Inaugural Global Congress on Sports and Christianity, 24-28 August 2016
York St. John University, UK
Practical Theology Special Issue: Sport Chaplaincy
Submission Deadline: January 8, 2016
Background on IGCSC
There has been a dramatic increase in academic research activity and practical initiatives on the topic of sports and Christianity during the past decade. Thus, the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at York St John University (YSJU), York, UK (see http://www.yorksj.ac.uk/) are hosting an Inaugural Global Congress on Sports and Christianity (IGCSC), 24-28th August, 2016. The Bible Society and YSJU are collaborating in the development and delivery of this global event (see http://www.biblesociety.org.uk/). York St. John University campus is at the heart of the beautiful and historic city of York, which boasts one of Europe’s finest Cathedrals, York Minster (see http://www.visityork.org/), in which, there will be a sport-themed service as part of the Congress. Eight Special Editions of select peer-review journals have been commissioned as a part of the IGCSC, and the guest editors have made a provisional commitment to attend the IGCSC and to lead these publication projects that map to some of the thematic strands of the IGCSC: For the area of practical theology, the focus is on sport chaplaincy and the target journal for this strand is Practical Theology. The guest editors are professors Steven N. Waller and Robin L. Hardin from the University of Tennessee (USA).
Theme
Sport chaplaincy has been evolving since the latter half of the twentieth century. Sport organizations including interscholastic, intercollegiate, club, semi-professional, major event, and professional sport programs utilize the services of volunteer or paid sport chaplains (Ferrin, 2008; Handy, 2007; Hoffman, 2010; Lipe, 2006). Globally, the work of sport chaplains varies greatly across sport areas and institutions (Dzikus, Waller, & Hardin, 2010; Null, 2008; Waller, Dzikus, & Hardin, 2008, 2010). One common thread is that all chaplains seek to minister to the “whole person” and frequently engage in interdisciplinary, team-oriented holistic care of the individual or team. For example, in the case of “sport persons”—athletes, coaches and families—the sport chaplain may work in tandem with sport medicine professionals and sport psychology consultants to assist athletes and their families to overcome in the impact of a catastrophic injury or trauma (Gamble, Hill, & Parker, 2013; Huffman, 2014). Moreover, sport chaplains build relationships that are grounded in their faith and theology, thus offering a supportive presence that illustrates that people of sport are more than just their current human condition (Paget & McCormack, 2006). As sport chaplaincy continues to emerge, there are a myriad of challenges that accompany its presence. These challenges include but are not limited to the development of a viable theology of sport to inform practice, religious plurality, academic and practical training, identity formation, and the legitimacy of sport chaplaincy within the global community of professional chaplains. The purpose of this special edition is to provide a forum for authors to explore the relationship between the worlds of academics and practitioners. Topics range from interdisciplinary empirical studies of the practice of sport chaplaincy to professional issues and challenges. We encourage papers that represent a variety of viewpoints that academics and practitioners may have on this topic. Possible topics include but are not limited to:
- Biblical and theological backdrop to sport chaplaincy
- Pastoral theology and sport chaplaincy
- Sport chaplaincy as pastoral care
- Identity formation
- Comparative practice of sport chaplaincy
- Evangelism and sport chaplaincy
- Legal issues
- Ethical issues
- Professionalization of sport chaplaincy
- Credentialing and professional certification
- Religious plurality and its impact on sport chaplaincy
- Religious restrictions on sport and physical activity
- Governance of sport chaplaincy, i.e. club sports, professional sport, college sports, governing
- bodies
- Collaborative/holistic care
- Training and professional development for sport chaplains
- Globalization and sport chaplaincy
Submission Guidelines
Papers for the special edition are to be submitted through the online submission system for Practical
Theology (see http://www.maneyonline.com/loi/pra). Benefits to authors include ease in online
submission and ability to track the status of an article. Authors can submit their paper online at
www.editorialmanager.com/prth. The cover page for the manuscript should clearly state that the
submission is for the special issue on Sport Chaplaincy. The online manager will also ask if
your submission is for a special edition. When prompted, please indicate that this is for the
special issue on Sport Chaplaincy.
Specific questions should be addressed to the Guest Editors:
Steven N. Waller, PhD, DMin
University of Tennessee
1914 Andy Holt Ave., HPER 322
Knoxville, TN, USA 37996-2700
865-974-1279
swaller2@utk.edu
Robin L. Hardin, PhD
University of Tennessee
1914 Andy Holt Ave., HPER 322
Knoxville, TN, USA 37996-2700
865-974-1281
robh@utk.edu
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