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Provocations: Spiritual Writings of Kierkegaard Paperback – September 22, 2014

by Søren Kierkegaard (Author), Charles E. Moore (Editor)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 112 ratings
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The most accessible Kierkegaard reader ever

“In a culture awash in religious silliness, Kierkegaard’s bracing metaphors expose our mediocrities and energize us with a clarified sense of what it means to follow Jesus.” –Eugene Peterson, author, Subversive Spirituality

Provocations contains a little of everything from Kierkegaard’s prodigious output: his famously cantankerous (yet wryly humorous) attacks on what he calls the “mediocre shell” of conventional Christianity, his brilliantly pithy parables, his wise (and witty) sayings.

Most significantly, it brings to a new generation a man whose writings pare away the fluff of modern spirituality to reveal the basics of the Christ-centered life: decisiveness, obedience, and recognition of the truth.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    459 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Plough Publishing House
  4. Publication date
    September 22, 2014
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 1 x 8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    087486643X
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0874866438
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

By far the best introduction to Kierkegaard that I have seen. -- Vernard Eller,

In a culture awash in religious silliness, Kierkegaard’s bracing metaphors expose our mediocrities and energize us with a clarified sense of what it means to follow Jesus. -- Eugene Peterson, author of Subversive Spirituality

Kierkegaard has taught me, moved me, perplexed me, and always provoked my thinking in new directions. I’m delighted to see his work in such an accessible form. -- Philip Yancey

A treasure chest of powerful insights…Those who do not already know Kierkegaard will surely be led by these selections to read the whole works from which they are taken. -- C. Stephen Evans, Calvin College

About the Author

Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855), the Danish philosopher and theologian, is regarded as a father of modern existentialism. His works include Either/Or, Philosophical Fragments, and Works of Love.

Charles E. Moore is a member of the Bruderhof community. He writes for Plough Quarterly and has compiled and edited several acclaimed books, including Called to Community: The Life Jesus Wants for His People; Provocations: Spiritual Writings of Kierkegaard; Everyone Belongs to God: Discovering the Hidden Christ; and Bearing Witness: Stories of Martyrdom and Costly Discipleship.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Plough Publishing House (September 22, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 459 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 087486643X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0874866438
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 112 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Soren Kierkegaard

    Soren Kierkegaard

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    Soren Aabye Kierkegaard (1813-1855) was a 19th century Danish philosopher and theologian, generally recognized as the first existentialist philosopher.

    Photo by Neils Christian Kierkegaard [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Charles E. Moore

    Charles E. Moore

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    I am a follower of Jesus (or I try to be), live in community with fellow seekers at the Bruderhof, own nothing, and convinced that God’s ultimate will is to establish his peaceable kingdom on earth. I am married and have done many things: taught philosophy, theology, and ethics; edited books and written articles for Plough; mentored teens and young adults; and helped establish several small intentional communities.

    I believe Christ calls his followers to seek first God’s kingdom and his justice together. It is through our following Jesus faithfully together that God is transforming and reconciling all things in Christ. Our faith cannot remain merely personal or spiritual.

    I enjoy reading, philosophy, connecting people, learning from those I disagree with, hiking above timberline, woodworking, playing with children, eating seafood, painting houses, throwing a football, bad puns, doing skits, log cabins, and savoring a glass of wine with friends around a fire.

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
112 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Rodger E. Broome
5.0 out of 5 stars A Monumental Sanctifying Collection
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2017
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While written centuries ago, this is probably one of the most important Christian works for contemporary Christianity. Kierkegaard's message about the difference between spirituality (inwardness) and religion (human behaviors and expressions) is a timeless one. These essays provoke one to reflect on his or her relationship with the Divine, his or her own life's authenticity, and faith versus knowledge. A strength of this collection of essays is that they are very brief, full of meaning, and give one a lot to ponder. One can read one or two essays and then spend time really digesting and ruminating on what Kierkegaard was provoking him or her to meditate on. I find them great for personal devotions. If one belongs to a "commercial" style mega church or really enjoys the sweet writings of televangelists who write books commingling positive psychology with Scripture, then Provocations will shake his or her faith to seek a deeper connection with God. Kierkegaard will challenge any theologian too.

