The Chromatic Communion: A Christocentric Phenomenology of Inter-spiritual Sociality and Celestial Communion

Western eschatology often depicts the afterlife as either static contemplation or undifferentiated union with the Divine, leaving the social mechanics of disembodied interaction undertheorized. Using an autoethnographic case study anchored in a lifelong twin bond, this paper investigates post-mortem sociality through a strictly Christocentric lens. Drawing on experiential data of communication mediated via chromatic light, the study analyzes refracted light as a linguistic medium among heavenly entities, and 'eschatological hospitality,' in which a spirit yields communicative space to other witnesses. These interactions depend radically upon the Lumen Gloriae and the Lordship of Christ. Read through Johannine light theology and Pauline ecclesiology, heavenly interaction is an eternal perichoresis: a non-competitive matrix of mutual deference constituting the Communion of Saints.

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Publication Details

Journal
Knowledge Commons (Lakehead University)
Published
2026-09-19
DOI
https://doi.org/10.17613/h3bba-7kk83
Primary Topic
Karl Barth and Christian Theology
Type
article
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The Chromatic Communion: A Christocentric Phenomenology of Inter-spiritual Sociality and Celestial Communion

Mark Edward Chard
Knowledge Commons (Lakehead University)
Karl Barth and Christian Theology
article

The Chromatic Communion: A Christocentric Phenomenology of Inter-spiritual Sociality and Celestial Communion

Mark Edward Chard
article en

Abstract

Western eschatology often depicts the afterlife as either static contemplation or undifferentiated union with the Divine, leaving the social mechanics of disembodied interaction undertheorized. Using an autoethnographic case study anchored in a lifelong twin bond, this paper investigates post-mortem sociality through a strictly Christocentric lens. Drawing on experiential data of communication mediated via chromatic light, the study analyzes refracted light as a linguistic medium among heavenly entities, and 'eschatological hospitality,' in which a spirit yields communicative space to other witnesses. These interactions depend radically upon the Lumen Gloriae and the Lordship of Christ. Read through Johannine light theology and Pauline ecclesiology, heavenly interaction is an eternal perichoresis: a non-competitive matrix of mutual deference constituting the Communion of Saints.

Knowledge Commons (Lakehead University)
Kenyatta University (KE), University of the Witwatersrand (ZA)
Reduced inequalities
Openalex Percentile: Top 1%
Karl Barth and Christian Theology
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The Chromatic Communion: A Christocentric Phenomenology of Inter-spiritual Sociality and Celestial Communion — Mark Edward Chard · Knowledge Commons (Lakehead University) (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS