Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard

Worked through the Preface and began the General Introduction today for Training In Christianity. It has been an interesting review of the background of this last book written by Kierkegaard.

We are almost finished reviewing the timeline of Soren's life including the writing and publication of "Training In Christianity." Soren writes, "What is able thus to inspire individuals to sacrifice everything, to venture life and blood, must be truth. This is the proof which is adduced for the truth of Christianity."

Well, thought I might be able to get through the summary timeline of Soren's life as written by Walter Lowrie in his translation of "Training In Christianity." This book was the final tome Kierkegaard wrote in his lifetime so it is very useful and interesting to review the progression of his life and literary career chronologically. Hopefully, we can finish up the timeline next week and see how this book was a fitting conclusion to his writings.

This week and next week we will get into the backstory of this book as well as review a timeline of Soren's life, his book publishing dates, and the events that contributed to his writings. This episode is not a reading line by line of the Introduction and Preface type of materials. Just selected quotes. I may decide to do this selected quotes approach of his remaining books because there are far too many books to read line by line for me to finish them with the current approach. I am still weighing this. Reminder that you can join the Bierkergaard Facebook Group and follow me on X and the IG. Just search Bierkergaard.

Soren called himself "One without authority." He had considered the pastorate but felt God's call to be a writer. So, the Upbuilding Discourses were first for him. To uplift himself and perhaps also the series of the "single individuals" who'd glean spiritual benefit from his writings and whom he called "My readers." His goal: "Introducing Christianity to Christendom." The Supplemental notes that we finished up today provide a glimpse into the insults he endured, the struggles he had with prayer, and other things. Including running out of money. We are officially finished the 18 Upbuilding Discourses and will now take on "Training in Christianity." Added some music to the Intro and will change the thumbnail picture for the podcast after this final episode of Season 3 is posted. Each Season is a book and most Episodes are reading through that given book. The thumbnail picture will show that. The books are the focus and guests are secondary. It is the only way we will get through all of his books. Remember, in the end, Soren wanted to be known as a poet. To present and express the faith in his own unique literary manner. "I call myself a learner." That is how the book ends. To be a teacher, one first must be a learner.

Selected entries from Kierkegaard's Journals and Papers pertaining to 18 Upbuilding Discourses. I thought I could finish it off today. Alas, one more week! After next week we'll be moving on to "Training In Christianity."

Soren writes, "So the struggle goes...his prayer calls on God for help against himself." The greatest enemy is yourself.

Soren writes, "The one whose calm eyes seek only God...this inwardness is guarded as a sacred fire within a person."

Soren writes, "Even though He does not fulfill every wish, He still lives closer to us and is moved by the strugglers cry." God may answer "No" to our prayer as it is not in accordance with His will. No is an answer. Yet, He hears us. Draw comfort from that.

Soren writes that we "Win By Losing" in prayer. We let go of our will and pray for God's will. Peace is at a premium in this world and the way to have it is to lay down all manipulation, probability, and scheming.

The purpose of prayer is to will the good. To want what God wants. Today I used the line from Kierkegaard "Don't be a Reward-Hungry Sensate Person" as the basis for my rant. And it is rant, yet not fly-off-the-handle rant, but a reflection of where we are at as a culture. Kierkegaard gives us the insight to be better than our culture. Being just like our adversaries makes us no better than them.

Soren writes that a conciliatory spirit is the hardest revenge. "The worst punishment for insults is to forget them." Losing is winning.

Soren writes in this Upbuilding Discourse, "The turbulence of life which carries the child and the youth earlier and earlier out into the pandemonium, gather them into the vociferous crowd or make them vociferous." Sounds like social media. And us adults are no better. Prefer to make your resolutions in silence with God. Keep the crowd out of it. At least that is my takeaway. There is a time to speak up. It takes wisdom to know when to be silent and when to speak.

Soren writes that when we come to the understanding that we are nothing without God, that we need God in order to please God, that is the path to becoming a profitable servant.

