Militant Liturgies: Practicing Christianity with Kierkegaard, Bonhoeffer, and Weil

J Aaron Simmons

doi:10.3390/rel12050340

Abstract

Traditional philosophy of religion has tended to focus on the doxastic dimension of religious life, which although a vitally important area of research, has often come at the cost of philosophical engagements with religious practice. Focusing particularly on Christian traditions, this essay offers a sustained reflection on one particular model of embodied Christian practice as presented in the work of Søren Kierkegaard. After a discussion of different notions of practice and perfection, the paper turns to Kierkegaard’s conception of the two churches: the Church Triumphant and the Church Militant. Then, in light of Kierkegaard’s defense of the latter and critique of the former, it is shown that Kierkegaard’s specific account gets appropriated and expanded in Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s account of “costly grace” and “religionless Christianity,” and Simone Weil’s conception of “afflicted love.” Ultimately, it is suggested that these three thinkers jointly present a notion of “militant liturgies” that offers critical and constructive resources for contemporary philosophy of religion.

Highlights

It is often the case that philosophical discussions of Christianity overstate the unity by which the Christian traditions operate
This essay is an attempt to think with Kierkegaard, Bonhoeffer, and Weil about what Christian practice might involve, while still remaining cognizant that the diversity of Christian traditions will likely yield other rival accounts worthy of serious engagement
The two notions of perfection that yield two different approaches to practice underwrite the two different models of the church that Kierkegaard will deploy as his guiding framework for calling for individuals to “become” Christians by following the way of Christ, rather than falling into the potential complacency that attends thinking that they have perfected “being” Christian and achieved the results guaranteed by such a status

Summary

Introduction

It is often the case that philosophical discussions of Christianity overstate the unity by which the Christian traditions operate. In light of such diversity in the traditions that operate under the name of “Christianity,” philosophers of religion have recently begun to be more sensitive to the ways in which different strands of Christianity might yield contrasting conceptions of Christian life.. In light of such diversity in the traditions that operate under the name of “Christianity,” philosophers of religion have recently begun to be more sensitive to the ways in which different strands of Christianity might yield contrasting conceptions of Christian life.1 This awareness can certainly play out at the level of propositional assertions about the existence and nature of God, it is important to attend to the ways in which such diversity is reflected in the varieties of Christian practice. This essay is an attempt to think with Kierkegaard, Bonhoeffer, and Weil about what Christian practice might involve, while still remaining cognizant that the diversity of Christian traditions will likely yield other rival accounts worthy of serious engagement

Practice Makes “Perfect”

Kierkegaard on the two Churches

Costly Grace and Religionless Christianity

Militant Liturgies and Afflicted Love

Conclusions