Kierkegaard finishes "Training In Christianity" with the reminder of Peter's words of "Where else can we go?" God's plan and provision is Christ or nothing. That's it. I am very happy to finish this book. Soren hammered home the message and it took him over two hundred pages to do so. I am likely going to take a few weeks off before taking on another book. There is a chance that I will end the podcast for good. When I say that I am not wedded to Bierkergaard: The Writings of Soren Kierkegaard, I truly mean it. The second it no longer brings me joy, it is over. But, I am cool with continuing with it too at the present time. Just need a break.

Kierkegaard writes that Christendom creates admirers of Jesus much like a piece of art would and not followers. A related topic is whether art is a legitimate expression of the faith.

Kierkegaard uses the interaction at night between Jesus and Nicodemus to illustrate how a person of power, wealth, and position, fears man because of following Jesus. Nicodemus makes two more appearances in the Gospel of John. Once at the trial of Jesus where Nicodemus appealed to the Council to follow its own rules and also in asking for the body of Jesus to prepare it for burial. The last two stories show Nicodemus no longer was hiding in the dark.

Our guest today is Timothy Andrew McIntosh who has written a play "My Name is Soren Kierkegaard."

https://kierkegaardplay.com/about

We had a fun and interesting talk! Well worth a listen.

We have a guest on Friday so we are skipping today! Just a brief description of the guest and a pointer to not believe everything you read. Update: Guest needed to be switched to Monday.

Jesus doesn't want admirers. He wants followers. For He is the "Pattern" for us. Admiration in Soren's eyes can too easily turn to envy actively or just plain old apathy where we give lip service. The goal is to admire at a distance and at no cost. Parlor Warfare. I had to do the podcast episode a few times because of various issues/problems, the schedule was getting tight, and my voice started to get weary. So, I finished it up at 30 minutes this week.

Kierkegaard writes that Jesus had to be the "Lowly One" in order to save the world. He had to take on disadvantage, humiliation, slander, and even death on the Cross in order to redeem us. He did not use the advantages of being God to dodge suffering. Instead, He took it all on and overcame it. We are being redeemed from and redeemed to.

My dad passed away last Thursday. In this episode, I reflect on his life. Kierkegaard had a very complex relationship with his father also. No matter what our fathers did or did not say and do in this life, we have a Heavenly Father who loves us and made provision for us in Christ. My dad was reading the "Four Loves" by C.S. Lewis which I did not know until my brother and I cleaned out his room at the Assisted Living facility on Monday. That has given me great encouragement that my dad was seeking and finding before he passed from this world. This episode is dedicated to George Bierker, 1935 to 2026.