Christian existentialism
Christian existentialism is a theo-philosophical move-
ment which takes an existentialist approach to Christian
theology. The school of thought is often traced back to
the work of the Danish philosopher and theologian Søren
Kierkegaard (1813–1855), who is considered the father
of existentialism.[1]
1 Kierkegaardian themes
Søren Kierkegaard
Christian existentialism relies on Kierkegaard’s under-
standing of Christianity. Kierkegaard argued that the
universe is fundamentally paradoxical, and that its great-
est paradox is the transcendent union of God and hu-
mans in the person of Jesus Christ. He also posited
having a personal relationship with God that supersedes
all prescribed moralities, social structures and communal
norms,[2] since he asserted that following social conven-
tions is essentially a personal aesthetic choice made by
individuals.
1
Kierkegaard proposed that each person must make in-
dependent choices, which then constitute his existence.
Each person suffers from the anguish of indecision
(whether knowingly or unknowingly) until he commits to
a particular choice about the way to live. Kierkegaard also
proposed three rubrics with which to understand the con-
ditions that issue from distinct life choices: the aesthetic,
the ethical, and the religious.
2 Major premises
One of the major premises of Christian existentialism
entails calling the masses back to a more genuine form
of Christianity. This form is often identified with some
notion of Early Christianity, which mostly existed during
the first three centuries after Christ’s crucifixion. Begin-
ning with the Edict of Milan, which was issued by Roman
Emperor Constantine I in AD 313, Christianity enjoyed a
level of popularity among Romans and later among other
Europeans. And yet Kierkegaard asserted that by the 19th
century, the ultimate meaning of New Testament Chris-
tianity (love, cf. agape, mercy and loving-kindness) had
become perverted, and Christianity had deviated consid-
erably from its original threefold message of grace, hu-
mility, and love.
Another major premise of Christian existentialism in-
volves Kierkegaard’s conception of God and Love. For
the most part, Kierkegaard equates God with Love.[3]
Thus, when a person engages in the act of loving, he is
in effect achieving an aspect of the divine. Kierkegaard
also viewed the individual as a necessary synthesis of both
finite and infinite elements. Therefore, when an individ-
ual does not come to a full realization of his infinite side,
he is said to be in despair. For many contemporary Chris-
tian theologians, the notion of despair can be viewed as
sin. However, to Kierkegaard, a man sinned when he was
exposed to this idea of despair and chose a path other than
one in accordance with God’s will.
A final major premise of Christian existentialism entails
the systematic undoing of evil acts. Kierkegaard asserted
that once an action had been completed, it should be eval-
uated in the face of God, for holding oneself up to divine
scrutiny was the only way to judge one’s actions. Be-
cause actions constitute the manner in which something
is deemed good or bad, one must be constantly conscious
of the potential consequences of his actions. Kierkegaard
believed that the choice for goodness ultimately came
down to each individual. Yet Kierkegaard also foresaw
2 4 NOTABLE CHRISTIAN EXISTENTIALISTS

