Resonance Theory as a Resource for Diakonia: A Contribution to Social Practice in the Church

Abstract

Diakonia, grounded in theological anthropology and oriented toward inclusion, justice, and care, requires sociologically attuned frameworks capable of interpreting contemporary forms of social fragmentation and vulnerability. Rosa's resonance theory provides such a framework by conceptualizing human–world relations as potentially transformative encounters characterized by mutual affectivity, self-efficacy, and openness. Crucially, resonance cannot be instrumentalized; it emerges only under conditions that allow subjects and their environments to “speak” with their own voices.

The article argues that diakonia can foster resonance axes—horizontal, vertical, diagonal, and intra-subjective—through practices such as community building, ritual participation, pastoral care, and advocacy work. These axes secure conditions for participatory agency while avoiding authoritarian or efficiency-driven modes that inhibit resonance. Moreover, resonance theory illuminates diakonia's longstanding engagement with vulnerability: resonant relations presuppose trust and exposure, both of which are undermined in late modern contexts marked by structural acceleration, control regimes, and competitive pressures.

Finally, the article highlights the potential of religious practices to cultivate “listening hearts” and counter political alienation, thereby contributing to more dialogical democratic cultures. Resonance thus offers diakonia a critical lens for evaluating social structures and a constructive framework for shaping relational, inclusive spaces.