the University of Vienna and Harmonia Rosales‘ The Creation of God, J.J. Warren shows how it is necessary to take a critical stance against the strictly binary and hegemonically masculinist idea of God. For this reason, Warren illustrates how a Critical Re-Imagining is necessary. He takes as his point of departure the apophatic tradition and the Catholic theologian Elisabeth Johnson, who argues that the naming of God in many genres is necessary and healthy for the whole life of the church.

Deobandi ʿulamāʾ and Violence in Pakistan (part 2 of 2)

In the second part of his contribution Muhammad Bilal keeps to emphasize that confining Deobandi thought to a philosophy of violence is too simplistic. Taking the events of 9/11 as a starting point, the author emphasizes the cultural, social and especially realigious context in which Deobandi thought developed.

Deobandi ʿulamāʾ and Violence in Pakistan (part 1 of 2)

The Islamic theological school of the Deobandi is seen in many discussions as the spiritual precursor of Islamist terrorism. In his contribution, Muhammad Bilal uses the example of Pakistan to give an introduction to the complex historical background of this movement and shows that the truth is, as so often, more complex.