The Lived Experience of Christian Revelation. A Methodological Exploration
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14422/ee.v101.i396.y2026.003Keywords:
spirituality, mysticism, spiritual theology, discernment, method, decision-making processAbstract
After a thorough and careful exploration, this article finds it plausible to incorporate a new research methodology into theological work, based on the use of introspection and explicitation interviews, which are now widely used in contemplative studies. This is also aided by a theological reinterpretation of decision analysis in the rules of discernment of spirits present in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. The novelty of the method aims to incorporate, with methodological rigor, research on the first- and second-person experiences in the subjective transformation process that occurs through personal relationships with Christian revelation. The consequences of this new perspective could better define the relationship between «what is experienced» of Christian revelation and «what is thought» about it.
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