Abstract:
The current view on a closed reality (there is no reality besides human reality) and the view on the limitations of human language so that we are unable to refer to God in preaching, put many preachers in a spot. These views are promoted by modern and some postmodern thinkers, and filter through films, television, music and the media to the minds of the people in the pews. In this article a hermeneutical understanding for finding the meaning of the text for topical preaching in our day is put forward. Furthermore, we can preach with confidence and commitment if we accept alternative views as our approach to these issues: A postfoundational epistemology; a critical realist view of reality; and an understanding of the potential of language according to the speech action theory.
