Call for Papers: Dialogue Special Issue on the Latter-day Saint Temple

Deadline: October 15

The temple stands at the center of Latter-day Saint theology, ritual life, and community identity. As a sacred space of covenant-making, cosmological instruction, and familial sealing, the temple shapes how members understand their earthly purpose and eternal destiny. At the same time, the temple has been a dynamic site of change, reflection, and negotiation—marked by evolving rituals, architectural developments, and shifting internal discourses surrounding authority, inclusion, and sacred space.

Dialogue invites submissions for a special issue dedicated to exploring the temple from a wide range of disciplinary and experiential lenses. We particularly welcome submissions that engage with gender dynamics, institutional power structures, material realities, and the lived experiences of a global Latter-day Saints.

Submissions may address, but are not limited to, the following topics:

• Spatial, Performance, and Power Analysis – Apply theoretical frameworks (performance theory, spatial analysis, critical theory) to liturgies and spaces. How do temple environments and bodily performances construct meaning, embody theology, or reinforce and subvert institutional power structures?
• Global Realities – Investigate how global temple expansion intersects with local cultures, languages, and socio-economic realities. How do members outside the intermountain West experience, adapt to, or conceptualize temple worship and accessibility?
• Gender Interpretations and Dynamics – Examine historical and contemporary gender dynamics within ordinances and authority structures. Submissions may explore diverse gender interpretations, women’s evolving roles, and LGBTQ+ experiences of temple belonging.
• Historical Developments and Theological Evolution – Trace temple theology, policy, and liturgical evolution from the nineteenth century onward. Topics might include historical ordinance adjustments or comparative histories of other Restoration churches.
• Visual Culture, Architecture, and Sacred Space – Analyze temple visual rhetoric, interior design, and artistic programs. Submissions might explore how architecture reflects institutional aesthetics, themes and messaging in temple art, or how physical design shapes worship.
• Material Culture, Clothing, and Media Studies – Examine temple worship through material and media frameworks. Submissions might analyze the design and lived experience of wearing garments, or explore how the temple is represented, broadcast, and negotiated in public, film, and digital media spaces.
• Psychological and Familial Dynamics – Explore the mental health and relational impacts of temple theology. We welcome papers on temple recommend interviews, mixed-faith family dynamics, family exclusion from sealings, and the psychological weight of eternal family frameworks.
• Personal Reflections and Essays – Share personal narratives exploring the lived experience of the temple. Submissions may address profound spiritual connection or disconnection, negotiations with worthiness standards, or reflections on recent adjustments to the endowment ceremony.
• Creative Works – We welcome poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, photography, digital art, and other forms of creative expression that engage with the visual, emotional, and spiritual landscapes of the temple.

Submission Guidelines:

• Manuscripts should adhere to our general submission guidelines available on our website: https://www.dialoguejournal.com/submissions.
• Scholarly articles should be well-researched and properly cited.
• Personal essays, poetry, and fiction should reflect a deep engagement with the theme.
• Submissions should be original and not under consideration elsewhere.

We look forward to your submissions and to fostering an ongoing, thoughtful dialogue on the complexities, histories, and spiritual meanings of the temple. Your contributions will help enrich understanding and scholarship within the community and beyond.