The eighteenth volume of The Confessional Presbyterian will feature an interdisciplinary collection of articles and book reviews pertinent to confessional Presbyterians of different denominations. The aim of the journal is to promote greater understanding and academic exploration of the doctrinal standards and convictions of confessional Presbyterianism in historical and current application.
The cover of this volume of the journal will feature a portrait of the significant and controversial Southern Presbyterian figure R. L. Dabney (1820-1898). As an educator, editorialist, pastor, preacher, theologian, author, and polemicist, R. L. Dabney has left an indelible impression on Presbyterian history since the nineteenth century, and particularly that of the United States of America.
Each issue of The Confessional Presbyterian features not only a commissioned portrait of a figure from Presbyterian history, but also articles and reviews addressing the life, thought, and influence of the depicted figure. While the editors of the journal are always keen to consider articles treating any subject or topic of interest to confessional Presbyterians, the journal is this year calling especially for articles interacting with the following potential subjects:
- The life and lasting influence of R. L. Dabney and his contemporaries (nineteenth century
Presbyterians, both American and otherwise) - R. L. Dabney’s understanding and use of the Westminster Standards
- Economic theory in R. L. Dabney’s published writings
- Corporate worship and Sabbath observance
- Soteriology, and particularly the Doctrine of the Atonement
- Christian Education (of children, adolescents, university students, and seminarians)
- Christian/church architecture
- Preaching
- Military chaplaincy
- The civil magistrate and political theology/theory
- The place, function, usefulness, and abuse of social commentary by gospel ministers
- The influence of Scottish Common Sense realism (and Enlightenment thinking, generally) on
Presbyterian theology - Presbyterian experience(s) in the American nineteenth century, and particularly during the
period surrounding and including the American Civil War - Biblical theology of the New Testament Book of Hebrews
- Polemical evaluation of Source Criticism in biblical scholarship
- Polemical evaluation of Developmentalism, Darwinism, and other Theories of Evolution
The editors are interested in engaging scholars, pastors, and advanced theological students from a variety of denominational backgrounds within the umbrella of confessional Presbyterianism to bring together a range of thoughtful and critical reflections on R. L. Dabney and/or those subjects in which he was most invested. While completed articles are preferred, proposals are encouraged if potential authors would like editorial feedback before dedicating time to research and writing. All final submissions are subject to peer review for approval, regardless of editorial input in the research and drafting process.
To respond to the call for papers, please send your submission with an abstract of no more than 500 words to journal@gpts.edu. Submissions will be evaluated on the contribution they could make to the journal, their clarity of style, and their significance for the study of confessional Presbyterian history and theology. Finished articles should be submitted by September 1, 2022 and will be subject to a blind review process. Doctoral students, Divinity students, and junior scholars are strongly encouraged to submit articles for consideration.
Style and length parameters for all submissions are found online at gpts.edu/cpjournal/submissions.
For a printable and shareable pdf version of this Call for Papers, please click here.
