Duchowość i mistyka ewangelicka

Abstract

Is there any mysticism specifi cally evangelical and how does it diff er from other forms of mysticism conditioned by a confession or religion? To answer such questions, fi rst of all, mysticism, a diffi cult to defi ne term, has to be thematized. Mysticism as a phenomenon expanding boundaries of any confession or religion, can have an important meaning for the contemporary society, providing it with an old answer to the current challenges of our times. Experiencing the unity with God has played and still does play an important role also within Protestantism, even though originally the reformers were skeptical toward mysticism. A brief look at Martin Luther and his theology, as well as at the contemporary protestant theories of mysticism reveals that the evangelical identity and mysticism do not exclude each other. However, Evangelical Christians can communicate their mystical experiences only if they resort to the religious language of their tradition. In addition, they have to perceive such experiences in the light of the basic theses underlying evangelical theology in order to sustain their evangelical identity. Thus, mysticism in a modifi ed form constitutes one of the main sources evangelical spirituality stems from.