Practice in Christianity : Kierkegaard's Writings, Vol 20 [Paperback]

Soren Kierkegaard (Author), Howard V. Hong (Author), Edna H. Hong (Author)

Book Description

Series: Kierkegaard's Writings | Publication Date: October 23, 1991

Of the many works he wrote during 1848, his "richest and most fruitful year," Kierkegaard specified Practice in Christianity as "the most perfect and truest thing." In his reflections on such topics as Christ's invitation to the burdened, the imitatio Christi, the possibility of offense, and the exalted Christ, he takes as his theme the requirement of Christian ideality in the context of divine grace. Addressing clergy and laity alike, Kierkegaard asserts the need for institutional and personal admission of the accommodation of Christianity to the culture and to the individual misuse of grace. As a corrective defense, the book is an attempt to find, ideally, a basis for the established order, which would involve the order's ability to acknowledge the Christian requirement, confess its own distance from it, and resort to grace for support in its continued existence. At the same time the book can be read as the beginning of Kierkegaard's attack on Christendom. Because of the high ideality of the contents and in order to prevent the misunderstanding that he himself represented that ideality, Kierkegaard writes under a new pseudonym, Anti-Climacus.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The definitive edition of the Writings. The first volume . . . indicates the scholarly value of the entire series: an introduction setting the work in the context of Kierkegaard's development; a remarkably clear translation; and concluding sections of intelligent notes. -- Library Journal

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Danish --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 452 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press (October 23, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691020639
• ISBN-13: 978-0691020631
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #161,970 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Below the surface of modern theology, March 2, 2000

By 

Dietrich Wayne (USA, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Practice in Christianity : Kierkegaard's Writings, Vol 20 (Paperback)

To describe Kierkegaard is, to say the very least, difficult! Not that his style of writing is boring or even overly difficult. Not at all! His style is poetic, warm, and loving. Yet all the while, he makes you feel uncomfortable, leads you to questioning your faith, and often makes one angry! However, the thing that I admire most about the author and the book "Practice in Christianity", is how he has led me to recklessly look inside myself, so that I can see the the truth about who I am! In short, no other author has ever made me just "think", the way that SK has. I have read and heard much of modern theology. For me, this "modern theology" only scratches the surface of these important thoughts. SK will take your mind and heart, to spiritual depths that are thus far, undiscovered.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I had to stop reading it, October 19, 2006

By 

Rev Mike Nahas (Massena, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Practice in Christianity : Kierkegaard's Writings, Vol 20 (Paperback)

I am a minister, and although I though I was a prety good theologian, I only understood the fullest of Christ's message (if this is attainable at all) after I started reading this book.
From the beginnings, through his prayer on the first pages, it is the most brillant Christology/Soteriology ever exposed.
I had to stop reading this book because I wasn't sure that I was ready to deal with the type of feelings that I was being exposed to, and I wanted the book never to end, to be honest.
Although I am a convict Protestant, I must say that the Orthodox principle of Theosis started to make sense to me.

If you want to "get it" Christ, I would recommend this and "Works of Love".

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "..Infinite Qualitative Difference..." a Central SK Work, May 21, 2005

By 

Stanford Gibson (Davis, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Practice in Christianity : Kierkegaard's Writings, Vol 20 (Paperback)

I seldom review classical works feeling that posterity has spoken on their behalf far more weightily than I could hope to. However, I had to comment on this fantastic, underrated text. SK wrote in his journal that while he often used pseudonyms in his other works, in part, to distance himself from the ideas, in this book the pen name was employed to distance the ideas from him, feeling himself an imperfect messenger. If we have any access at all to the center of SK's program, this is it, yet it is rarely mentioned as an important work of his authorship.

There is no doubt that Either/Or, Fear and Trembling and Concluding Unscientific Postscript are all brilliant. However, Practice in Christianity deserves every bit as much attention as these works. It is a work of self disclosure calling the reader to examine the basis for their faith and confront the startling choice between imitation and offense based on the risky prospect of embracing paradox. It is also one of SK's most accessible texts that can be read devotionally. One of my favorite books ever.