Jim Murphy, in his book "Inner Excellence", writes in the Preface that "Self-centeredness is the root cause of all fear." Being cowardly is not of God who desires that we be of good courage. If we are overly fearful, chances are we are focused on ourselves and not God and the good he wants us to experience. * The book is the one that A.J. Brown was reading on the sidelines during the playoff game with the Packers. The book went from being ranked 500,000 and then some to Number 1 on Amazon. In a week.

Soren writes, " Resolution has the winsome faculty of concerning itself with the little things." We may not have a lot of talent, money, time, etc. Or we may have a lot. What we have, God wants. Whether it is a little or a lot. And better to give all of a little than little of a lot.

Soren writes, "Besides all its other good qualities, the good, the truly great and noble, has the quality of not allowing the observer to be indifferent. It elicits a pledge, as it were, from the person who has at once caught a vision of it."

This sounds like some type of 1960's Hippie song. A bit of a travelogue. Keep the holiday season full of good cheer. Live life forwards my good people!

When our decisions are based on God' will, this imparts courage. It doesn't mean that we don't have fear but the confidence gives us courage to carry on. A peaceful conscience is a great gift. I end the podcast with a reading of ChatGPT's AI response to Soren's reflection on Bierkergaard and a little "Shop Local" illustration of the Incarnation. Remember the Reason for the Season.

This episode is me sharing the 5 books that I am reading. 4 are Kierkegaard-focused. One is sort of. The last one, which I just got but not reading yet, is about the worldly effectiveness of Stoicism in addressing both the adversities and joys of life. Yet, It has little hope of eternity and a better world. Share the podcast on social media, write a review on your podcast platform, and reach out on the X for Bierkergaard. And get a review of social media firestorm I created and have been caught in the last 18 or so hours minus sleep. I have no agenda but the truth. So help me God.

Soren writes that pride and cowardliness are the same. The focus on self and not God seems to be the underlying similarity. "The proud person always wants to do the right thing, the great thing, and he is actually struggling not with people, but God" because he wants to do it in his own power. Doing so can also make us fearful because it is all about us. A lot of us is vulnerable when we attempt great things. When we dedicate our efforts to honor God, that self-focus dissipates. We leave the results to him and do not look for affirmation, applause, and attention, from others-particularly the fickle crowd. Those things are wonderful if we receive them. It just can't be the reason why we do it to start with. That is what Soren calls the "Reward Disease."

Soren writes that "That even the progress through life for the most honest contender is difficult" and fear/cowardliness "Gnaws asunder the chain of resolution." So, facing that life is, to one degree or another, difficult for everyone helps us make difficulties normative. And cope with them. When the evening comes, let us say that we continued to walk in the day of difficulties even though it might have been hard. Complaining about the difficulties does nothing to put us on the path of progress. Cope or Mope. Therapeutic culture can trap people in the pain of their past. Face it, cry if you need to, then wipe your tears,and start to walk anew. God is with you. Remember: Jesus is well-acquainted with suffering.

The Apostle Paul writes to younger Timothy in 2nd Timothy 1:7 that "God did not give us a spirit of cowardliness but a spirit of power and of love and of self-control." Soren sees an "Abundance of intentions and a poverty of action" and "One becoming so high-flying in resolution that one forgets to walk" as evidence of being cowardly. The goal is progress, not perfection. Crawl if you must, just creep in the right direction. There is genius in small beginnings. So start. Dream big, just remember it starts with small steps.

Soren writes, "It (the past) becomes quieter, it becomes gentle, it becomes sad." The Apostle always remembered who he was before he was called by Jesus. A persecutor of the early Church. He didn't live in the past but neither did he forget it. Soren advises that it is good to not look back too often while on the good path. Neither is it wise to be anxious about the future by looking ahead too often in terms of possibility; it makes time go agonizingly slow. As "anxiety borrows strength from the future." Above all, the Apostle Paul's Thorn in the Flesh "reminds us that the highest life also has its sufferings." The takeaway is to learn from the past and prepare for the future. Don't live there.

