sustain:if:able kiwi

Digital faith-based activism: grassroots and indigenous insights special journal issue

The news is public.

As described in the Editorial for Issue 1, 2026, from Ecclesial Futures journal …

“Looking ahead, we have a cutting-edge Special Issue coming next entitled Digital faith-based activism: grassroots and indigenous insights, and having engaged with the submissions, I am sure this will advance scholarship in our field in several directions.”

This special issue, due in August 2026, on Digital faith-based activism: grassroots and indigenous insights is something I initiated and been quietly working away on in different ways over the last 18 months.

It began with my IASH Research Fellowship in Edinburgh, where I spent time researching around methods and methodologies for engaging in grassroots Pacific Christian digital climate activism. As my time at IASH ended in July 2024, I proposed a research colloquium, hoping to gather other scholars into the conversation, reflecting from their context. IASH accepted my research proposal and worked with me on a call for papers and a colloquium held in April 2025, as part of the IASH 50th anniversary celebrations.

This brought together 6 scholars, exploring grassroots and digital activism in diverse contexts in Asia, Africa and Oceania. All the initial paper proposals were blind peer-reviewed. In addition, there was review feedback by Dr Nuam​ Hatzaw and Dr Alex Chow at the end of the April colloquium.

I then initiated followup with these scholars, seeking feedback on if and how they might want to turn their spoken colloquium contributions into writing. Together we agreed on targeting a journal and I wrote a special issue proposal for Ecclesial Futures, connecting the aims of the journal with themes present in the various colloquium papers. The co-editor of Ecclesial Futures, Dr Nigel Rooms passed the special issue proposal around the Editorial board for feedback. A special issue was approved in August of 2025, slated for August 2026.

In the meantime, I worked on a methodological introduction to the project, which was published as a journal article in Theology in 2025.

Visualizing online climate change activism: public eco-theologies in grassroots climate-justice organizations. Theology 128(4), 247-256. https://doi.org/10.1177/0040571X251354942

The full papers for the special issue were submitted in January 2026. Along the way, we gained a 7th paper, from a researcher in Europe. The co-editor of Ecclesial Futures handled the blind peer review process, engaging both members of the Ecclesial Futures editorial board to ensure consistency with the aims of the journal and review by scholars with expertise in digital theologies and indigenous ways of knowing.

With all the authors having responded to peer review, the 7 articles are now moving toward copy-editing and publication in August 2026. An idea in 2024 will become a reality in August 2026. And not just any reality, but a “cutting-edge” reality that will “advance scholarship in our field in several directions.” I’m so delighted for the field of climate activism and digital theology, for each of the 7 authors and for the local activists from grassroots and indigenous contexts whose work will be made available open access.

prayers of thanks and confession God like a rock Psalm 31

The lectionary Psalm for Sunday, Easter 5 was Psalm 31:1-5. The image of God as like a rock caught my attention. I did a bit of reading, including the Dictionary of Biblical Imagery (Leland Ryken, Jim Wilhoit, Tremper Longman, Colin Duriez, Douglas Penney, Daniel G. Reid) and wrote a prayer of thanks and confession.

“Great prayer” was one comment after the service, so I thought I’d post it, for anyone wanting to work with the Scriptural image of God the rock.

God as shelter, shade and stability

God our Source, the Bible describes you as like a rock;
A place of shelter and shade, a source of strength and stability,
And so we take to imagine rocks …..
We imagine the rocks on which David, the writer of the Psalms hid from his enemies;
We imagine rocks in the dessert, places of shade to rest when we are hot and bothered;
We imagine rocks as stepping stones across a rushing stream;
We imagine rocks as foundations, stable and strong which walls and roofs can be built.

And so, we praise you today as our rock,
A hiding place when we feel threatened,
A moment of shade when we feel hot and bothered,
A stepping stone keeping us safe from water,
Security on which to establish our priorities and find our values.

God our rock, we confess we need these images,
Because we live in troubled times — the news is grim, the tragedies are heartbreaking, the people we know are sad with grief and mad at life’s injustice.
So God our rock, we confess our troubles, the troubles of our community and our planet.
We confess our anxiety, uncertainty and fear.

And in this service, we take time to pray and remind ourselves;
of your rock like safety and shelter, protection and peace,
Amen.