Dancing in God in an Accelerating Secular World: Resonating with Kierkegaard’s Critical Philosophical Theology

• Published in: Philosophies (Basel) 2024-06, Vol.9 (3), p.88
• Main Author: Thompson, Curtis L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: alienation; Analysis; Attributes; Criticism and interpretation; Dance; dancing in God; forgiveness; God; Kierkegaard; Kierkegaard, Soren; Kierkegaard, Soren Aabye (1813-1855); Language; Metaphor; Philosophers; resonance; Rosa; Secularization (Theology); Theology
• ISSN: 2409-9287; 2409-9287
• DOI: 10.3390/philosophies9030088

This essay seeks to scrutinize Kierkegaard’s critical philosophical theology. The intent is to demonstrate how his religious thought, especially on God’s relation to the world and to the human being, can contribute to generating a cogent response to the challenges presented by our accelerating secular world. Apart from the narrative on the Dane’s passionate reflections, I employ two other narratives to facilitate this inquiry into Kierkegaard. The first of these facilitating narratives comes from highlighting the work on the concept of resonance by the social theorist Hartmut Rosa. Rosa’s rich analysis of our contemporary situation provides a persuasive case for the accelerating pace of our secular world, the complex dynamics of alienation that are at play within it, and the need for social transformation that creates space for increasing resonance within personal and social relationships and structures. The second facilitating narrative centers on the notion of dancing in God, which I believe holds promise for effectively communicating moving, bodily, rhythmic, passionate, and responsive thoughts and actions concerning God’s engagement in our contemporary world. I hope to show that these three complementary discourses together provide a provocative religious discourse and vision that can prove helpful in addressing many of the challenges of our time.