Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855), little known or read outside of Denmark in his own day, has come to be widely appreciated for his affirmation of the Christian faith and his critique of the human condition. He is responsible for one of the major currents of twentieth-century thought, existentialism, which emphasizes the priority of existence over essence. Christian existentialism appropriated his insights for theology and ethics, stressing human experience, freedom, and the commitment of faith. Elements of his approach are found in Karl Barth, Paul Tillich, Emil Brunner, Rudolf Bultmann, Reinhold Niehuhr, and Karl Rahner. Kierkegaard tried to clarify for his contemporaries the nature of Christianity, stressing that no philosophical system could explain the human condition. He emphasized the subjectivity of truth and could not refrain from attacking the cold formality and indifference of the state church of his day. In this book, Dr. Duncan guides the reader critically and skillfully through Kierkegaard's life and works. Book jacket.