Kierkegaard's Incarnational Mission

One lacuna in Søren Kierkegaard scholarship is in analyzing his works with his self-described identity as a “missionary to Christendom” in mind. Challenging the international connotation of the term “missionary,” Dr. Michio Ogino examines Kierkegaard’s works in which he identified himself as a missionary writer, to reveal how he considered being a missionary an integral part of being a Christian.

By chronologically and empirically examining the writings of Søren Kierkegaard, Dr. Ogino argues that Kierkegaard not only proclaimed Jesus Christ in his homeland but did so in a manner similar to how Christ had done on earth, incarnating the Christian message for his contemporaries. Through this provocative exploration, Ogino lays out how the application of Kierkegaardian mission can help to overcome five recognized barriers in Japanese evangelization. Kierkegaard scholars and readers will find a new understanding of the motivations and reasoning behind his works, and missionaries, not only to Japan but all nations, will be encouraged in how his approach can be applied in their context.