Editing Christian existentialism (section)

==Kierkegaardian themes==
[[Image:Kierkegaard.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Søren Kierkegaard]]


Christian existentialism relies on Kierkegaard's understanding of [[Christianity]]. Kierkegaard addressed themes such as authenticity, anxiety, love, and the irrationality and subjectivity of faith, rejecting efforts to contain God in an objective, logical system. To Kierkegaard, the focus of theology was on the individual grappling with subjective truth rather than a set of objective claims – a point he demonstrated by often writing under pseudonyms that had different points of view. He contended that each person must make independent choices, which then constitute his or her existence. Each person suffers from the anguish of indecision (whether knowingly or unknowingly) until committing to a way to live. Kierkegaard posited three stages of human existence: the aesthetic, the ethical, and the religious, the latter coming after what is often called the leap of faith.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}} Kierkegaard argued that the [[universe]] is fundamentally [[paradox]]ical, and that its greatest paradox is the transcendent union of God and humans in the person of [[Jesus Christ]]. He also posited having a personal relationship with God that supersedes all prescribed moralities, social structures and communal norms,<ref>Søren Kierkegaard (1846). ''Concluding Unscientific Postscript'', authored pseudonymously as Johannes Climacus.</ref> since he asserted that following social conventions is essentially a personal aesthetic choice made by individuals.{{Citation needed|date=January 2008}}