Do you have an essay you’d like featured on the website? We accept submissions from anyone but generally expect authors to hold an advanced degree. We accept topics related to analytic, baptist, or confessional theology that promotes charity, curiosity, critical thinking, and cheerful confessionalism. Our primary audience is graduate level students and pastors but we are open to accepting more popular or technical level pieces. We look for original essays that are more than brief introductions to a topic. As a note, we do not typically accept unsolicited podcast interview guests.

If you have an idea, send us a quick paragraph pitch/abstract and we will let you know if it might fit with us. We will respond within one week letting you know if you should submit the full article or not. Note: An acceptance of the pitch does not entail the acceptance of the completed essay for publication. The idea is to save you time and effort if a piece clearly doesn’t fit with us. If we think your idea would be a fit for the website we have several reviewers that will analyze your work and provide one of three decisions within 2 months at the latest (though, usually within 3-4 weeks): Accept, Accept with revisions, Decline. No matter the decision, we always provide feedback. If your essay is accepted, expect at least one additional round of editorial feedback before publication. We find this to be both valuable for the author and for our readers.

We also publish critical book reviews (not mere summaries). We consider the Ledger to be one of the premier online centers for serious reviews since they are widely read and engaged. While we typically do not accept unsolicited book reviews we are willing to consider them on an occasional basis but expect reviewers to hold an advanced degree in the area of research or have several peer-reviewed publications in the area. If you have a book that is important and deserves an in-depth review, please reach out and let us know.

While we affirm the Second London Confession of Faith we are happy to publish articles that are in conflict with it so long as it is noted somewhere in the article (whether at the end or in the body of the article). Our primary aim is thinking. However, no essay or review will be published that contradicts the Apostles’ or Nicene creeds.

Essays should be between 1,000 and 6,000 words (excluding footnotes) and book reviews should be between 2,000 and 4,000 words, though exceptions for both can be made when the situation warrants (we have published reviews that exceed 6,000 words in the past).

As a note: our current acceptance rate for externally submitted pieces is 29%

A Few Tips:

• We like essays that make strong arguments–make a claim and defend it!
• We do not publish “hot-takes”
• We require charity when critiquing other viewpoints
• We love substantive theology with a pastoral heart
• We don’t typically publish overtly devotional material
• Always define your terms
• Get us thinking!

As a publishing note: If you choose to let us publish your work, you grant us the rights to host it here and promote it. We only ask that post-publishing you drop us a note if you would like to publish it elsewhere besides the site. Otherwise, feel free to share.