Shows / Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
"The Father of Existentialism" Danish writer, poet, philosopher, and Christian thinker Soren Kierkegaard, has much to teach us about our lives. Join me weekly as we take on his writings and think about how his brilliant and profound insights illuminate our way in a complicated and confusing world. I contribute a considerable amount of my own processing of Soren’s ideas and add my own personal experiences. As Soren would wish his readers to do. This is spiritual insight and truth for the real…
Episodes
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
Candor Before God
"Admit candidly before God how it stands with him, so that he might accept the Grace which is offered to everyone, who is imperfect, that is everyone." Soren…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
The Nice Human God?
"He will not suffer Himself to be transformed to a nice...human God: He will transform men and women and that He wills out of Love." Soren Kierkegaard.
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
There Exists Only One Sickness, Sin
Jesus liberates the Believer from sin. Sin is hard labor, subjecting the soul to a burden we cannot bear in time and particularly, in eternity. Soren was no…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
EXTRA: The Matter of Suicide
My buddy Jeremiah (the actor) and I talked about a film this morning. The Shrinking Man. And the lesson thereof. I matter, you matter, more than matter. God…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
No Gold & Green Gardens
The crowd became bitter and disillusioned with Jesus because He failed to conform to their vision of the Messiah.
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
All Cats Are Grey In The Dark
What are we to make of Jesus stating that He is God? Are not all such claims shrouded in darkness making all claims to Deity grey? Soren writes that it is…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
The Expected One
Soren writes that Jesus was/is the Expected One. Who was so Unexpected!
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
Bonus Meanderings About Christendom
This bonus episode was supposed to be THE episode today until my phone alarm went off at 7:00 AM. Rather than chuck it, listen to it if you like my meanderings…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
Nowhere To Lay His Head
Soren riffs on the idea that Jesus, had nowhere to lay His head, and that being the case, how could He offer rest? Can God truly be homeless? The answer is…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
Take My Hand
I used the song "Drowning Man" by U2 to show the profound difference between Christendom, which is some Dialectical System of Principles which have made…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
He Is The Paradox
As Soren writes in today's reading: "He humbled Himself and was swaddled in rags." The God-Man is a paradox and Faith in Him is not the result of mere…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
It Is The Lowly One Who Speaks
Kierkegaard strongly affirms that until Christ returns in glory, Christians are called to live as he did. In humility. For in humility, we will find rest for…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
He Opens His Arms
"He (Jesus) went, in sooth, the infinitely long way from being God to becoming a man, and that way, He went in search of sinners." The Grace of God. The Weight…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
Here Is Rest!
Rituals and Religious Observances often become part of the problem rather than providing any relief. They are fine in their place but no amount of ritual and…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
What Prodigious Multiplicity
"Oh, wonderful! That it is this very Helper who invites all." So Soren writes of Jesus, who says, "Abide with Me, for in abiding with Me there is rest."
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
I Will Give You Rest
Soren begins "Training In Christianity" with an exposition of the verse where Jesus promises to give rest, to those who are heavily burdened. As the Suffering…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
General Introduction to "Training In Christianity."
Today we finish the General Introduction. Hooray! My voice had a frog in it all podcast that I could not shake. Just a head's up. Soren was emphatic that he…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
Preface & General Introduction By Walter Lowrie
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…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
Soren's Life: Part II
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…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
Soren's Life: A Timeline
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."…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
Training In Christianity
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…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
I Am Not A Teacher, But Call Myself A Learner
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…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
18 Upbuilding Discourses
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!…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
Prays Against...Himself
Soren writes, "So the struggle goes...his prayer calls on God for help against himself." The greatest enemy is yourself.
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
The One Who Prays Aright
Soren writes, "The one whose calm eyes seek only God...this inwardness is guarded as a sacred fire within a person."
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
God Is The Unchanging
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…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
The Quiet Pursuit of Peace
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…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
Must Will The Good
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…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
A Conciliatory Spirit
Soren writes that a conciliatory spirit is the hardest revenge. "The worst punishment for insults is to forget them." Losing is winning.
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
Share With God
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…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
That He Is Nothing
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…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
Power, Love, and Self-Control
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…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
An Even and Calm Progress
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…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
Deliberation and Decisive Action
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…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
In The Year 2025
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!
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
The Good, The Truly Great, and Noble
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…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
Five Books That I Am Reading
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…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
Pride & Cowardliness
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…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
When The Evening Of Life Cools
Soren writes that "That even the progress through life for the most honest contender is difficult" and fear/cowardliness "Gnaws asunder the chain of…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
Against Cowardliness
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…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
The Past & The Future
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…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
The Thralldom of Temporality
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…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
Sorrow & Comfort
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…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
Don't Have Too Many Moments To Waste On Worldly Sorrow
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…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
Lancaster City Hygge
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…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
The Greenwood of Expectancy and the Withered Splendor of Fulfillment
First things first... So, I have changed the picture that fronts the podcast. I also have changed the category from "Christianity" to "Philosophy." Both…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
Copenhagen Bierkergaard
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…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
Thorn In The Flesh
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…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
Had Patience & Gained Calmness Through Trust In God
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…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
God Is With Him At Night When Sleep Refreshes
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…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
Everything Can Come To Nothing
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…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
Is Not That Kind of Losing A Winning?
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."…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
To Become Nothing Seems Hard
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…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
We Are Capable Of Nothing At All
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…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
All Our Sufferings Are Brief And Short
God's grace even makes our sufferings brief and short.
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
Be Contented With The Grace Of God
Soren reminds us of that Scripture verse that "Godliness with contentment is great gain." So it is first Grace, then Godliness, then Contentment.
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
To Need God Is A Human Beings Highest Perfection
Soren reminds us that with God, one does not need a lot for a contented life.
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
The Soft Breeze of Self-Denying Joy
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…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
The Sun Descending
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…
- Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard
Background on John the Baptist
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.”