Kierkegaard and the Christian Faith

Abstract

It says something about the state of Kierkegaard studies in this present age that people undertaking specifically Christian use of the Dane often find themselves on the margins. The story of why Christians engaging with this Christian writer who sought to reintroduce Christianity into Christendom regularly feel required to offer an apologetic for their Christianity is not one that can be told here. Suffice to say, it is refreshing to read this collection of fine essays which dispense with apology and write from the conviction that ‘Christians today are better off wrestling with Kierkegaard than simply ignoring him’ (p. viii). The essays derive from the 2013 Baylor Symposium on Faith and Culture in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of Søren Kierkegaard’s birth. In their different ways the essays seek to wrestle with the fact of Kierkegaard’s concern with the ‘journey of “becoming a Christian”’ coupled with the question: ‘do his ideas resonate in our 21st century context?’ (ibid.). Unsurprisingly, the answer to this question is yes; however, this is not a collection of sermonizing tracts, and neither is it hagiography. There are eleven essays, representing a broad range of Christian traditions and approaches, some of which are alien, if not inimical, to Kierkegaard’s own life and thought. Stalwart names in Kierkegaard studies are present, such as the predictably excellent Merold Westphal, C. Stephen Evans, and Sylvia Walsh. Here too are contributions from Simon Podmore, Cyril O’Regan, Jennifer Herdt, Paul Griffiths, and Paul Martens. Famously, Kierkegaard correctly predicted (and deplored) the fact that his output would become a preserve for specialists. With that in mind it is especially noteworthy that some of the freshest takes on Kierkegaard in this book come from disciplines outside of Kierkegaardiana. The poet Kathleen Norris provides a funny and relatable account of her teenage infatuation with Søren. The New Testament scholar Richard Bauckham continues the work of his 1999 commentary on the Epistle of James by focusing on Kierkegaard’s use of the Jacobean text, his favourite of the whole Bible. ‘To the best of my knowledge, [Kierkegaard] is in this respect unique among major Christian writers across the whole of church history’ (p. 39). Professor of theology and literature Ralph Wood delves into the Kierkegaardian themes of Walker Percy’s novel Love in the Ruins and finds an articulate critique of American religiosity and political partisianship.