Soren Kierkegaard, Martensen 1871
Channel: Craig Campbell
Date: 2012-07-22

Hans Lassen Martensen (1808-1884) lived in Denmark and taught at the University of Copenhagen while Soren Kierkegaard was in attendance (1830-1841). He was professor of systematic theology in 1838. Martensen published "Christian Dogmatics" in 1849 and a book about Soren Kierkegaard in 1856, a year after his death. He later published his great work "Christian Ethics" in 1871. Soren Kierkegaard wrote against the ideas expressed by Martensen because he felt that systematic theology would lead to a dilution of the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the single individual. There arose a debate between faith and knowledge that has persisted to our own time. The question has to do with objectivity (external proofs of Christianity) vs. subjectivity (internal proofs of Christianity) developed within the life of the single individual who is in the process of becoming a Christian. Kierkegaard felt the more a person believes based on objective proofs the less inwardness a person might have. Inwardness is his term for the subjectivity of the Christian as he or she relates to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.  His main concern was that the sin and guilt would become matters of objective study instead of the knowledge which brings an individual to know that he or she needs God. Sin is a subject for a sermon not for a dissertation. 

Here is a link to Martensen's article which is in public domain.
http://www.archive.org/stream/christianethicsg00mart#page/302/mode/1up

Here is a link to an early article about Martensen
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc07/Page_210.html

And this is a link to a book written by John A Gates in 1960 about Soren Kierkegaard. Gates believed Kierkegaard wrote to the single individual not to philosophers and theologians. 
http://archive.org/details/lifeandthoughtof031098mbp