HOW TO SUBMIT A PIECE
Earth & Altar welcomes proposals for articles on the topics of theology, church history, liturgy and worship, preaching, the bible, the practice of ministry, theological engagement with popular culture, church administration, christian education, hymnody, poetry, creative writing, visual arts, and more. Abstracts of 150-200 words for proposed articles may be sent to submissions@earthandaltarmag.com. And don’t worry—even if you’re not sure how to put together an abstract, please still reach out to us and we’ll work with you to get your idea into abstract form. In the case of works of art (original pieces of poetry, hymnody, other music, creative writing, and the visual arts), you may send in a proposal for what you will create, the original piece itself, or a picture of the piece for consideration. Please remember that Earth & Altar aims to be accessible to the thoughtful non-specialist, so please keep that in mind both when proposing material and composing your submission. Content Editors will, at their discretion, engage with the submitters within a week of submission to prepare for publication. The Content Editor in question will give guidelines for manuscript composition and set a deadline for delivery of the manuscript to them which will be no less than three (3) weeks before the proposed date of publishing. Unless otherwise specified by the Content Editor, final manuscripts should be 1250-1500 words. The Editor-in-Chief may, in concert with the Editorial Board, invite submissions based around specific themes at certain periods.
CALL FOR PAPERS:
THE BOOKS THAT SHAPED OUR FAITH
Even as each person’s relationship with God proves as irreducibly unique as the individual in that relationship, it is nonetheless formed against the background of the larger givens of birth and existence. Culture, tradition, race, ethnicity, gender, geography, class, the particular network of other individuals around us—all these things and more shape the contours of our faith as we accept, reject, and wrestle with them. In putting people in conversation across time and space, in giving the opportunity to slow down and reflect, in stretching the imaginative potential of the mind’s eye, books can act as particularly interesting threads in the formative tapestry of faith. Given this formative capacity, Earth & Altar wants to know the books that had a significant impact on your faith. Perhaps a book opened your eyes to a new possibility within your tradition or perhaps it led to your leaving your childhood tradition. A book may have changed ideas you have about God or the world, or it may have changed your affective disposition toward them. Maybe a book led to a sudden and dramatic change, or it may have worked much more subtly, the effects not really becoming apparent until many years later.
If you are interested in writing for this series, submit an abstract of 150-200 words to submissions@earthandaltarmag.com with the subject line “books that shaped faith,” making sure to include the name of the book you will engage with. Final pieces of 1250-1500 words can range from theoretical presentations of the content of your selected book to biographical sketches of the book’s impact to responses to the book or its themes in the form of short stories, poetry, visual art, or music. Books for this series may be explicitly theological, liturgical, or devotional, but they may be memoirs, novels, collections of poetry, or theoretical works from other disciplines. Works engaged with need not be explicitly Christian and, while the preference is for traditional books, engagements with graphic novels, theatrical works, and movies will also be accepted.
SOLICITUD DE PROPUESTAS: LOS LIBROS QUE FORMARON NUESTRA FE
La relación de cada persona con Dios se muestra irreduciblemente única tal como cada individuo en esa relación, sin embargo ésta es formada en contraste con el fondo mayor del nacimiento y la existencia. La cultura, la tradición, la raza, la etnicidad, el género, la geografía, la clase social y la red particular de otros individuos que nos rodean; todo esto y más moldean los contornos de nuestra fe a medida que las aceptamos, rechazamos y luchamos con ellas. Al poner individuos en conversación a través del tiempo y el espacio, en dar la oportunidad de ralentizar y reflexionar, en ampliar el potencial imaginativo del ojo de la mente, los libros pueden actuar como hilos particularmente interesantes en el tapiz formativo de la fe. Dada esta capacidad formativa, Tierra & Altar quiere saber cuáles libros han impactado su fe. Quizás algún libro haya abierto sus ojos a una nueva posibilidad dentro de su tradición o quizá lo llevó a dejar la tradición religiosa de su infancia. Quizás algún libro le cambió algunas ideas que tenía acerca de Dios o del mundo o haya cambiado su disposición emocional hacia ellos. Quizás algún libro lo llevó a un cambio drástico y repentino o quizá su efecto fue más sutil y sus efectos no aparecieron hasta años después.
