CrossCurrents: The Theologies of Land

The topic “land” informs a variety of religious traditions. On the one hand, land can be understood as soil, ground, or territory in which people live. From this perspective, land is matter, defined by characteristics such as porosity, consistency, or boundaries. On the other hand, some traditions attach land to their particular identity. In this sense, land and identity become inseparable. These different understandings highlight that land is not just one firm object or territory. Instead, they challenge us to rethink concepts of land and space that implicate views of the divine, the other, and the earth and bring them into a conversation with our own respective traditions.
Broad questions that inform this special issue of CrossCurrents are: How can theologies of land be brought into fruitful and constructive dialogue across religious traditions? What are the implications of those theologies for comparative theological studies? What might an emphasis on land offer to theologies of liberation? To efforts at decolonizing theology?

In the March 2023 issue of CrossCurrents:

“Comparative Theology On and In Place: An Introduction to the Special Issue” by Paul Hedges

“Mosaic Tiles: Comparative Theological Hermeneutics and Christian-Jewish Dialogue About the Land” by Domenik Ackermann

“The Paradoxes of Place: Cultivating Particularity and Planetarity Amid Climate Catastrophe” by O’neil Van Horn

“The Batak-Christian Theology of Land: towards a Postcolonial Comparative Theolog” by Hesron H. Sihombing

“Spirit(s) and the Land: A Comparative Theological Exploration of Two Contemporary Indigenous Visions” by Michelle Voss Roberts

“Conclusion” by Domenik Ackermann

“For Jane, On Her Nephew’s Birthday”, and “For Jane, Three Days After Her Brother’s Passing”, poetry by Shannon Hardwick

“Little Syria, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music” reviewed by Richard McCallum

“Rafael Lozano-Hemmer: Drawings in Smoke” by Irina Sheynfeld

“Impossible Voyages: Wangechi Mutu at Storm King” reviewed by Irina Sheynfeld