Kierkegaard’s Attack on Cultural Christianity

Even in his final days, Kierkegaard made clear his uncompromising defiance against the state church of Denmark. He opposed what he considered an establishment system that removed the very spirit of Christianity through its appropriation of political power, and its subsequent lapse into hypocrisy and trivialities. To partake in Communion from one of its officials, he reasoned, would be to engage in a bureaucratic ritual completely sterilized of any life. Kierkegaard stuck to his decision, saying, “I will not dispute about it. I have made my choice. The parsons are royal functionaries, and royal functionaries are not related to Christianity.”