Si está interesado en escribir para esta serie, envíe un resumen de 150 a 200 palabras a submissions@earthandaltarmag.com con el asunto “libros que moldearon la fe”, asegurándose de incluir el nombre del libro con el que se relacionará. Las piezas finales de 1250 a 1500 palabras pueden variar desde presentaciones teóricas del contenido del libro seleccionado hasta bosquejos biográficos del impacto del libro o respuestas al libro o sus temas en forma de cuentos, poesía, arte visual o música. Los libros para esta serie pueden ser explícitamente teológicos, litúrgicos o devocionales, pero pueden ser memorias, novelas, colecciones de poesía u obras teóricas de otras disciplinas. Las obras con las que se relacionarán no necesitan ser explícitamente cristianas y, si bien la preferencia es por libros tradicionales, también se aceptarán trabajos con novelas gráficas, obras de teatro y películas.
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS:
WHAT HYMNS HAVE DONE FOR US
As indicated by the encouragement to Ephesian Christians to sing “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,” hymnody has formed a central part of Christian worship since its inception (Ephesians 5:19). From plainsong and metrical psalms to Sacred Harp and spirituals, the combination of memorable melody, repetitive rhythm, vernacular language, arresting imagery, and sound theology bring us together to give voice to our praise and worship of God and to form us as disciples of Christ.
Earth & Altar wants to know: What hymns have been meaningful for you in your Christian life? We invite you to engage with Christian hymnody not only with critical historical and theological analyses (although those are certainly welcomed), but also with stories, reflections, and creative responses to the poetry and musicality of the hymns that have proven so significant both in the larger life of the Church as well as in your personal faith.
To have a piece considered, please send an abstract of between 150 to 200 words to submissions@earthandaltarmag.com with the subject line “Hymn Series,” making sure to indicate your name and what hymn or hymns you would like to engage. Below is a list of fifty popular hymns based on their selection in multiple hymnals and online voting to give you a sense of the kinds of hymns you can engage with, but this list is not exhaustive. Final prose works will need to be between 1250 and 1500 words. We will accept multiple submissions addressing the same hymn, although our hope is to cover as broad a range of hymns as possible.
A Mighty Fortress is our God
Abide With Me
All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name
All Praise to Thee, my God, this Night
Amazing Grace
Be Thou My Vision
Blessed Assurance
Come down, O Love Divine
Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Crown Him with Many Crowns
For All the Saints
From All That Dwell Below the Skies
Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
He Who Would Valiant Be
Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty
How Firm a Foundation
How Great Thou Art
I Bind Unto Myself Today
Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
In the Cross of Christ I Glory
It Is Well With My Soul
Jerusalem the Golden
Jesus Christ/Christ the Lord is risen today
Jesus Loves Me, This I Know
Jesus Shall Reign Wher'er the Sun
Jesus, Lover of My Soul
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
King of Glory, King of Peace
Lift Every Voice and Sing
Lo! He Comes With Clouds Descending
Love Divine, All Loves Excelling
My Hope is Built on Nothing Less
My Song Is Love Unknown
O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing
O God beyond All Praising
O Sacred Head, sore Wounded
O Thou Who Camest from Above
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me
Sun of My Soul, Thou Savior Dear
The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, Is Ended
There is a Balm in Gilead
To God Be the Glory
We Gather Together
What a Friend We Have in Jesus
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
When Peace, Like a River
SOLICITUD DE PROPUESTAS:
LO QUE LOS HIMNOS HAN HECHO POR NOSOTROS
Como indica el estímulo a los cristianos en Éfeso a cantar “salmos, himnos y cánticos espirituales”, la himnodia forma parte central del culto cristiano desde sus inicios (Efesios 5:19). Desde el canto gregoriano y los salmos métricos hasta Sacred Harp y los espirituales negros, la combinación de melodia memorable, ritmo repetitivo, idioma vernacular, imágenes impactantes y teología sana nos unen a dar voz para alabar y adorar a Dios y formarnos como discípulos de Cristo.
Tierra & Altar quiere saber: ¿Cuáles himnos han impactado su vida cristiana? Les invitamos a interactuar con la himnodia cristiana no solamente con la historia crítica y el análisis teológico (aunque estos son muy bienvenidos), pero también con cuentos, reflexiones y reacciones creativas a la poesía y a la musicalidad de los himnos que han mostrado su significado en la vida de la iglesia así como en su fe personal.
