Call for Papers - Faith and Culture Conference 2027
The planning committee for the 2027 Faith and Culture Forum at Palm Beach Atlantic University invites interdisciplinary paper and workshop submissions for The Shape of Grief: Loss, Lament, and Christian Hope. We invite scholars, students, and practitioners to address theological perspectives and reflections on relevant topics to be presented as part of the conference taking place February 11-12, 2027, at Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, FL. The conference is hosted by the School of Ministry and the Community Transformation Center.
Suitable topics may include:
The intersection of grief, lament, and hope and Christian thought, practice, and history
Approaches, strategies, and best practices for practicing grief/lament and/or grief support in the church and/or with specific communities (i.e. children, individuals in recovery, marginalized communities, college students, collective/communal grief etc.)
Grief and/or lament in the Christian Scriptures
Theological reflections on the relationship between grief and trauma
Biblical and theological reflections on death, dying, and loss
Exegetical assessments of the themes of grief/loss in a particular text or set of texts
Strategies and practices for acknowledging and supporting grief within churches, the academy, and/or university classrooms
Historical. theological, or psychological approaches to grief and modern-day ecclesial practices
Social and cultural lenses and practices of grief and lament in relation to Christian theology
Theological reflections on grief and lament in the context of counseling
The relationship between embodiment and grief/lament in Christian formation
The role of narrative and storytelling in reflecting on grief
Practical resources for addressing grief and/or practicing lament in ecclesial spaces
Explorations of global theologies of grief and hope for the Christian life
Deadline and Submission Process:
To be considered, a proposal (abstract) of up to 350 words must be received by December 1, 2026, by the end of the day at ctc@pba.edu. (We are also happy to receive and consider full papers/workshop plans.)
Please include the following information in the body of your email as well:
Author’s name
Contact information (at least email)
Title of paper/workshop
Institutional affiliation
Time constraints/preferences
Anticipated use of technology or other presentation needs
Guidelines for Presentations
Paper should take no more than 15 minutes to read/present, leaving 5 minutes for discussion.
Workshops should be no more than 45 minutes of presentation followed by 15 minutes for discussion/interaction. We also welcome workshops that are primarily interactive and/or discussion-based.