Apologetics
Southwestern Journal of Theology
Volume 60, No. 2 – Spring 2018
Managing Editor: W. Madison Grace II
By Mark A. Tietjen. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2016. 173 pages. Paperback, $24.00.
Seen by many as the father of existentialism and either ignored or condemned by evangelicals, Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855) wrote on many aspects of life. How then should Christians interpret Kierkegaard, and what benefit, if any, do his writings have for the modern church? Mark A. Tietjen argues in Kierkegaard: A Christian Missionary to Christians, “Kierkegaard is a voice that should be sought and heard for the edification of the church” (25). It may seem paradoxical to state that Kierkegaard was a Christian missionary to Christians, but in reality his mission was to reintroduce Christianity to a stagnant church.
The book is split into five chapters. The first introduces Kierkegaard as a person and covers some of the main issues Christians have had with him. The remaining four chapters, Tietjen claims, are the central themes of all of Kierkegaard’s writings, themes that are also central to the Christian life. Each chapter concludes with reflection questions.
Chapter one acts as an apologetic of sort for Kierkegaard. Since Kierkegaard has been a major influence on the philosophies of existentialism and postmodernism, quite often Kierkegaard is viewed through a negative lens. Tietjen examines the question of whether the Christian should be suspicious of Kierkegaard (35). Tietjen explores two figures through their interpretation of Kierkegaard, Dave Breese and Francis Schaeffer. Breese counted Kierkegaard among his seven figures that “have had a lasting and dangerous influence on contemporary Western thought and culture” (37). Schaeffer criticized Kierkegaard for his concept of an irrational leap of faith (43). Tietjen pushes back claiming that for Kierkegaard, “Christianity concerns one’s whole life, in particular one’s hearts and emotions” (53). For this reason, Kierkegaard should not be avoided but rather read with proper discernment.
Chapter two is concerned with Kierkegaard’s critique of three problematic issues regarding the person and works of Jesus: the “liberal theology view” (56), the “Pelagian view” (57), and the “grace abuse view” (57). Kierkegaard’s responses are centered on Jesus being the God-human (58), the “sufficient savior” (64), and the “pattern” (70) that Christians ought to imitate. For Kierkegaard, Christianity was about having a personal relationship with Jesus and imitating him, rather than mere intellectual assent. Christianity, then, was about changing behavior as well as beliefs.
Chapter three is where Kierkegaard can be tricky. In regard to the question of what it means to be human, Kierkegaard has lots to say. He starts with the human view of selfhood as the “created self ” (84). Humans are created as relational beings, standing in relation ultimately to God. We are also inwardly relational beings, and for Kierkegaard, this is manifested in our anxieties, our freedom, and our sin. Here is where Tietjen mentions Kierkegaard’s terms of the aesthetic, the ethical, and the religious in regard to human development (101). The implications of this thinking for the Christian are a “deep and personal familiarity with one’s own sin, and trust and rest in Jesus Christ for forgiveness of that sin” (110).
Chapter four analyzes the believer’s witness as it communicates Christianity to the world. Tietjen writes, “As a Christian missionary to Christians, Kierkegaard believes that the problem in Christendom is not knowledge of the Christian faith but acting according to that knowledge” (112–13). For Kierkegaard, the best witness is a changed life, an existence that imitates Christ. He criticized the Christians of the day for failing to live up to the standards they preached or discussed.
Chapter five is where Kierkegaard’s notion of Christian love is examined. For Kierkegaard, the concept of Christian love is the defining factor for a Christian. It is so unlike the world’s notion of love that its origin could only be divine (137). Acting in accordance with the greatest commandment of loving God and loving one’s neighbor is how one avoids the common hypocrisy of Kierkegaard’s time. According to Kierkegaard, love is commanded; it is seen through actions, not just emotions. It also applies to all people; there are none whom the Christian should not love, since all are made by God (145). This notion of love is key for Kierkegaard, for it is this “by which humans realize their own identity and destiny before God” (159).
Overall, Tietjen does well in presenting Kierkegaard’s views on how to live a life worthy of a Christian. Tietjen rightfully is aware of some of the misconceptions and difficulties with Kierkegaard’s views. His work is refreshing because it highlights what can be gleaned from Kierkegaard for today’s culture.
While Tietjen claims his book is not a primer or introduction to Kierkegaard, it does read that way. He claims the book’s purpose is to show how Kierkegaard can still be used to edify the church today; however, the book does little to show how his writings or thoughts can or should specifically be utilized in today’s context. It seems that Tietjen tries to accomplish this goal with the end-of-chapter questions he poses for the reader, but this choice limits how much this goal affects the book as a whole. Perhaps most beneficial are the recommended sources for further reading. For those interested in Kierkegaard but wishing to have a starting place for his works and thoughts, Kierkegaard: A Christian Missionary to Christians serves as a fine introduction.
