Lutheran Mission Matters: Christian Witness and Islam, May 2027

The editorial committee of Lutheran Mission Matters (LMM), formerly Missio Apostolica, invites you to submit essays, mission observers, and book reviews for the May 2027 issue on the chosen theme: Christian Witness and Islam. Christianity and Islam are the two largest religions in the world and expected to reach parity in population by mid-century. In addition, Christianity and Islam are each exclusive and mission-focused religions that share a history of competition and conflict. Islam is often seen by Christians as an impossible missionary endeavor. From Islam’s rise in the seventh century, Christian apologists, theologians, and missionaries have engaged Muslims with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Today Christians are still called by Jesus to proclaim the gospel to all nations, including Muslims, and to love their Muslims neighbors. This issue of Lutheran Mission Matters explores Christian witness and Islam by focusing on the good news of Jesus for Muslims and the following suggested areas of scholarship and missional reflection:

• Christian and Muslim relations: past, present, and future;
• Christian witness and Islam in church history;
• Quran and Scripture, and comparative teachings of confessional and missional engagement;
• Hadith and the role of tradition in Islam and Christian mission;
• Muslim and Christian understandings of Jesus and the prophets;
• Muslim and Christian ethics and praxis;
• Christian and Muslim interactions in secular and political contexts;
• Christian witness among Muslims and Muslim witness among Christians;
• Challenges and opportunities for Christian witness among Muslims;
• The Global South and Christian witness to Islam;
• Christianity in the Middle East and Islam.

Submission Guidelines
1. Manuscript Length: Articles, including endnotes, should be between 3,000 and 5,000 words. Mission observer entries should be around 2,000 to 3,000 words. Book reviews should be 650 words.
2. Submission Process: Send your articles, mission observers, and book reviews concerning
the theme “Christian Witness and Islam” to the editor of the journal, Dr. Victor Raj (rajv@csl.edu), with copies to the issue editor, Dr. Joshua Hollmann
(hollmann@csp.edu), and the Editorial Assistant at LSFMdesk@gmail.com. Please send book reviews to Dr. Joel P. Okamoto (okamotoj@csl.edu).
3. Peer Review: All submissions will undergo a double-blind peer review process.
4. Important Dates: Please submit final articles and book reviews by February 1, 2027.

In Christ’s mission to the world, and on behalf of the editorial committee,

Rev. Dr. Victor Raj

Editor of Lutheran Mission Matters

Let the Church Be the Church: The Body of Christ Engages the Twenty-First Century, Nov 2027

The November 2027 issue of Lutheran Mission Matters invites contributions exploring what it means for the church to be the church in the twenty-first century. Scripture describes God’s people as “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” (1 Pet 2:9) and as the Body of Christ. The church’s identity is thus grounded in God’s calling and the gospel of Jesus Christ, rather than in the social or political communities to which its members also belong. Yet Christians live within those communities, and throughout history the church has had to discern how to remain faithful to its calling while engaging the cultures and institutions around it. That question is especially pressing when political or cultural loyalties threaten to define the church or enlist it for other purposes. How does the church’s life as the Body of Christ shape its engagement with the beliefs, loyalties, practices, and institutions that influence contemporary life?

Christians belong to households, workplaces, communities, and nations. Within these settings, they encounter competing accounts of a good life, religious pluralism, political divisions, and changing relationships to the church. We invite scholarly and practically engaged reflections on how Lutheran theology guides the church’s proclamation, teaching, service, and public witness amid these circumstances, including the distinct responsibilities of church and civil government.

Possible areas of inquiry

• The distinct responsibilities of church and civil government, and Christian vocation within both.
• The church’s shared life around the Word and its witness in the world.
• The church as an eschatological community: hope and faithfulness in the present age.
• Gospel proclamation and Christian witness in pluralistic societies.
• American Christianity and competing understandings of a “Christian nation.”
• Preaching amid political change and conflict: Christian moral teaching, pastoral responsibility, and partisan allegiance.
• Lutheran identity in relation to contemporary Evangelicalism, and approaches to evangelism.
• Listening to and witnessing among people who have left churches, never belonged, or identify with no religion.
• The Social Gospel movement, Christian social responsibility, and the relationship between proclamation and service.

Contributions addressing contexts beyond the United States are especially welcome.

Submission Guidelines
1. Manuscript Length: Articles, including endnotes, should be between 3,000 and 5,000 words. Mission observer entries should be around 2,000 to 3,000 words. Book reviews should be 650 words.
2. Submission Process: Send your articles, mission observers, and book reviews concerning the theme “Let the Church Be the Church” to the editor of the journal, Dr. Victor Raj (rajv@csl.edu), for consideration.
(hollmann@csp.edu), and the Editorial Assistant at LSFMdesk@gmail.com. Please send book reviews to Dr. Joel P. Okamoto (okamotoj@csl.edu).
3. Peer Review: All submissions will undergo a double-blind peer review process.
4. Important Dates: Please submit final articles and book reviews by August 31, 2027.

In Christ’s mission to the world, and on behalf of the editorial committee,

Rev. Dr. Victor Raj

Editor of Lutheran Mission Matters