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Do You Have the Heart to Come to Faith? A Look at A nti‐ C limacus' Reading of M atthew 11.6
Author(s) -
Torrance Andrew
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
the heythrop journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.127
H-Index - 10
eISSN - 1468-2265
pISSN - 0018-1196
DOI - 10.1111/heyj.12039
Subject(s) - faith , pseudonym , reading (process) , interpretation (philosophy) , theology , revelation , philosophy , linguistics
In Practice in Christianity , Søren Kierkegaard's pseudonym, Anti‐Climacus enters into an extended engagement with M atthew 11.6, ‘Blessed is he who takes no offense at me’. In so doing, he comes to an understanding that ‘the possibility of offense’ characterises the ‘crossroad’ at which one either comes to faith in Christ's revelation or rejects it. Such a choice, as he is well aware, cannot be made from a neutral standpoint, and so he is led to propose that it is ‘the thoughts of the heart’ (i.e. a person's disposition) that constitute the pivotal factor in determining whether or not God will reconcile a person into the Christian faith. In this paper, I discuss A nti‐ C limacus' interpretation of M t. 11.6 and consider his reasons for interpreting a person's predisposition as being so decisive for faith.