Abstract

DE BRUIN, Dieter. To thrive: The celebration of the Eucharist and Seligman's theory of well-being. Verbum Eccles. (Online) [online]. 2019, vol.40, n.1, pp.1-8. ISSN 2074-7705.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/ve.v40i1.1977.

Human flourishing is a growing topic of research in various disciplines, including theology and liturgical studies. In this article the Dutch Reformed Church's official theology of the Eucharist was drawn into conversation with Martin Seligman's theory of human flourishing. This was done by juxtaposing Seligman's five pillars of well-being to the Dutch Reformed Church's formularies for the celebration of the Eucharist. The conversation is also enriched by snippets of wisdom from other psychologists, philosophers and theologians. The encounter between Seligman's theory and one version of the Church's theology of the Eucharist delivered fruitful connections and avenues for further exploration in the understanding and enhancement of human flourishing. INTERDISCIPLINARY AND/OR INTERDISCIPLINARY IMPLICATIONS: The research includes the following disciplines: Practical Theology, Philosophical Theology and Psychology. This article is fundamentally interdisciplinary as it is structured as a conversation between Theology and Psychology to be mutually enriching in service of human flourishing.

Keywords : positive psychology; human flourishing; Eucharist [Lord's Supper]; virtues; alimentary theology.

        · text in Afrikaans     · Afrikaans ( pdf )