Kierkegaard as Religious Thinker

by David J. Gouwens

Overview

Making innovative use of Kierkegaard's religious and philosophical works, David Gouwens explores his religious and theological thought, focusing on human nature, Christ, and Christian discipleship. He discusses Kierkegaard's main concerns as a religious thinker, and his treatment of "becoming Christian," and counters the customary interpretation of his religious thought as privatistic and asocial. Kierkegaard's ideas are seen to anticipate the end of "modernity," while standing at the center of the Christian tradition.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521460316
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	02/08/1996
Pages:	268
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)

Table of Contents

Introduction; 1. Diseases of reflection; 2. Anthropological reflection; 3. Becoming religious: upbuilding before God; 4. Becoming Christian I: responding to Christ in faith; 5. Becoming Christian II: suffering and following Christ in hope; 6. Becoming Christian III: love and imitating Christ in works; 7. Witness in faith, hope, and love; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"Writing gracefully and graciously, he [Gouwens] gives us a splendid account of what is sometimes called Religiousness C, Kierkegaard's account of becoming a Christian once he gets beyond his polemic with Plato, Lessing, and Hegel." Theological Studies

"David Gouwens has written a careful, comprehensive account of Kierkegaard's self-assesment....Gouwen's writes as a theologian and writes about Kierkegaard as a theologian, and his book is to my mind the best work on Kierkegaard in this genre to date....his book will also be very helpful to people, students as well as scholars, who are having difficulty understanding Kierkegaard." C. Stephen Evans, Christian Scholar's Review

"Indeed, Gouwens succeeds in showing Kierkegaard to be a kind of theologian situated firmly at the centre of the Christian faith. Rich in theological themes and unparalled in approach, this book is most helpful for understanding the significance of this particular nineteenth-century religous thinker in the shaping of contemporary Christian thought and debates." Abrahim H. Khan, Toronto Journal of Theology

"Gouwens in his work presents an excellent and insightful study into Kierkegaard as religious thinker. This work is suited for the scholar of Kierkegaard and for persons interested in recent scholarly debate in the works of Kiekegaard. Gouwens advances the research of Kierkegaard in the area of moral philosophy and theology with this excellent book. It is highly recommended for Kiekegaardian scholarship and study." Ashland Theological Journal

From the Publisher