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THEOLOGICA 2019 – Vol. 9, No. 2 Pag. 137–148
THE ISSUE OF POLITICISATION OF MYSTICISM IN THE THEOLOGY OF DOROTHEE SÖLLE K A T E Ř I N A M A J E R O VÁ
ABSTRACT The German Protestant theologian Dorothee Sölle, who came with the central ideas of relationship and reciprocity in the context of feminist liberation theology, accentuates what is known as the mysticism democratisation project. Within the framework of the project of the democratisation of mysticism, mystical sensitivity as a human constant that all people have without difference is thematised. In order to emphasise the equality and relationship between man and God as well as between man and others, she perceives mysticism as resistance: resistance against injustice and oppression in the world. According to Sölle, mysticism cannot be an elitist matter for a few people, nor should it be solely aimed at contemplation; it is necessarily related to the social, everyday reality of people, where the connection with God can be found. However, mysticism in terms of resistance against injustice and oppression is subject to objections because of the consequent politicisation and instrumentalisation of mysticism, which in turn may result in the secularisation of the mystical experience. Key words Mysticism; Resistance; Politics; Reciprocity; Responsibility DOI: 10.14712/23363398.2020.10
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he German Protestant theologian Dorothee Sölle realised her theological considerations in the context of the feminist theology of liberation. In accordance with its perspective, the process of liberation emphasises the values of relationship and reciprocity in everyday © 2019 The Author. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
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