Para que se considere su trabajo, envíe un resumen de 150 a 200 palabras a submissions@earthandaltarmag.com con el sujeto “Hymn Series”, favor de incluir su nombre y el nombre del himno o himnos con los cuales va a interactuar. A continuación se muestra una lista de cincuenta de los himnos más populares basados en la selecciones de múltiples himnarios y votaciones en línea para darle un sentido de los tipos de himnos con los cuales puede interactuar, pero la lista no es exhaustiva. Los escritos finales en prosa deben ser de entre 1250 a 1500 palabras. Aceptaremos múltiples propuestas dirigidas al mismo himno, aunque nuestra esperanza es cubrir la gama más amplia posible de himnos.
A Mighty Fortress is our God
Abide With Me
All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name
All Praise to Thee, my God, this Night
Amazing Grace
Be Thou My Vision
Blessed Assurance
Come down, O Love Divine
Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Crown Him with Many Crowns
For All the Saints
From All That Dwell Below the Skies
Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
He Who Would Valiant Be
Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty
How Firm a Foundation
How Great Thou Art
I Bind Unto Myself Today
Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
In the Cross of Christ I Glory
It Is Well With My Soul
Jerusalem the Golden
Jesus Christ/Christ the Lord is risen today
Jesus Loves Me, This I Know
Jesus Shall Reign Wher'er the Sun
Jesus, Lover of My Soul
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
King of Glory, King of Peace
Lift Every Voice and Sing
Lo! He Comes With Clouds Descending
Love Divine, All Loves Excelling
My Hope is Built on Nothing Less
My Song Is Love Unknown
O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing
O God beyond All Praising
O Sacred Head, sore Wounded
O Thou Who Camest from Above
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me
Sun of My Soul, Thou Savior Dear
The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, Is Ended
There is a Balm in Gilead
To God Be the Glory
We Gather Together
What a Friend We Have in Jesus
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
When Peace, Like a River
OUR CAPITALIZATION PRACTICES
The question of properly and equitably identifying racial and ethnic identities in print has become an incredibly important conversation for publishers. A number of different possibilities have been put forward for how to engage in proper capitalization practices. The position taken, for instance, by the Associated Press is to capitalize Black and Indigenous but not to capitalize white. The argument here is that this practice draws attention to identifies traditionally marginalized in public discourse and also refers to people with broadly conceived shared identities while emphasizing that “White” carries baggage associated too often with white supremecist ideologies. The APA has suggested capitalizing all racial and ethnic identifiers, including White, Black, Native American, and Latino/a. While recognizing that capitalizing White has been associated with supremacist ideologies, this approach attempts to recognize that whiteness is indeed a racial identifier and put it on par with other such racial identifiers in order to require a kind of “coming to terms' with” whiteness and its distinctiveness, rather than perpetuating the idea that whiteness is a default or neutral position. Finally, Chicago style, which we follow at Earth & Altar, allows for terms to be either capitalized or left lowercase, so long as it is done consistently and universally (i.e, all such racial and ethnic identifiers are either capitalized or left lowercase). Those who favor all uppercase may do so for the same reasons as the APA suggests this practice, while those who favor all lowercase may want to indicate that while race and ethnicity are real and operative in the world, we should be careful about practices that lead to either essentialism or reductionism by drawing undue attention to these facets of human experience. In order to try to honor the ongoing conversation around this important issue, to recognize that it is not settled, and to try to remain consistent with our own style commitments, we will follow the Chicago practice broadly conceived. In other words, we will leave it up to our individual editors (and authors when there is a strong preference) whether to capitalize or leave lowercase racial and ethnic identifiers so long as this practice is consistently and universally employed within a piece. Again, though, we want to recognize that this is not a settled issue and there are arguments to be made for other practices. For that reason, we have provided links to various style guides as well as arguments and advocacy for different practices around capitalization.
https://www.cjr.org/analysis/capital-b-black-styleguide.php
https://blog.ap.org/announcements/the-decision-to-capitalize-black
https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/capitalizeblack/
https://cssp.org/2020/03/recognizing-race-in-language-why-we-capitalize-black-and-white/
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/06/time-to-capitalize-blackand-white/613159/
https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/bias-free-language/racial-ethnic-minorities