Ecclesiological Investigations Unit

Prophetic Imaginations and Ecclesial Futures

In his landmark text, The Prophetic Imagination, Walter Bruggemann writes, “The prophet engages in futuring fantasy. The prophet does not ask if the vision can be implemented… the imagination must come before the implementation. Our culture is competent to implement almost anything and to imagine almost nothing.” (40) This session aims to envision what church in a future may be or look like. What does it mean for the church to be prophetic or to have a prophetic imagination? What does this prophetic - or propheticist (Ignacio Ellacuría) - imagination look like in the future? How might church be like or look like in the future? What does it mean to “future fantasy” in the context of church? And what resources can a prophetic imagination bring to support or critique such a church? 

Scholars are invited to engage this topic and these questions creatively and are not restricted to the questions covered in this CFP. Possible ideas that might be broached include theological questions such as how to think ecclesiologically about having a prophetic imagination, or what it means to be prophetic, or the relationship between imagination and implementation. Other questions can be raised on church and social issues such as how the prophetic imagination interfaces on artificial intelligence, transhumanism, technology-backed nationalism, ecojustice, migration, and other subjects. Further questions can also include intra-church or ecumenical matters such as how the church can prophetically re-envision, engage, or concretize synodality, diakonia, or church institutions and programs such as the New International Financial and Economic Architecture (NIFEA) initiative, and where they fit into the church in the future. 

New Generations and the Future of the Church

The Ecclesiological Investigations Unit invites papers for a session that explores ecclesial and theological responses to generational shifts in society. To what extent do the spiritual needs of younger generations shape the structure of the church, notions of Christian identity, and the explicit and implicit ecclesiologies shaping both common life and public witness in the church? What are possible visions of youth ministries in a future where young people are navigating increasingly complex matters? Possible paper topics might include, but are not limited to:

1. The intersection of masculinity studies with religious conversion and deconversion, particularly in view of the recent phenomenon of interest in Orthodox and Roman Catholic traditions among young men
2. Eco-ecclesiology and other responses to climate disaster and apocalypticism
3. Churches’ engagement with content creators and online spiritual communities
4. Loci for theological research and education that are found beyond the limits of traditional settings such as seminaries and universities
5. Churches’ reception of post-denominational Christianity and/or multiple religious belongings
6. Unity and conflict in intergenerational and intercultural spaces
7. Diverse manifestations of fear of a future with no church, or a church that is unrecognizable to the person(s) experiencing fear (whether young or old)

Difficult Conversations in and as church (tri-sponsored session with Christian Spirituality Unit and Vatican II Studies Unit)

Difficult conversations occur less frequently today between religious believers and non-believers or between one religion and another, and rather, are more likely to occur within religious communities, particularly in Christian churches. As Christian Nationalism gathers momentum alongside polarisations, cancel culture, and toxic masculinity, in addition to ongoing crises such as environmental degradation and anti-immigration policies and practices, questions of how to coexist within Christian communities come to the fore.

• Considering newer experiments in co-responsibility for difficult conversations in church life, such as synodality, how do we talk about difficult topics such as women’s ecclesial leadership? Synodality was meant to carve a path forward for the Catholic church and yet, the latest Vatican commission on women deacons insists on a conclusion that not only ignores scholarship but also global calls for ordained women. Meanwhile, in the Anglican church, the elevation of the first female to the role of Archbishop of Canterbury meant for some, the church had reached a milestone, for others it was heretical and reason to disassociate. Do we concede that synodality is a failed exercise when it comes to women’s ecclesial leadership? What can Christian Spiritual traditions and histories contribute in these otherwise seemingly failed synodal exercises on women in the church?
• When people engage in ecclesial dialogues, do they consider being trauma-informed? What is the current practice at both local and international levels such as the World Council of Churches? Is it within the ecclesial imagination to ensure we do not further traumatize and marginalize peoples as we invite them into these conversations? How can we take responsibility for understanding power dynamics and ensuring we do not make more vulnerable those who are already vulnerable? Take for example, the way in which communities still tread carefully around welcoming the LGBTQ+ community. Is the welcome simply a beautiful ideal or can we have real, even if difficult, conversations that enable both sides to be heard while keeping all participants safe? Again, Christian spiritual traditions and histories might reveal existing alignments with trauma-informed approaches to dialogue. It can also reveal the complications.
• Last, how do we begin or continue to engage in the difficult conversations about being colonial Christians or Christians on colonised lands? That we often worship on unceded territories and on lands that have no treaties? That indigenous spiritualities are still seen with suspicion as evidenced by the reaction to the presence of the Pacha Mama statue during the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon region in 2019? Can we talk about how as Christian communities, we are not there yet in terms of unlearning internalised racism as white and brown/black skinned persons alike, and dismantling Western-Anglo-European structures in our churches? How might Christian spiritualities enable us to face and dialogue on these difficult truths about ourselves and our communities?