Overview

In this Kierkegaardian reading of Mark's Gospel two of the most creative and passionate witnesses of Christ's gospel are brought together to mutually inform its superlative wonder. Both writers winsomely revealed the nature of human existence in sin, and the new life Jesus lived and made possible for all, as the paradoxical """"God-man."""" They highlighted """"the single individual"""" against the frenzied crowd """"in untruth""""--driven by despair whether conscious or unconscious--and vulnerable to enticing publicity and deceptive propaganda. The entrenched societal systems unjustly determined for time and eternity who God favored or disfavored. In dramatic contrast, Mark and Kierkegaard both elucidated God's """"good news"""" calling forth the highest and """"happy passion"""" of faith capable of creating a new family unconstrained by the status quo of the established order's old wineskin. In short, through the gospel they powerfully challenged """"the system,"""" whether modern """"Christendom"""" or its first-century equivalent and did so by """"merely"""" following Jesus """"out over 70,000 fathoms,"""" weathering demonic storms and overcoming dehumanizing societal bureaucracies set against them and humanity at large. This Kierkegaardian reading of Mark reveals two kindred spirits, after Christ's spirit, demonstrating the redemptive love of God for all humanity, centered in Christ.

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9781666799903

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""Too often, Bible studies just serve to reinforce our cultural assumptions and existing power structures. Refreshingly, Christman's Kierkegaardian reading of Mark stands as a challenge to our personal egoism, our cultural idolatry, and our political individualism. Christman invites us to 'become Christians' by rightly interrogating our conceptions of what that requires."" --J. Aaron Simmons, Furman University ""Timely in every sense, Bryan Christman returns to the enigmatic Gospel of Mark armed with the wit and insight of a modern prophet, Soren Kierkegaard. In juxtaposing the beautiful narrative forms of Mark's Gospel and Kierkegaard's immense corpus, Christman is making accessible the passion in both for radical self-transformation. Fresh insight into Christology, anthropology, and psychology flow from his skillful analysis of dozens of interconnected theological motifs."" --David Mau, Colorado Christian University ""Though his works remain widely discussed at universities and in scholarly conferences, Søren Kierkegaard did not feel that his work was best applied or understood in academic settings. Hence, in Behold, My Mother and My Brethren! Christman does not tender a fashionable argument meant to tantalize at the next biblical studies conference. Instead, his inspired yet learned treatise is meant to stir the individual reader, who, in picking it up, desires a deeper engagement with Scripture and, ultimately, a deeper relationship with God."" --Christopher B. Barnett, Villanova University

Too often, Bible studies just serve to reinforce our cultural assumptions and existing power structures. Refreshingly, Christman's Kierkegaardian reading of Mark stands as a challenge to our personal egoism, our cultural idolatry, and our political individualism. Christman invites us to 'become Christians' by rightly interrogating our conceptions of what that requires. --J. Aaron Simmons, Furman University Timely in every sense, Bryan Christman returns to the enigmatic Gospel of Mark armed with the wit and insight of a modern prophet, Soren Kierkegaard. In juxtaposing the beautiful narrative forms of Mark's Gospel and Kierkegaard's immense corpus, Christman is making accessible the passion in both for radical self-transformation. Fresh insight into Christology, anthropology, and psychology flow from his skillful analysis of dozens of interconnected theological motifs. --David Mau, Colorado Christian University Though his works remain widely discussed at universities and in scholarly conferences, Soren Kierkegaard did not feel that his work was best applied or understood in academic settings. Hence, in Behold, My Mother and My Brethren! Christman does not tender a fashionable argument meant to tantalize at the next biblical studies conference. Instead, his inspired yet learned treatise is meant to stir the individual reader, who, in picking it up, desires a deeper engagement with Scripture and, ultimately, a deeper relationship with God. --Christopher B. Barnett, Villanova University

Author Information

Bryan M. Christman, a lifelong landscaper and aspiring writer, is husband to Debbi, father of four, and grandfather to a number of lively grandchildren. He has degrees from Alfred State College and the Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. He authored The Gospel in the Dock (Resource, 2021) and the article """"Lewis and Kierkegaard as Missionaries to Post-Christian Pagans.""""

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