Religious experience in the current theological discussion and in the church pew
David Biernot, Christo J.S. Lombaard
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies February 8, 2017 DOI: 10.4102/hts.v73i3.4347 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 12 |
| Key points | Argues that George Lindbeck's criticism of the experiential-expressive model of religion still speaks to current theological discussion and church life, and proposes a community-embedded sense of truth that preserves the possibility of universalizing claims while resisting the commodification and psychologizing of religious experience. |
Abstract
Taking a new look at the language of ‘religious experience’, the authors in this contribution take into review this aspect in the current theological discussion, and in the church pew, asking the question: Does George Lindbeck’s criticism of the experiential-expressive model of religion still have something to say to us? Firstly, Lindbeck is reviewed and recouped. Then, religious experience and its commodification are discussed, at the hand also of the heritage from Schleiermacher onwards on experience. Taking a position within the post-modern, relativist, critical realist and pragmatist possibilities, a community-embedded sense of truth is concluded to without sacrificing the possibility of universalising claims. Is it possible, though, within the cultural reflex towards psychologised faith to retain a historically oriented depth?