Epifanische dialogen. De epifanische dimensie in literatuur, het missionaire gesprek en prediking

Abstract

Salvific experiences with God among contemporaries are an important source for theology, missiology, preaching and the assessment of spiritual life in our culture. My Bright Abyss of Christian Wiman is an interesting example of such a source. In this article the book is assessed as a biographical and poetic description of epiphanic moments. Inspired by Wiman, I explore the concepts of epiphany and dialogue in the context of mission and preaching. To be able to discern epiphanic fragments in the interior life of contemporaries we do not only need mystagogic qualities and dialogical competences in missionary encounters, but also practical theological methodologies. In the previous article, M.J. Kater mentioned four salvific fragments in My Bright Abyss (the fragmentary, human life, despair and atonement). My article is a homiletical-communicative elaboration of these four themes.