About
The Church & Theology (established 2011) is an Estonian semi-scholarly journal for theology and culture. The journal offers on its page www.kjt.ee an opportunity to take part in theological dialogue – to be active in society as a theologian and, most importantly, to give voice to a theological perspective. The writings of different genres that the journal includes help to reflect what the world is like and how it should be from the perspective that is grounded in the euangelion, the Gospel.
The perspective of the Church & Theology towards different Christian confessions, and more broadly towards non-Christian religions, is ecumenical. The co-authors of the journal come from various backgrounds, and the stories of the journal cover different religions (non-Christian religions, mainly Judaism and Islam) and religion(s) in different contexts (e.g., sociology, psychology, etc.). It is always a possibility, and sometimes an obligation, of a Christian or any other writer or reader to relate to the topic and step into dialogue with it.
Church & Theology is published on a quarterly basis, including three categories: articles, opinions, and sermons. The continuous publication is provided by the members of the editorial board (see below). The number of authors reaches almost four hundred.
Our aims
Three intertwined goals with respect to society, the authors and the readers can be named.
Firstly, we aim to support and stimulate theological dialogue within society. The Church & Theology wants to foster a church which is more theological and, therefore, is a more genuine and true church. Through our work, we hope to strengthen the ability to think and participate in society via a theological perspective.
Secondly, we wish to offer an opportunity for Estonian theologians, intellectuals and artists to express their ideas and to publish articles related to religion, belief and culture. The co-authors, who come from diverse backgrounds and are occupied in different fields, are the key to having an influence on the theological thinking of the Christians and more widely in the society.
Thirdly, as has become apparent from the above mentioned goals, we intend to communicate the journal to an audience as broad as possible. Our reader is anyone interested in culture and religion. By targeting different types of readers, we hope to encourage more wide and public thinking and writing about matters which are related to believing (or non-believing, as it is related to the former).
The perspective of the Church & Theology on church and theology
The viewpoint and the conviction of the Church & Theology can be summarized in ideas expressed by two great 20th century Estonian theologians. Elmar Salumaa has written: ‘There can be no church without theology nor theology without a church!’ The angle which our journal represents is originally formulated by Uku Masing: ‘Observations of the world from the viewpoint of a theologian.’
The Church & Theology tries to renew and rethink the relation between church and theology (that is fostered at universities) in contemporary Estonian society. Theology has three main tasks: 1) to reflect and criticize the practice of the church; 2) to help the church to communicate itself to the world; 3) and to help the church to communicate with the world. All the tasks require profound knowledge, thinking and reflection, which can be provided by a theology that is developed at universities with respect to other disciplines. Theology itself, however, becomes a mere theory if it has no connection to the beliefs carried and expressed by people who belong to various communities. The Church & Theology attempts to build this bridge between church and theology which, perhaps, is not as strong in Estonian society as it should be. Furthermore, our task is to make this connection visible, to strengthen and develop it.
The viewpoint of a theologian – to speak as a theologian – is the starting point for this connection. Theological standpoint is not the one that includes, therefore discusses, only some or one certain part of the world (that is related to religion), but it is the one which discusses everything or anything through a theological perspective. The Church & Theology involves a large variety of topics because theology or a theologian must relate to any aspect of life. We provide a platform where to speak out loud and relate to the world as a theologian. It is relevant to do it publicly for it, hopefully, encourages the readers themselves to do it as well. It gives an additional place for the church to communicate itself and to make itself to be heard, and it provides in society a meeting point for theologians, and the ones who do not defines themselves as such in order to find the common part, common interest and common way for communication.
Editorial board
The Church & Theology editorial team consists of 13 people.
- Katri Aaslav-Tepandi
- Igor Ahmedov
- Kreet Aun
- Karin Kallas-Põder
- Orenti Kampus
- Kerstin Kask
- Kadri Lääs
- Ergo Naab
- Urmas Nõmmik
- Doris Diana Orr
- Johan-Christian Põder
- Kristiina Vaiksalu
- Kristina Viin
In addition, the following people are associated with the journal:
- Anne Burghardt
- Jaan Lahe
- Thomas-Andreas Põder
