A Critique of Basic Theistic Existentialism (assignment)

(As presented in James W. Sire, The Universe Next Door)
Strengths. Theistic existentialism begins with some of the same propositions of classic theism. It starts with the existence and triune nature of God, and his character as shown in Scripture. God is infinite, benevolent, and sovereign. Theistic existentialism sees the universe as being created by God, operating according to the laws He set up, yet continually under God’s direction, an “open system.” Man is created in the image of God, and though corrupted by sin, yet he is offered eternal life through Jesus Christ. The difference between theism and theistic existentialism is what makes it existential; existentialism focuses on subjective, personal human experience.

1. Existentialism offers meaning to a life experience full of seeming contradictions; a world we can never fully understand. As such, it is a tremendous antidote to the poison of modern rational empiricism, which too often leaves no room for true faith. A belief, even a true belief, is worth nothing if it is only rooted in the mind (1 Cor. 2:4-7). For existentialism, paradox is something we can live with—even put our trust in. If we could perfectly understand God’s ways, would he not be too small a God? Existentialism prizes the act of faith “on the strength of the absurd,” as Kierkegaard puts it (Kierkegaard 65).

2. Existentialism finds ultimate meaning in relationships. Theistic existentialism realizes that adherence to a creed and a set of moral standards is not enough. True religion is acted out by showing love to others, and true faith opens a direct, intimate communication between the soul and God.

3. Existentialism affirms the transcendent nature of obedience to God. For the existentialist, following God is not simply obeying a moral code. Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling asks the question: ‘What if God Himself tells you to do something that seems immoral, such as when he commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac?’ There is an obedience to God that is unexplainable, based only on the private communication of God with the soul; unjustifiable except to the one who has heard God’s voice. This has obvious good and bad implications for Christian relationships within the church.

Weaknesses. Theistic existentialism also has some drawbacks. Like its benefits, they are mostly questions of emphasis.

1. Theistic existentialism, especially as seen in Kierkegaard, arises out of a reaction to the modernism, and overreacts in some respects. For example, existentialism sees a disjunct between the ethical sphere (moral principles) and the religious sphere (transcendent relationship with God. This is a symptom of the ravaging effect of Kantian ethics.

2. Another symptom is that existentialists have less faith in the absolute truth of Scripture. While perhaps this springs from a just reaction to a lifeless and static version of Christianity “with no loose ends, ambiguities, or historical developments” (Marsden 119), it is still a big problem. Handicapped by modernism, existentialists cannot accept the factual and historical aspects of Scripture, but feel the need to interpret it figuratively. Here they share some ground with theological liberals. Thankfully, unlike the liberals, most existentialists do not deny the central truths of the Atonement. However, there exists the tendency in existential neo-orthodoxy to ‘mythify’ the Gospel to the point of nullifying its power and making the story of Christ merely a model for how we are to love one another—which, if you think of it, also destroys the central good of theistic existentialism, the emphasis on a personal relationship with God, for which faith in Christ is vital—even if you don’t know who Christ is, as in Kierkegaard’s example of Abraham.

3. The magic of Existentialism’s subjectivity has a flip side; it deemphasizes the role of Scripture as God’s primary means of self-revelation, choosing instead to begin with human experience. The experience is important, but one ought to view it in Biblical parameters. It is my opinion that the Christian Existentialists do view it this way, for the simple reason that they have been saturated with Scripture and draw their worldviews from it. In the absence of this kind of revelation, they would never have been able to come to their conclusions. The problem is that they do not give the words of the Bible enough credit.

4. The individualistic emphasis of existentialism makes more sense under the Old Covenant than under the New Covenant. Since God’s plan of redemption has now been revealed to the world and the Holy Spirit’s work is documented in Scripture. The New Testament explains many of the mysteries of the Old Testament, as well as resolving Abraham’s ethical dilemma (Heb. 11).

---

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)

• Response to Cary on Salvation
• God Defines Truth
• A Leap of Faith!
• Fallen Condition Focus