This is just a fantastic work and good medicine for the soul. These essays are not for bringing a non-believer to Christ because it is not intended to bring one to a justification by grace alone through faith alone; That is the work of the Gospel. Rather, these are sanctifying essays for the confessional Christian.
9 people found this helpful
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Teacher
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2021
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Well organized, good selection of Kierkegaard's writings. Of course, SK would hate this way of presenting his work! Nevertheless, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
One person found this helpful
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Matthew Grant McDaniel
5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensable for the Kierkegaard lover
Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2014
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I have dedicated a few years of my life to Kierkegaard's writings, in various undergrad and graduate level philosophy/theology courses. So I understand first-hand the intricate attention required to fully appreciate the aims and motivations of his authorship.

I first came across Provocations, compiled by Charles E. Moore, as a free PDF download --free, and yet so valuable. Being able to Ctrl+F search through the text for relevant material was when the sheer utility of this book truly hit me. This book makes Kierkegaard accessible to everyone. Period. That makes it an achievement all by itself.

Having said that, I readily admit the danger in reducing SK's body of work into chunks of quotable aphorisms and excerpts (even as pithy and awesomely sharp as he was). But I am willing to sacrifice a bit of the hermenutical depth for the every-man if it means the many can quickly interact with gems that have otherwise taken a few scholars generations to sift through the rich soil of SK's journals and works to discover.

Bottom line: this book is awesome, in the most strict sense of the term. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
20 people found this helpful
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B. Marold
4.0 out of 5 stars Great quotes, but not from the heart of Kierkegaard's thought.
Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2013
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The trick with any book is to accurately identify its audience. In a way, I agree with the reviewer who only gave it one star when he said it does not represent the heart of Kierkegaard's thought, which was deep, highly convoluted argumentation and psychological insights which could make your head hurt in trying to unravel them. Just try reading the relatively short book "Fear and Trembling" and you will soon be rereading sentences and paragraphs to get a handle on exactly what Kierkegaard meant.

But, that is not the only side of Kierkegaard's works. Of all the philosophers of the 19th century, Kierkegaard is probably second only to Freidrich Nietzsche in the number of non-philosophers and non-theologians who actually read their works. Kierkegaard certainly knew how to state an insight in a lapel-grabbing way, and make you stop and think. And, there are a large number of people who have no interest in going any further. They may be the people who often need a catchy quote to decorate a weekly blog or what have you. For those, this is a perfect book.

While they are not listed along with the quotes themselves, which is noisome at best, there are notes which indicate from which of Kierkegaard's writings these quotes come. That reveals one positive and one negative aspect of the quotes. The positive side is that many come from Kierkegaard's journals, which may not be easy to locate outside a large university library. The negative side is exactly the same. Kierkegaard's journals are not easily accessible, so if one were inclined, it would be hard to locate Kierkegaard's context. But, if context is of no interest to you, you are home free.