Thralldom is a noun that means "the state of being under the control of another person or being enslaved." Paul's Thorn in the Flesh was something that tethered him to the passing world. But, as a result, he also looked up with the revelation that God was giving him. So, the thorn was used for good as it made Paul not dependent on the world. But, to transcend the allure and the pride of temporality. Adversity can be our friend, building an eternal weight of character. If you can avoid adversity rightly, do so. But, if you cannot, assume God is permitting it for a higher purpose. That you may not know or ever know. Even in glory.

Soren writes of the Apostle Paul's "Thorn In The Flesh" pouring "All of the agony into the brevity of the moment." This episode explores the existence of pain and joy in the same cup. And the more God uses us for His purposes, the more we may suffer.

Soren in developing his Upbuilding Discourse on Paul's "Thorn in the Flesh" reminds us, his readers, that we "Don't Have Too Many Moments To Waste On Worldly Sorrow." In light of eternity, they are brief and passing. The Apostle Paul is seen by many as a deluded impostor who had a selfish and egotistical scheme to create a new religion based on the teachings of an executed rabbi from Nazareth. A backwater town. Which resulted in the Apostle Paul enduring hardships like his Lord. Sounds like a bad deal unless it is actually true. The thorn in the flesh seems particularly harrowing and painful. And was sent and allowed by God to keep Paul humble in light of the exceedingly great revelation he had received from the risen Jesus. As a companion to the podcast, I'll be posting some thoughts about my Copenhagen trip recently here: https://bierkergaard.blogspot.com/

My buddies and I were blessed to be able to hang around a fire with Sune from Copenhagen, Denmark. Where we were able to practice "Hygge" which is a Danish word for comfort/cozy. It is the intro for the other episode for today. We had an interesting night discussing the US presidential election and related matters as well some of the issues in Denmark. We were eating Brats, drinking my Homebrew Belgian Triple with Lavender, and a couple of us smoking pipes and being professorial. And hanging out with Rue the dog who is one of the kindest canines I know.

First things first... So, I have changed the picture that fronts the podcast. I also have changed the category from "Christianity" to "Philosophy." Both changes seem to fit more of where the podcast is and where I want it to be. Me standing next to one of the two Soren Kierkegaard statues in Copenhagen embodies my goal of staying close to his legacy and his writings. Christ at the center. Philosophy means "Lover of Wisdom" and how Christianity has lost its wisdom to a degree these days in an exchange for a bowl of political lentils/stew like Esau is disheartening. We have sold our birthright to fill our carnal hunger for power and other nefarious appetites (revenge, etc). As an aside, I was struggling in the episode to remember what "Philo" meant in the Greek. It means love. Sophia means wisdom. This episode continues to build on the Upbuilding Discourse on the Apostle Paul's "Thorn in the Flesh." An excruciating and chronic pain that Paul had in his body. In looking at the Greek word translated as "thorn"actually means "stake" and it is an instrument designed for torture. Chronic pain will splinter our worldly dreams of personal peace and prosperity, what Francis Schaeffer called the two idols of American Evangelicals. The Cross tells us that God himself took the stake on our behalf. God can use our worldly brokenness (the withered splendor of fulfillment) to bring a greenwood and eternal hope to us and others. Where do we place our hope?

Yes, my good friends in the podcast universe, I am back from Copenhagen where I walked around 70 miles retracing Soren's steps. And endured the thorn of flying to Europe and back as a 6'8" man in a 5'10" world. The Big Man got a bit broken and then blessed in Copenhagen. Like one of those delicious rolls that come out of Danish ovens. Sometimes we want to put the blessing before the brokenness but I don't think that is how it always works. Sometimes it goes the other way.

I go on a major riff on my trip today to Copenhagen, talking about matters of such things. And, some personal reflection on my pain of over 40 years with my knee and head. Finally, we end with Soren's first paragraph of the Upbuilding Discourse "Thorn In The Flesh" and how the term is torn from its biblical context and used lightly and superficially to refer almost anything that doesn't go our way. Even the trivial. This verse was certainly about a serious matter and we need to see it in that light and what God may be saying to us through Paul's awful physical infirmity. That when he is weak (Paul), Jesus is strong. One who endured the thorns and Cross for us.

