About Søren Kierkegaard

Besides being known as the father of existentialism, has anyone found Søren’s Christian writings helpful? I see some stuff that could preach if tweaked a little. Any thoughts on his works? I can get them for cheap along with other stuff in a Legacy library.

DAL

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MJ. Smith

Hmmm ... I don't think I've returned to Kierkegaard for 50 years, despite thinking of him as a valuable author to know. So, I asked Perplexity to remind me of his main points. If you like his points, you'll love Kierkegaard. I need to add him to my reread stack.

[quote]Based on the search results, here are some key points about Kierkegaard's view of Christianity:

Kierkegaard emphasized personal, individual faith over institutional religion. He was critical of "Christendom" and nominal Christianity that didn't require true commitment.
He believed Christianity involves continual striving and renewal of one's relationship with God. True faith requires total commitment, not just intellectual assent.
Kierkegaard saw faith as going beyond reason and empirical evidence. He argued that doubt is necessary for faith, and that faith requires accepting what is beyond reason.
He focused on the "task of becoming a Christian" rather than simply holding Christian beliefs or participating in Christian practices.
Kierkegaard emphasized the paradoxical nature of Christian faith, such as the idea that the individual can go beyond ethics yet still be loved by God.
He saw Christianity as challenging people to believe without proofs and to love without self-interest.
Kierkegaard advocated for a passionate, existential Christianity focused on the individual's relationship with God, rather than abstract theology or ritual.
He believed true Christianity involves risk, adventure, and pain - not just being respectable and reciting creeds.
Kierkegaard saw himself as a "Socrates of Christendom," trying to awaken people from complacent, nominal Christianity to authentic faith.
He emphasized subjective truth and personal application of Christian teachings over purely objective or intellectual approaches to Christianity.

Ken McGuire

A dozen years ago I put the old edition of Attack on Christendom as a PB in the files forum here. I included my thoughts about the work... https://community.logos.com/forums/p/51097/584909.aspx

DAL

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1313653#Comment_1313653

Hmm he still sounds interesting despite some of his beliefs. Besides, if I’m going to quote him, it better be his works not what others say he said.

DAL

Jan Krohn

Besides being known as the father of existentialism, has anyone found Søren’s Christian writings helpful? I see some stuff that could preach if tweaked a little. Any thoughts on his works?

I recently wrote a small chapter on him in a research paper. Here we go...

Søren Kierkegaard was a Danish theistic philosopher and the first major existentialist. Writing in the 19^th century, he countered the dominant Hegelian philosophy and the institutionalized Christianity of his time. Kierkegaard emphasized the necessity of a personal relationship with God, critiquing the impersonal and systematic approach of Hegelianism

Although Kierkegaard made significant contributions to existentialism and Christian thought, he also faced criticism. He is often accused of overemphasizing the spiritual truths of the New Testament while neglecting historical truths, thereby paving the way for demythologization. His focus on personal faith sometimes appeared to neglect the importance of communal fellowship. Additionally, he held a belief in subjective truth.[1]

His belief in subjective truth led some to label him an irrational fideist. However, Kierkegaard’s position was more nuanced. He argued that faith is above reason, not against it. Kierkegaard can best be described as a responsible fideist. Faith in divine revelation should be based on trust in the revealer rather than reason alone. For example, belief in the incarnation may seem absurd to human reason. Kierkegaard considered the incarnation an absolute paradox, since it cannot be grasped by reason. Thus, faith transcends reason and, due to human sinfulness, and sometimes opposes it.[2]

Kierkegaard rightly recognized and critiqued the false ideas in empiricism and Hegelianism, as well as the institutionalized organization of the church. However, he occasionally overreacted, neglecting the importance of the historicity of Christianity and the role of church fellowship. Despite these flaws, Kierkegaard’s impact on Christianity was ultimately more positive than negative, providing a necessary counterbalance to the liberal theology of the 18th and 19th centuries.

In conclusion, Kierkegaard’s emphasis on the personal encounter with God and his critique of rationalistic and institutionalized religion have left a lasting legacy. His work challenged theology to address the existential dimensions of faith and paved the way for future theological and philosophical developments.

[1] Geisler, History II, 175-181.

[2] C. Stephen Evans, Faith beyond Reason: A Kierkegaardian Account, Reason and Religion Series (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1998), 78–91.

I can get them for cheap along with other stuff in a Legacy library.

Which one?

DAL

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1313674#Comment_1313674

Jan, you can get it here: https://www.logos.com/product/205238/logos-8-lutheran-platinum-legacy-library

My dynamic price is $79 and change. His works alone (26 vols.) are $799

DAL

Jan Krohn

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1313677#Comment_1313677

My dynqmic price is 495.

So that's a no...

DAL

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1313646#Comment_1313646

Thanks, MJ! ChatGPT gave me a similar response 👍

DAL

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1313653#Comment_1313653

A dozen years ago I put the old edition of Attack on Christendom as a PB in the files forum here. I included my thoughts about the work... https://community.logos.com/forums/p/51097/584909.aspx

Thanks for sharing!

DAL

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1313695#Comment_1313695

A dozen years ago I put the old edition of Attack on Christendom as a PB in the files forum here. I included my thoughts about the work... https://community.logos.com/forums/p/51097/584909.aspx

Thanks for sharing!

DAL

Hey Ken, FYI: your link says “This item is no longer available.”

DAL

Ken McGuire

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1314097#Comment_1314097

Hey Ken, FYI: your link says “This item is no longer available.” DAL

I just tried my 2014 update on that thread and was able to DL the file. I didn't try any older ones...

DAL

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1314126#Comment_1314126

Hey Ken, FYI: your link says “This item is no longer available.” DAL

I just tried my 2014 update on that thread and was able to DL the file. I didn't try any older ones...

Got it! There was another link with the zip file. Thanks!

DAL