For a scholar, context is everything. Therefore, this is at best an index to where Kierkegaard spoke about the topics under which the quotes are listed.
21 people found this helpful
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Omnimark
5.0 out of 5 stars String of Pearls
Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2022
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Finding each profound thought from so many sources the author has brought them together in clarity and completeness. Grateful for this labor of love that has brought out as a display of wealth.
One person found this helpful
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JP
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent compilation of wisdom
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2018
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I picked this up because I like how Kierkegaard writes on faith. This book actually helped me to cope with OCD (a form of anxiety). It provides some brilliant analysis on love, faith, integrity, suffering, forgiveness, and authenticity. He definitely holds a hostile view to organized religion, but, in general, this does not detract from the wisdom of his words.
2 people found this helpful
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Faith is an action
5.0 out of 5 stars to love is to obey
Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2016
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All that can be said about this book is that this is the place where words come to life. Kierkegaard pushes and pulls us away from the mundaneness of custom and tradition. He urgently urges us to live as individuals in a world where the crowd corrupts freedom. Unlike contemporary teachers and preachers, Kierkegaard begs us to read the Bible afresh, to read it as if it were speaking directly to us. This collection of of quotes can be summarized simply: to love is to obey, and to obey is to love. Existential faith is always superior to mere mental (or imaginative) faith. As Bonhoeffer put it, only the obeyer believes and only the believer obeys.
3 people found this helpful
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@hughwhite
5.0 out of 5 stars Great devotional resource
Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2015
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I use the short articles in the last half of the book as part of my morning devotions. These articles are the most inspirational and thought-provoking deep thoughts about God I have ever encountered. Kierkegaard's Christian thinking and writing will take you to deep places that will inspire you to think deeply and beautifully about our great God.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Ashtree
5.0 out of 5 stars Very powerful, inspirational stuff!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 24, 2011
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I've always heard that Kierkegaard is an almost impossible-to-understand writer - for most ordinary folks anyway. If that's true, then this book is a spectacularly successful attempt to create a 'Kierkegaard for Dummies', because even *I* could understand it.

It's a long time since I read a book that had me so continually muttering, 'yes... YES!' and that made me want to bang my fist on the arm of the chair and then jump up and down shouting 'Exactly!!! RIGHT!!!' (er, I didn't do any of this - it tends to attract odd looks from other passengers in the bus... But I wanted to)

In a nutshell, Kierkegaard's big 'thing' is that religion must be personal - in the sense that it engages the whole person, not just the intellect. It's something you DO, not just a statement of belief to be intellectually accepted. Reading the New Testament isn't an intellectual exercise, it's a terrifying risk, because you don't know where it might lead you.

The New Testament, he says, 'is a handbook for those who are to be sacrificed.'

'If God's word is merely a doctrine, then it is no mirror... While reading God's word you must incessantly say to yourself: It is *I* to whom it is speaking; it is *I* about whom it is speaking.'

'When Christianity entered the world, people were not Christians, and the difficulty was to become a Christian. Nowadays the difficulty in becoming a Christian is that one must cease to be a 'Christian''

And so on. If any of the above quotes strike a chord with you, you might like to check this book out. It's demanding stuff, not in the intellectual sense, but in the demanding challenges it throws out about how we live our lives (and live our faith).

And yet at times it's also laugh-out-loud funny - in the way that some comedians make us laugh by describing everyday life and making us see it for the first time.

Definitely recommended!
10 people found this helpful
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Kate Silverman
5.0 out of 5 stars What it means to be a true "Christian" and I'm terrified of organised religion
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 15, 2014
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This book will take me many re-readings. It is profoundly challenging in the sense that it makes the reader think deeply about what Kierkegaard saw as being spiritual corruption. It has allowed me to put into my own words my personal belief in the sanctity of life, and the profound suffering involved in being an individual in the true sense of the word. To stand alone, to stand up for what you believe, to see through all the greed, group minds and manipulations that exist in the way we conceive of "the sacred". To be militant and strong and non-violent and ruthless and determined to live a life based on love, tenderness, joy, inner peace and gratitude for the chance to be here at all. Read it - it will free you from delusion and madness.
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Finbarr Butler
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 28, 2016
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Excellemnt compilation onthe wriitngs on the writing of Soren Kiekegaard
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RichardHug
4.0 out of 5 stars A good introduction to Kierkegaard
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 9, 2012
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I am a great lover of Kierkegaard, and have tried to introduce him to my father and brother before now, but they always find him dense and off-putting. One approach is books about Kierkegaard by others, but these I have found to be as dull as they are clear.

'Provocations' is the answer. It is a collection of extracts from Kierkegaards own writing, but carefully edited and picked to be him at his clearest. Both my brother and father enjoyed it, and found it clear. I myself felt that it gave a pretty good idea where he's coming from. The book clearly sets out where all the extracts are taken from, so it makes a great jumping off point to his books.
2 people found this helpful
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