Søren Kierkegaard was a nineteenth-century philosopher who may justifiably be called a Christian, in as much as his life was dedicated to finding understanding of Christ and dispensing that understanding to the world. I do not claim exhaustive or even authoritative awareness of his beliefs, but what I do know of him has indicated to me his passion for Christ’s example and mankind’s inadequacy in achieving it. Many of his written works seek to confront and clarify what he perceives as common misconceptions of Christ, most notably concerning His relationships with the Church and the individual, respectively. The nature of faith and its relationship with empirical reason was of especial concern to Kierkegaard as the perceived foundational point of error in the philosophy of his time; he sought to answer criticisms of Christianity by making distinction between faith and reason, and reprimanded the Church for its dedication to reason over faith.
This is my perception of what his intent was, based upon what I read of him. However, I am hard put to add citation to my description, primarily due to the second-hand nature of my exposure, but also because of the manner in which Kierkegaard communicated his beliefs. The Danish philosopher made heavy use of an unusual literary style characterized by dialogue between manufactured characters of differing viewpoints, which were not necessarily indicative of the author’s own beliefs but rather intended to insight consideration toward the author’s desired conclusion. Unfortunately, this approach sometimes made it difficult to be sure what that desired conclusion was. Properly understanding Kierkegaard would require thorough investigation of his greater body of works, many of which are referentially reliant upon each other. While I cannot find a direct confirmation from the man himself, general consensus seems to be that he employed this strategy to improve the reception of his ideas. Ironically, his pseudonymous tendencies had a more convoluting effect on his writings, and served to make them less approachable.
Attempting to come to terms with Kierkegaard’s arguments, I perceived in his formatting the effects of pragmatism. Pragmatism is characterized by considerations of effectiveness, in contrast to holding to formal or ethical standards; essentially, “the ends justify the means.” In his desire to convince others of the reality in his concerns, Kierkegaard resorted to rhetorical devices that he felt would facilitate more objective consideration thereof. He also frequently presented extensive philosophical arguments meant to combat popular secular deceptions in their own terms. In both cases, Kierkegaard exhibited commitment to worldly means of persuasion. I have subsequently noticed the prevalence of this mindset in various areas of society, but especially within the Church. Many of the faith at various times (and with varying justification) seem to have felt the need for more practical methods of persuasion toward the Truth, as supplement to those prescribed in Scripture.
I cannot help but infer a degree of arrogance in this religious pragmatism, even if it be unintentional. Does it not compare to the objections of Moses when he was initially confronted by God to be His representative to Egypt? God repeatedly supplied Moses with examples of His ability, continually reaffirming His promise to bring about His will; when Moses continued to object, the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” (Exodus 3:11-12) Despite this and more than sufficient additional testimony throughout history, we often seem to doubt God’s ability to accomplish His purpose through us unless we “help” Him along with our own timely wisdom. Yet the Bible says the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” (1 Corinthians 3:19-20) Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? (1:20) Shall we not have faith in Him, to ensure that He will be glorified according to His eternal plan?
Be practical in light of Heaven, rather than of the world. TTT