It is my privilege, and great joy, to introduce the six articles that make up the first issue of volume 77 of Studia Theologica – Nordic Journal of Theology. These articles represent the diversity, originality, as well as intensity prevalent in theological studies within Nordic universities.
The opening article has the title “A Postsecular Agonism? Religion and Metaphysics in Chantal Mouffe” and is written by Joel Gillin, University of Helsinki. Gillin introduces the agonistic political theory of Chantal Mouffe, with a focus on her key engagements with religion. In the final section, Gillin examines how Mouffe deals with the limits of pluralism and religious interventions in politics. Gillin argues that Mouffe’s agonistic theory does not sufficiently recognize the inescapability of faith and metaphysics in political theorizing. He suggests that by adopting a more postsecular agonism, she would promote rather than squash pluralism and eventually increase the terrain of political contestation and democratic possibilities.
Karl Olav Sandnes, MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society, has written an article entitled “The Rule of Faith: Getting the Jigsaw Puzzle Right”, about Irenaeus and Tertullian and their use of the concept “the rule of faith” in their polemic against adversaries or heretics. Sandnes insists that ancient rhetoric, with ideals of literary composition, arrangement and order, is critical for how Irenaeus and Tertullian present the rule of faith, both in terms of terminology and the illustrations they use. In their writings, the rule of faith is, according to Sandnes, the intended story of Scripture, which is naturally discerned from it in a way analogous to how historians were expected to arrange their stories.
“Casting Biblical Narratives: Gendered Power Hierarchies and Cultural Imagination in Scandinavian Children’s Bibles” is written by Ingunn Aadland, MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society. In her article, Aadland analyses the Danish bestseller, Møllehave’s Børnebibelen (1996/2016), and two Norwegian books: Bibelfortellinger (2011) and Tidslinjen (2016), with particular regard to gendered power structures. She finds common tendencies in the ways in which current Scandinavian cultural Bibles present biblical women. It is Aaland’s conclusion that they reflect cultural assumptions, as they depict women as being less important than their male counterparts, easily associated with sexual misconduct, and frequently discredited in different ways.
Francis Jonbäck and Thomas Ekstrand, Uppsala University, have written an article entitled “Existential Suffering and Hopeful Theodicy in Esaias Tegnér’s Spleen”, where they explore Esaias Tegnér’s depiction of melancholy in his poem Spleen. Jonbäck and Ekstrand maintain that a possible interpretation of the poem is that it understands the distinction between theoretical and existential problems of suffering as being less clear-cut than often presupposed. Moreover, it can be understood as claiming that theorizing about the meaning of suffering can have a role to play even when people are experiencing great existential suffering and despair. Based on their reading of Spleen, Jonbäck and Ekstrand suggest the concept “hopeful theodicy”, which they believe can become useful in future research on problems of suffering and theodicy.
A group of scholars from Åbo Akademi University, consisting of Björn Vikström, Pamela Slotte, Kim Groop, Pekka Lindqvist and Marie Rosenius, have written an article in order to promote minority theology, by actualizing, developing and assessing a set of analytic tools. First of all, they want to learn from theoretical perspectives and empirical findings provided by other minority studies. Secondly, they wish to investigate how theology of religions can provide concepts which can prove helpful for the task of identifying and analysing the theological coping strategies and the identity work adopted by both majorities and minorities. Furthermore, their aim is to develop and argue for a distinction between theology by, about, because of, and with minorities.
The last article, “Work in Medias Res: An Ethnographic Study of Different Logics of Work in Faith-based Businesses”, is written by Maria Ledstam, MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society. Ledstam presents ethical logics of work through a practice-theoretical ethnographic study of one Catholic and one Evangelical faith-based business. While she does not want to build a critical system of work, her goal is to map out different kinds of good that exist in these practices and suggest better accounts. Her method consists of two parts, first of all, by listening to practitioners, and secondly, participating in a dialogue. Through an analysis of the empirical material, Ledstam comes to the conclusion that even if the two practices are not the same, reform and negotiation are significant for both. Without collapsing into only negotiation, or becoming idealized strictly by reform, Ledstam maintains that both processes are indispensable, and formed by their religious convictions.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).