Call for Papers 2026
Topics are intentionally broad in order to encourage writers to consider new questions, new concerns, and new solutions in their essays. Submissions should follow the guidelines at Submit an Article. Submissions will be reviewed and accepted at the editor and advisory board’s discretion based on content, relevance, and style. Proposals should be 500 words. Reflective essays should be 1500 words. Articles should be 3000–3,500 words in length, unless permission is given otherwise.
February/March 2026:
Ecumenical Conversation and Christian Unity
Having just celebrated the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, this issue invites reports from the World Council of Churches’ Nicaea 2025 Ecumenical Council AND reflections on the possibility and challenge of Christian unity today.
Proposal Deadline: December 1, 2025. Final Submission of Papers: January 1, 2026.
Papers and proposals should be sent to Jennifer Hockenbery, JLE editor, here.
June/July 2026 Issue:
Summer Reading Issue
Have a new book that touches on a topic important to ethics and Lutheran theology? Send books that you would like to have reviewed and offers to review books to William Rodriguez, book review editor, here.
August/September 2026:
Economics and Corporate Responsibility
This issue examines Lutheran approaches to business ethics and corporate responsibility. Questions to consider include those of worker and consumer rights, environmental impact, the responsibilities of shareholders, and the role of government regulation.
Proposal Deadline: June 1, 2026. Final Submission of Papers: July 1, 2026.
Papers and proposals should be sent here.
October/November 2026 Issue:
Incarceration
Papers are invited on the ethical issues involved with the U.S. criminal justice system’s current use of incarceration and the ethics involved in detention centers for immigrants.
Proposal Deadline: August 1, 2025. Final Submission of Papers: September 1, 2026.
Papers and proposals should be sent here.
December/January 2026 Issue:
Homelessness
Thinking of the birth of Christ in a stable and the flight to Egypt of the Holy Family, this call asks contributors to consider the people who find themselves in similar situations. How might we best offer care to those who do not have the means to afford a home or who are escaping violence, poverty or natural disaster in their home country. Papers are invited to consider the effects of home-lessness in either or both contexts.
Proposal Deadline: October 1, 2025. Final Submission of Papers: November 1, 2026.
Papers and proposals should be sent here.
Articles published in the journal reflect the perspectives and thoughts of their authors and not necessarily the theological, ethical, or social stances of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Book reviews are also welcome for every issue: Suggestions for book reviews should be sent here.