Kierkegaard Trumping Trump: Divinity Resurrecting Democracy - Softcover

Thompson, Curtis L.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1532686862 ISBN 13: 9781532686863

Publisher: Wipf and Stock, 2019

Synopsis

We are now becoming numbed by the outrageous events taking place within the political arena of our country. Throughout our nation, the division between factions continues to hold firm. The issue of how movement toward reconciliation can occur has become ever more pressing. Nothing short of our democracy is at stake. This book looks to the writings of the nineteenth-century Danish religious philosopher Søren Kierkegaard as a resource for thinking in fresh ways about how the divine power of creative transformation is at work in the world. Through divinity’s empowering of our practices in relating to others, democracy can be resurrected to a new, healthy life.
Six important themes from Kierkegaard’s thought are used to do a comparative examination of Donald Trump together with his world and Kierkegaard and his world. The story of this standoff—between one of the world’s most famous and well-publicized figures and one of the world’s greatest thinkers—constitutes a compelling investigation and presents quite a contrast. Uncovered in the storytelling process of Kierkegaard trumping Trump are the “Sweet 16”: sixteen ways in which resurrection can be practiced in people’s lives and help to restore our democracy to a fuller and more vibrant version of itself.

About this title

About the Author

Curtis L. Thompson is professor emeritus of religion and founding director of the Dietrich Honors Institute at Thiel College in Greenville, Pennsylvania. He is the author of previous books, including God and Nature with Joyce M. Cuff (2012).

Review

"This work is a timely reflection on our polarized political landscape and imperiled democracy. Impeccably researched, Thompson's book offers a sober assessment of our troubled times, drawing a number of intriguing parallels between our social-political situation and the thought of the Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard. It is full of fresh insights and perspectives that will be of great interest to readers concerned by the current trajectory of the age."

--Jon Stewart, Researcher, Institute of Philosophy, Slovak Academy of Sciences

"An unlikely but fruitful pairing; thoroughly researched, convincingly argued! Thompson, asking where God may be discerned to be potently present in our tumultuous situation, incisively critiques Trump's presidency by digging insightfully into Kierkegaard's profound probing of human existence. New light is shed on both men. Thompson's categorical structure and norming values suggest a constructive theological ethic winsomely addressing the challenge of being civil and gracious across the divide. A creative going deeper to go forward."

--Paul R. Sponheim, Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology, Luther Seminary, St. Paul

"Resources from Meister Eckhart to March Madness inform Curt Thompson's exceptional call for individual and communal choices to overcome polarization and the disregard for truth and rule of law now endangering American democracy. He argues concretely and convincingly that Kierkegaard's distinctive analysis of his own era's moribund conformism can help us 'resurrect' democracy and thus 'trump Trump.' Thompson's sophisticated SK primer reminds us how much we can learn from the wisdom of the past."

--Carol Schersten LaHurd, Distinguished Affiliate Professor at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago

"Trump and Kierkegaard? It may sound like the set up to a joke, but Thompson's nuanced understanding of Kierkegaard leads the reader to a far more subtle understanding of Trump and 'Trump-world.' That, coupled with Thompson's Kierkegaardian appreciation of divine possibility, makes this a must-read book for all who hope to get past the lamentations and handwringing and on to the hard work of rebuilding and reconstruction in a post-Trump world."

--Warren G. Frisina, Hofstra University

Edition details

• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1532686862
• ISBN 13: 9781532686863
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 216