Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) was a writer and philosopher in Denmark, who thought official Christianity had become too complacent. His goal as a writer was the “inward deepening of Christianity.” While he gained some popularity, he also received scorn, including being mocked in the local newspaper. Here are a few of his quotes:
“Simply because I have from the beginning understood Christianity to be inwardness and my task to be the inward deepening of Christianity, I have scrupulously seen to it that not a passage, not a sentence, not a line, not a word, not a letter has slipped in suggesting a proposal for external change.”
“The merely human idea of self-denial is this: give up your self-loving desires, cravings, and plans—then you will be esteemed and honoured and loved as righteous and wise. The Christian idea of self-denial is: give up your self-loving desires and cravings, give up your self-seeking plans and purposes so that you truly work unselfishly for the good—and then, for that very reason, put up with being abominated almost as a criminal, insulted and ridiculed.”
“An authentic Christian truth-witness is a person who in poverty witnesses for the truth, is so unappreciated, hated, detested, so mocked, insulted, laughed to scorn.”
These quotes come from Philosopher of the Heart: The Restless Life of Søren Kierkegaard, which is an excellent introduction to his life and thought.
After graduating from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, I served as a high school Bible teacher in Asia. I enjoy traveling, writing, and playing the drums. For a deep dive into church history and the character of God, see my book Surprised by Hell.