6th International IAS-Symposium (online)
Mon
27/04 to 30/04/2026
Institut of Adventist Studies mit Prof. Stefan Höschele und Bernd Müller, Ph.D.
Via Zoom
»State of the Art and the Things to Come«
Call for Papers: Adventist Studies: State of the Art and the Things to Come
The field of Adventist Studies has come a long way. Recent milestones – such as the Oxford Handbook of Seventh-day Adventism, the online Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists, and two volumes of Ellen White’s annotated early manuscripts and letters – indicate the discipline’s maturity and diversity. Scholarly discourse on Adventist origins, variegated development, and global denominational presence is thriving.
This symposium aims to chart future directions by evaluating achievements and breakthroughs as well as discussing challenges and desiderata in the field and its research practices. Some of the possible themes are:
[A. History] (1) The future of Ellen White studies, (2) The study of regional Adventisms, including decolonial perspectives, (3) Researching dynamics of SDA migration and denominational globalization, (4) Reflections on Adventist historiography.
[B. Theology] (5) Approaches to contextual Adventist theology, (6) Adventist biblical studies?, (7) Investigating Adventist moral traditions and ethics.
[C. Frameworks] (8) Comparative methods in studying adventistic movements throughout religious history, (9) The social sciences and empirical studies in Adventist phenomena, (10) “Adventist epistemology” in Adventist Studies?, (11) The study of popular Adventisms, (12) Researching women and Adventism, (13) Digital humanities and Adventist research.
[D. Past, Present, and Future] (14) Classics in Adventist Studies and what we can learn from them, (15) Past and potential breakthroughs, (16) Adventist Studies and academic freedom, (17) Adventist Studies as ministry to the church, (18) Blind spots of the discipline so far.
You are invited to submit a topic and an abstract by November 15, 2025. Contributions should focus on methodology, theoretical framework, research philosophy, scholarly practices, and other foundational aspects of the field. Symposium participants will be scholars of various backgrounds as well as teachers, pastors, archivists, and individuals who are interested in the field of Adventist Studies. Symposium presentations will be published as part of the IAS series.
Institute of Adventist Studies (IAS), Friedensau Adventist University
Stefan Höschele, Ph.D., & Bernd Müller, Ph.D.
