Soren Kierkegaard

In this overview of Søren Kierkegaard’s life and work, Elmer Duncan helps readers understand Kierkegaard’s principal philosophical and theological insights and their ongoing effect on current religious thought. It is part of the classic Makers of the Modern Theological Mind series, recently made available again with new paperback cover designs.

Generally acknowledged as one of the greatest thinkers of the nineteenth century, Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855) has also often been named “the father of existentialism,” as twentieth-century Christian existentialism appropriated his insights for theology and ethics, stressing human experience, freedom, and the commitment of faith. Contemporary theology can hardly be understood without reading him.

In this overview of Kierkegaard’s life and work, Elmer Duncan helps readers understand Kierkegaard’s principal philosophical and theological insights and their ongoing effect on current religious thought. Most of all, Duncan unveils a vivid portrait of a sincere Christian “becomer” who believed Christianity is not a doctrine to be learned but a life to be lived—a man whose primary objective was to help others to be “becoming” Christians also.

The Makers of the Modern Theological Mind series remains a must-read for anyone eager to understand these theologians and their impact on today’s church.