Journal of Religious Ethics

Journal of Religious Ethics
Title	Journal of Religious Ethics
Discipline	Religious studies; Ethics
Language	English
Editor	---
Publisher	University of Chicago Press for the Center for the Study of Ethics and Values
History	1973–present
Frequency	Quarterly
Issn	0362-0068

Journal of Religious Ethics is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes scholarly articles on normative, historical, and comparative aspects of ethical thought within religious traditions. It appears quarterly and features contributions from scholars in philosophy, theology, law, history, and social sciences who engage topics ranging from scriptural interpretation to contemporary moral controversies. The journal has been associated with a major American university press and a research center devoted to ethics and values.

History

The journal was founded in the early 1970s amid renewed scholarly interest in moral theology and applied ethics alongside institutional developments such as the growth of centers for bioethics like Kennedy Institute of Ethics and the establishment of programs at Georgetown University, Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, University of Chicago, Columbia University, University of Notre Dame, Boston College, Duke University, Emory University, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, Brown University, Cornell University, Rutgers University, New York University, University of Michigan, University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Los Angeles, University of Texas at Austin, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Ohio State University, University of Minnesota, University of Washington, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Vanderbilt University, Indiana University Bloomington, Purdue University, Northwestern University, Wake Forest University, University of Virginia, University of Southern California, Michigan State University, Brandeis University, Tulane University, Syracuse University, Pennsylvania State University, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, Iowa State University, University of Iowa and international centers such as University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University of Toronto, McGill University, Australian National University, University of Edinburgh, King's College London, SOAS University of London, University of St Andrews, Humboldt University of Berlin, Free University of Berlin, Heidelberg University, Leiden University, University of Amsterdam, University of Helsinki, Aarhus University, University of Copenhagen, University of Oslo, University of Stockholm, University of Zurich, University of Geneva.

Founding editors and early contributors included scholars who were prominent in fields represented by institutions such as Union Theological Seminary, Princeton Theological Seminary, Wesleyan University, Emmanuel College, King's College, Trinity College Dublin, University of Notre Dame Law School, Yale Law School, Harvard Divinity School, Berkeley Divinity School, Candler School of Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary, Claremont Graduate University, Boston University School of Theology, Andover Newton Seminary and international figures affiliated with Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University, University of Tokyo, Seoul National University, Peking University, National University of Singapore, University of Hong Kong.

Over the decades the journal responded to debates provoked by events and movements connected to Second Vatican Council, Civil Rights Movement, Feminist Movement, Gay Liberation Front, Vietnam War, Cold War, Fall of the Berlin Wall, Rwandan Genocide, 9/11 attacks, European Union expansion, Iranian Revolution, Arab Spring, Syrian Civil War, Iraq War, COVID-19 pandemic and policy shifts in institutions like United Nations, World Health Organization, International Criminal Court, European Court of Human Rights, Supreme Court of the United States.

Scope and Content

The journal publishes articles addressing ethical interpretation within traditions such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shinto, Zoroastrianism, Indigenous peoples of the Americas, African traditional religions, Bahá'í Faith, Rastafari, Neo-Paganism and comparative or interreligious ethics involving figures and texts like Augustine of Hippo, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Imam al-Ghazali, Ibn Rushd, Maimonides, Philo of Alexandria, Rashi, Rabbi Moses ben Nahman, Ramakrishna, Adi Shankaracharya, Nagarjuna, Dogen Zenji, Hindu Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Qur'an, Hebrew Bible, New Testament, Tripitaka, Analects of Confucius.

Topics include applied ethics in contexts shaped by institutions and events such as Bioethics, Medical ethics, Euthanasia debates, Abortion controversies, Genetic engineering, Climate change negotiations, Environmental ethics, Economic justice movements, Human rights law, Refugee crises, Migration policies, Torture debates, Capital punishment cases, War crimes trials, Transitional justice, Restorative justice, Business ethics scandals, Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, Technology ethics, Artificial intelligence policy, Surveillance controversies, Privacy law reforms and debates surrounding religious freedom before bodies like United States Commission on International Religious Freedom and tribunals such as European Court of Human Rights.

Editorial and Publication Information

The editorial board has historically drawn scholars from universities and seminaries including Harvard University, Yale University, University of Chicago, Columbia University, Stanford University, Oxford University Press-associated scholars, Cambridge University Press-associated scholars, Princeton University, Duke University, Georgetown University Law Center, Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, University of Notre Dame Law School, Cardiff University, McMaster University, University of Toronto Faculty of Law, Australian Catholic University, Monash University, University of Melbourne, University of British Columbia, Dalhousie University, Queen's University Belfast, Trinity College Dublin School of Religion, Pontifical Gregorian University, Catholic University of America.

The journal is produced on a quarterly schedule, uses double-blind peer review, and appears under the imprint of a major scholarly press with subscription access for institutions such as JSTOR, Project MUSE, EBSCOhost, ProQuest, LexisNexis, HeinOnline libraries and consortia including HathiTrust, Digital Public Library of America and major university libraries at Library of Congress, Bodleian Library, British Library, Bibliothèque nationale de France.

Abstracting and Indexing

The journal is indexed in major bibliographic services and citation indexes including Scopus, Web of Science, Arts & Humanities Citation Index, ATLA Religion Database, Philosopher's Index, MLA International Bibliography, PubMed Central for relevant bioethical pieces, EBSCO Academic Search Premier, ProQuest Religion, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS), Gale Academic OneFile and aggregated platforms used by libraries at Harvard Library, Yale Library, Bodleian Libraries.

Reception and Impact

Scholars across institutions such as Harvard Divinity School, Princeton Theological Seminary, Yale Divinity School, University of Chicago Divinity School, McGill University Faculty of Religious Studies, University of Toronto Department for the Study of Religion, SOAS University of London Department of Religions and Philosophies, King's College London Department of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Oxford Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Cambridge Faculty of Divinity, University of Edinburgh School of Divinity and policy analysts at United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, World Health Organization, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, International Criminal Court have cited the journal in discussions of conscience clauses, medical practice guidelines, human rights frameworks, and interreligious dialogue initiatives. Articles from the journal have been referenced in legal briefs before courts such as the Supreme Court of the United States and in reports by commissions including Truth and Reconciliation Commission (Canada), South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Korean Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

The journal's influence extends to interdisciplinary curricula at Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, Georgetown University Law Center, Oxford Martin School, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Kellogg School of Management, Harvard Kennedy School and has been acknowledged in award citations such as those from American Academy of Arts and Sciences, American Philosophical Society, Royal Historical Society and disciplinary honors at institutions like British Academy and Academy of Social Sciences.

Category:Academic journals