Abstract:
The article focuses on retreat as a relatively new phenomenon in the Dutch Reformed
tradition. Retreat is viewed as "communicative action". The aim of the article is firstly to explore
epistemological theories in the postmodern paradigm. These theories provide a mental framework for
the identification of a research model and a related methodology by means of which the relevance of
monastic traditions for retreat in the Reformed tradition can be discovered. The identification of
appropriate theories offers an adequate model and method for entering into a narrative
inter-dialogue with retreatants. The article argues that Paul Ricoeur's concept of the hermeneutical
arc, Hans-Georg Gadamer's notion of the fusion of horizons, and Jürgen Habermas' emphasis on
symmetrical communication supply the necessary epistemological theories for such a project. From the
perspective of this epistemology, the "action of retreat" is described in terms of a social
constructionist model which paves the way for the method of qualitative interviewing. The project
can be described as a narrative research journey.
