Existentialism and Christianity

Can one be a Christian and believe in existentialism? We must first define this philosophical theory, but that will be like nailing jello to the wall.

Existentialism is a search for one's existence, and along the way on that search, existentialists have asserted ideas that have become attached to existentialism. Existentialism is usually referred to as a distinct philosophy, but it is impossible to give an exact definition or to even refer to it as unified and identifiable school of thought. There is not a single doctrine on which one "Existentialist" thinker would actually agree with another, and several of those included in the movement have rejected the "Existentialist" label all together.

If we were to define it beyond the search for one's own existence, we might get a majority of those involved in the moment to agree on some of the following:

• Existentialism is a 20th century movement that asserts that God nor absolute truth exist.
  
  
• Existentialism believes in the total autonomy of a person from a world and life view.
  
  
• Existentialism states that the world is absurd, and there is no hope.
  
  
• Existentialism asserts that man is free from imposed moral values.
  
  
• Existentialism asserts that each person is their own authority concerning truth. .
  
  
• Existentialism believes that existence precedes essence.

Existentialists denounce any objectivity as illusory. According to Existentialism, there is no independently existing order or structure on which one could rely for ultimate purposes or guidance. Any honest reflection will reveal, according to most Existentialists, that the universe is unknown, and the experience of nothingness is an inescapable characteristic of all human existence. As Christians, we must reject these notions.

Ralph Harper, in his book, The Existential Experience, reveals that there is indeed a relationship between existentialism and theology. Soren Kierkegaard, a Christian who was labeled as an Existentialist, highlights this fact: to him, existence begins and ends with choices. Existence, to Kierkegaard, involved both the isolation of self and the choice of self, and he maintained that existence is only understood according to the choices we make.

This is an area where I believe we can gain some wisdom from existential thought. Choices do define us but in today's world we do not consider the ramifications of the choices we make beyond our own being. Existentialists would reject this notion because of the extreme importance they place in choice. They believe you are defined by the choices you make even though those choice do not interrelate. Choices do define us and reveal who we are. Scripture teaches us that we will be held accountable for our choices one day. We tend forget this passage, but Revelation chapter 20 has much to say to us:

"Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."
(Revelation 20:11-15 ESV)

No, we can not accept that which existentialism presents, but we can applaud their efforts in the honest assessment of life without Christ they offer. There is no hope without Christ and every choice made without Christ is hopeless and without direction. Sadly, we make choices every day that communicate to those around us that there is no hope. Every choice we make that does not consider others beyond our own self is a choice rooted more in the characteristics of existentialism than Christianity. Praise be to God for your salvation that is found only in Jesus Christ and be thankful that He made a choice for you!