the potential limiting of choices for individuals who fell thought he had gotten away with murder, until Nathan ar-
into despair.[4] rived to tell him a story about two men, one rich and the
other poor. The poor man was a shepherd with only one
lamb, which he raised with his family. The lamb ate at
3 The Bible his table and slept in his arms. One day a traveler came to
visit the rich man; instead of taking one of his own sheep,
the rich man seized the ewe lamb that belonged to the
Christian Existentialism often refers to what it calls the poor man and prepared it for his guest. When Nathan fin-
indirect style of Christ’s teachings, which it considers ished his story, David burned with anger and said (among
to be a distinctive and important aspect of his ministry. other things): “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who
Christ’s point, it says, is often left unsaid in any partic- did this deserves to die!". Nathan responded by saying
ular parable or saying, to permit each individual to con- "You are the man!". Realizing his guilt, David becomes
front the truth on his own.[5] This is particularly evident filled with terror and remorse, tearfully repenting of his
in (but is certainly not limited to) his parables. For ex- evil deed.
ample, in the Gospel of Matthew (18:21-35), Jesus tells
a story about a man who is heavily in debt (the parable An existential reading of the Bible demands that the
of the unforgiving servant). The debtor and his family reader recognize that he is an existing subject, study-
are about to be sold into slavery, but he pleads for their ing the words that God communicates to him person-
lives. His master accordingly cancels the debt and sets ally. This is in contrast to looking at a collection [6] of
them free. Later the man who was in debt abuses some “truths” which are outside and unrelated to the reader.
people who owe him money, and he has them thrown in Such a reader is not obligated to follow the command-
jail. Upon being informed of what this man has done, the ments as if an external agent is forcing them upon him,
master brings him in and says, “Why are you doing this? but as though they are inside him and guiding him inter-
Weren't your debts canceled?" Then the debtor is thrown nally. This is the task Kierkegaard takes up when he asks:
into jail until the debt is paid. Jesus ends his story by say- “Who has the more difficult task: the teacher who lec-
ing, “This is how it will be for you if you do not forgive tures on earnest things a meteor’s distance from [7]
everyday
your brother from your heart.” life, or the learner who should put it to use?" Existen-
tially speaking, the Bible doesn't become an authority in
Often Christ’s parables are a response to a question he is a person’s life until they permit the Bible to be their per-
asked. After he tells the parable, he returns the question sonal authority.
to the individual who originally asked it. Often we see a
person asking a speculative question involving one’s duty
before God, and Christ’s response is more or less the same
question—but as God would ask that individual. For ex-
ample, in the Gospel of Luke (10:25), a teacher of the law
asks Jesus what it means to love one’s neighbor as oneself. 4 Notable Christian existentialists
Jesus replies by telling the story of the Good Samaritan.
In the story a man is beaten by thieves. A priest and a
Levite pass him by, but a Samaritan takes pity on him and Christian existentialists include German Protestant the-
generously sets him up at an inn—paying his tab in ad- ologians Paul Tillich and Rudolph Bultmann, British An-
vance. Then Jesus returns the question, “Which of these glican theologian John Macquarrie, American theolo-
three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell gian Lincoln Swain,[8] American philosopher Clifford
into the hands of robbers?". Jesus does not answer the Williams, French Catholic philosophers Gabriel Mar-
question because he requires the individual to answer it, cel, Emmanuel Mounier and Pierre Boutang, German
and thus to understand existence in the Bible, one must philosopher Karl Jaspers, Spanish philosopher Miguel de
recognize who that passage is speaking to in particular. Unamuno, and Russian philosophers Nikolai Berdyaev
To Kierkegaard, it is the individual hearing the passage. and Lev Shestov. Karl Barth added to Kierkegaard’s ideas
A good example of indirect communication in the Old the notion that existential despair leads an individual to
Testament is the story of David and Nathan in 2 Samuel an awareness of God’s infinite nature. Some ideas in the
12:1-14. David had committed adultery with a woman, works of Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky could ar-
Bathsheba, which resulted in her pregnancy. He then or- guably be placed within the tradition of Christian exis-
dered her husband, Uriah, to come home from a war front tentialism.
so that he might sleep with his wife, thus making it appear The roots of existentialism have been traced back as far
as if Uriah had in fact conceived with Bathsheba. Instead, as St Augustine.[9][10][11] Some of the most striking pas-
Uriah would not break faith with his fellow soldiers still on sages in Pascal's Pensées, including the famous section
the battlefield and refused to sleep with her. David then on the Wager, deal with existentialist themes.[12][13][14][15]
ordered him back out to the battlefront where he would Jacques Maritain, in Existence and the Existent: An Essay
surely die, thus making Bathsheba a widow and available on Christian Existentialism,[16] finds the core of true exis-
for marriage, which David soon arranged. David initially tentialism in the thought of Thomas Aquinas.
 3

5 See also [13] Clifford Williams (July 3, 2005). “Pascal”. clifford-

williams.net
• Atheist existentialism [14] Michial Farmer (20 July 2010). “A Primer on Religious
Existentialism, Pt. 5: Blaise Pascal”. christianhuman-
• Christian existential apologetics ist.org
• Christian humanism [15] Michial Farmer (27 July 2010). “A Primer on Religious
Existentialism, Pt. 6: Apologetics”. christianhuman-
• Christian philosophy ist.org
• Fideism [16] Jacques Maritain (1947). Existence and the Existent: An
Essay on Christian Existentialism (Court traité de l'existence
• Jewish existentialism et de l'existent), translated by Lewis Galantiere and Gerald
B. Phelan. New York: Pantheon Books, 1948.
• Meaning (existential)

• Neo-orthodoxy
7 External links
• Postliberal theology

• Postmodern Christianity • A website that explores the existential teachings of

Jesus, with references to Kierkegaard and Tillich

6 References
[1] M.J. Eliade & C.J. Adams (1987). Encyclopedia of Reli-
gion (v.5). Macmillan Publishing Company.

[2] Søren Kierkegaard (1846). Concluding Unscientific

Postscript, authored pseudonymously as Johannes Clima-
cus.

[3] Søren Kierkegaard (1849). The Sickness Unto Death

Trans. Alastair Hannay (New York: Penguin Books,
2004), 14.

[4] Søren Kierkegaard (1849). The Sickness Unto Death

Trans. Alastair Hannay (New York: Penguin Books,
2004), 24.

[5] Donald D. Palmer (1996). Kierkegaard For Beginners.

London, England: Writers And Readers Limited. p. 25.

[6] Howard V. Hong (1983). “Historical Introduction” to

Fear and Trembling. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton
University Press, p. x.

[7] Søren Kierkegaard (1847). Works of Love. Harper &

Row, Publishers. New York, N.Y. 1962. p. 62.

[8] Lincoln Swain (2005). Five Articles, Soma: A Review of

Religion and Culture.

[9] Gordon R. Lewis (Winter 1965). “Augustine and Exis-

tentialism”. Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
8,1, pp. 13–22.

[10] Michial Farmer (6 July 2010). “A Primer on Religious

Existentialism, Pt. 4: Augustine”. christianhumanist.org

[11] Craig J. N. de Paulo, ed. (2006). The Influence of Au-

gustine on Heidegger: The Emergence of An Augustinian
Phenomenology. Lewiston: The Edwin Mellen Press.

[12] Desmond Clarke (2011). “Blaise Pascal”, Stanford Ency-

clopedia of Philosophy.
4 8 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

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