Christian existentialism is a theo-philosophical movement which takes anexistentialist approach to Christian theology. The school of thought is often traced back to the work of theDanish philosopher and theologianSøren Kierkegaard (1813–1855) who is widely regarded as the father of existentialism.[1]
Christian existentialism relies on Kierkegaard's understanding ofChristianity. Kierkegaard addressed themes such as authenticity, anxiety, love, and the irrationality and subjectivity of faith, rejecting efforts to contain God in an objective, logical system. To Kierkegaard, the focus of theology was on the individual grappling with subjective truth rather than a set of objective claims – a point he demonstrated by often writing under pseudonyms that had different points of view. He contended that each person must make independent choices, which then constitute his or her existence. Each person suffers from the anguish of indecision (whether knowingly or unknowingly) until committing to a way to live. Kierkegaard posited three stages of human existence: the aesthetic, the ethical, and the religious, the latter coming after what is often called the leap of faith.[citation needed] Kierkegaard argued that theuniverse is fundamentallyparadoxical, and that its greatest paradox is the transcendent union of God and humans in the person ofJesus 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 conventions is essentially a personal aesthetic choice made by individuals.[citation needed]
One of the major premises of Kierkegaardian Christian existentialismentails calling the masses back to a more genuine form of Christianity. This form is often identified with some notion ofEarly Christianity, which mostly existed during the first three centuries afterChrist's crucifixion. Beginning with theEdict of Milan, which was issued byRoman EmperorConstantine I in AD 313, Christianity enjoyed a level of popularity amongRomans and later among otherEuropeans. And yet Kierkegaard asserted that by the 19th century, the ultimate meaning ofNew Testament Christianity (love, cf.agape,mercy andloving-kindness) had become perverted, and Christianity had deviated considerably from its original threefold message of grace, humility, and love.
Another major premise of Kierkegaardian Christian existentialism involves Kierkegaard's conception of God andLove. 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 thedivine. Kierkegaard also viewed theindividual as a necessary synthesis of bothfinite andinfinite elements. Therefore, when an individual does not come to a full realization of his infinite side, he is said to be indespair. For many contemporary Christiantheologians, the notion of despair can be viewed assin. However, to Kierkegaard, a man sinned when he was exposed to this idea of despair and chose a path other than one in accordance withGod's will.
A final major premise of Kierkegaardian Christian existentialism entails the systematic undoing ofevil acts. Kierkegaard asserted that once an action had been completed, it should be evaluated in the face of God, for holding oneself up to divine scrutiny was the only way to judge one's actions. Because 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 forgoodness ultimately came down to each individual. Yet Kierkegaard also foresaw the potential limiting of choices for individuals who fell intodespair.[4]
Christian Existentialism often refers to what it calls theindirect style of Christ's teachings, which it considers to be a distinctive and important aspect of his ministry. Christ's point, it says, is often left unsaid in any particular parable or saying, to permit each individual to confront the truth on his own.[5] This is particularly evident in (but is certainly not limited to) hisparables; for example in theGospel of Matthew (Matthew 18:21–35). A good example ofindirect communication in the Old Testament is the story ofDavid andNathan in2 Samuel 12:1–14.[citation needed]
An existential reading of the Bible demands that the reader recognize that he is an existingsubject, studying the words that God communicates to him personally. This is in contrast to looking at a collection of truths which are outside and unrelated to the reader.[6] Such a reader is not obligated to follow the commandments as if an external agent is forcing them upon him, but as though they are inside him and guiding him internally. This is the task Kierkegaard takes up when he asks: "Who has the more difficult task: the teacher who lectures on earnest things a meteor's distance from everyday life, or the learner who should put it to use?"[7] Existentially speaking, the Bible doesn't become an authority in a person's life until theypermit the Bible to be their personal authority.[citation needed]
In addition toSøren Kierkegaard, Christian existentialists include German Protestant theologiansPaul Tillich, andRudolf Bultmann, American existential psychologistRollo May (who introduced much of Tillich's thought to a general American readership), British Anglican theologianJohn Macquarrie, American philosopherClifford Williams, French Catholic philosophersMaurice Blondel,Gabriel Marcel,Louis Lavelle,Emmanuel Mounier,Jacques Maritain andPierre Boutang and French ProtestantPaul Ricœur, German philosopherKarl Jaspers, Spanish philosopherMiguel de Unamuno, Russian philosophersNikolai Berdyaev andLev Shestov, and Greek Orthodoxy philosopherChristos Yannaras.Karl Barth added to Kierkegaard's ideas the notion that existential despair leads an individual to an awareness of God's infinite nature. Russian authorFyodor Dostoevsky could be placed within the tradition of Christian existentialism.[citation needed] Walker Percy, an American author from the twentieth century, gave Christian existentialist critique of contemporary society. "Walker Percy: Prophetic, Existentialist, Catholic Storyteller" (New Connections) by Rev. Robert E. Lauder (Author)
The roots of existentialism have been traced back as far asAugustine of Hippo.[8][9][10] Some of the most striking passages inPascal'sPensées, including the famous section on thewager, deal with existentialist themes.[11][12][13][14]Jacques Maritain, inExistence and the Existent: An Essay on Christian Existentialism,[15] finds the core of true existentialism in the thought ofThomas Aquinas.[citation needed]
In the monograph,Existential Theology: An Introduction (2020), Hue Woodson provides a constructive primer to the field and, he argues, thinkers that can be considered more broadly as engaging with existential theology, defining a French school includingGabriel Marcel,Jacques Maritain, andJean-Luc Marion,[16] a German school includingFriedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling,Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, andDietrich Bonhoeffer,[17] and a Russian school includingFyodor Dostoyevsky,Leo Tolstoy, andNikolai Berdyaev.[18]
It has been claimed that radical existential Christians’ faith is based in their sensible and immediate and direct experience of God indwelling in human terms.[19] It is suggested that individuals do not make or create their Christian existence; it does not come as a result of a decision one personally makes. The radical Protestants of the 17th century, like theQuakers, may have been in some ways theo-philosophically aligned with radical existential Christianity.[citation needed]
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