Reading Kierkegaard Devotionally (Mercer Kierkegaard)

Reading to recall sacred text in ways that call the reader to respond ethically to that text runs contrary to reading habits of many scholars and lay readers of Søren Kierkegaard. Reading Kierkegaard with an ear to hear the religious note that he repeatedly strikes directly or indirectly, however, may be the primary means a reader becomes what Kierkegaard calls "his" reader. Such a reader is one who is most likely disposed to hear and then ethically respond to Kierkegaard's tuning fork, the pitch of which Kierkegaard sets to conscience's perfect silence. As much as Jamie Lorentzen attends to devotional reading habits in this book, he writes for readers to whom Kierkegaard himself attended, namely, individuals navigating innately human crossroads of existence where nihilism, religious skepticism, and religious belief meet. After considering Kierkegaard as a devotional writer and reader, Lorentzen writes of how he came to understand what reading Kierkegaard devotionally has meant for him.

Jamie Lorentzen holds a BA in Philosophy from St. Olaf College and an MA in English from the Middlebury Bread Loaf School of English. He chaired the Friends of the Hong Kierkegaard Library (1999-2019), enjoyed a thirty-year teaching career as a public high school English teacher, and has published books and articles on Kierkegaard, Melville, and Bob Dylan.