Soren assures the Christian that the peace of God is only through God himself. Our trust in his goodness towards us provides patience and calmness.Pray for me as I head to Copenhagen next week to walk where Soren walked. I'll see if I have the time to do an episode next Wednesday before I depart. The week after is likely going to have to wait as I will be flying back to the States.

Soren observes that people can go to church and not experience God. At all. As if God is not there. Yet, the Christian has God in him and with him all of the time.

Can we, like the Apostle Paul, "Boast in our weakness?" That is a spiritual confession that frees us to accept God's grace. Some discussion of outward observance vs. inward obedience is explored. Too often outward observance actually works against accepting God's grace. Like we can do it on our own.

In this section of the Upbuilding Discourse of "Needing God" the deeper self counsels the first self that 'Even in this moment, everything can be changed." Soren does not want his readers to place their hope on the inconstancy of the external world. He likens us to children who can be swayed by a trinket of externality and thus forget our need for God. He wants us to lose that first self to find our deeper self.

Jesus says that without him, we can do nothing. That is to try and make ourselves right with God without him. Becoming nothing is freeing. All of our strivings, efforts, fruitless chasing of the wind. Rest in him. What seems hard makes life less difficult.

We are capable of nothing at all in regards to earning God's favor. It is by Grace alone by Faith alone. We are capable of nothing "Until the fire of God's love ignites the blaze."

God's grace even makes our sufferings brief and short.

Soren reminds us of that Scripture verse that "Godliness with contentment is great gain." So it is first Grace, then Godliness, then Contentment.

Soren reminds us that with God, one does not need a lot for a contented life.

It is very freeing to be decreased. We can fly through the incarcerating iron bars of the world when we are not saddled with the inordinate self and its suffocating desires.

When John the Baptist said "He must increase and I must decrease" it wasn't mere words. He acted on it immediately. And began decreasing. And in prison, he became discouraged and needed Jesus to affirm that he was indeed the Christ.

Today I do a 20 minute intro about John the Baptist. We'll do a full episode next week about “He Must Increase and I Must Decrease.”

OK, I couldn't resist spoofing the Aussie Band popular in the U.S. back in the day “Men At Work.” Today's episode is with my Australian friend Ryan Ross who I have come to know through our mutual affection for Soren Kierkegaard. We talk about a lot of topics including Philosophical Fragments, Leap of Faith, Knight of Faith, and Love. Plus, a reference to Ultimate Frisbee which was totally unexpected. Thanks Ryan for being an encouragement to me with the podcast. You are a cool dude. Besides that weird accent. Ha-ha.

Soren writes, “As soon as a human being is born, he begins to die.” That awareness grants us the understanding of how our time is limited in duration in this world. And point to He whose increase is ours in eternity if we put our hopes in Him.

Soren writes to remind us that salvation is all grace lest any person boast. It is His work and His way. We receive.

“Every person has heaven's salvation only by the grace and mercy of God.” That's the Gospel.

Soren writes, “Heaven's salvation is and still remains the settlement that settles everything.”

Having an expectancy of an eternal salvation protects us from the prey of temporality.

Heaven's salvation has an eternal overweight. Experience, of course, understands weights and measures. Only heaven's salvation knows how to comfort beyond all measure.

Spotify announced it is ending its podcast creation and editing platform tonight at midnight. It will still host podcasts. Spotify now has a collaboration with an application called Riverside which is “supposed” to provide the platform for the creating and editing functions of podcasts and then to then post episodes into Spotify and other podcasting platforms like Apple and etc. As I mention in this episode, Spotify and Riverside appear to be having tech glitches with the two not working together as they should right now. Hopefully, they'll iron out the issues but that is out of my control. So, if my podcast on Wednesday is not posted, it is likely going to be because of tech problems that are not within my domain to fix. Stay tuned and thanks again for listening!