Provocations: Spiritual Writings

Kierkegaard has to be one of the most consistently insightful authors I have ever read. To that end, Provocations is an indispensable collection of his religious writings. His comments are so profound, so searching, so sharp and biting, that it is impossible to read this book as a Christian and not feel at once challenged to admit your own hypocrisy. As you read his critique of Christendom, I guarantee you will find yourself saying, 'Yes, that is me. I am like that.' But its not all negative. He points to the vanity and hypocrisy of Christendom with a view to show what true Christianity is all about. I haven't yet come across anything in Kierkegaard where I've said that he is wrong. This is perhaps the most thought-provoking book in my library. A must have.

...and then you will know the reality of grace." p 254 Kierkegaard is too good to miss. Unfortunately his writings were so copious and obscured under the cloak of pseudonyms that many people give up before they begin to mine the riches of his work. Moore has finally provided an accessible distillation of his work in this topical compilation. There are 98 topics (e.g. doubt, love, faith/reason, despair, risk, passion...) which either contain single, important passages or a series of quotes from various works. I often found myself laughing out loud. Unlike many Kierkegaard scholars who insist on anachronistically viewing him through his twentieth century French interpreters, Moore has a sense for passions, wit and contributions of the Danish philosopher. A caution: SK out of context can often be misinterpreted since he usually speaks in a voice not his own, intended to incite passionate response. However, I would still highly recommend it to anyone who has either a deep interest or a passing curiosity in Kierkegaard or a passionate, authentic life of action in general. (Note: the text of this is also available in a free, searchable pdf on-line).

This is a book that will wrestle with your soul at the deepest level, yet it is written in language that will deal with your mind in the most simple terms, without demanding you to take a leap of arcane philosophical knowledge. Here is Kierkegaard for all of us: the philosopher who holds a mirror to one's innermost being and at the same time aims a Hubble telescope right at God. One way or another, this book is bound to change your life.

Where to begin studying Kierkegaard? Start with "Works of Love"! But for a generalist overview of his work, to gain a sense of the scope of Kierkegaard's vastly prodigious work as an author, to be introduced in a more thematic way to the thoughts of this thinker, start with "Provocations" (which I prefer to the Brentall anthology because it tends to weave a sense of the main burdens of SK into the fabric of the selections).I am also happy to say that this work reads more easily than some of the earlier renditions of SK, especially for U.S. readers of the new century.

Soren Kirkegaard can be difficult to understand. This book presents Kirkegaard's writings in their essense in a way that is easy to read and comprehend. This book can be used as a devotional due to the format.