Document Type
Thesis
Degree
Master of Arts
Major
History
Date of Defense
11-9-2020
Graduate Advisor
Dr. Minsoo Kang
Co-Advisor
Dr. Andrew Hurley
Committee
Dr. Minsoo Kang
Dr. Peter Acsay
Dr. Andrew Hurley
Abstract
The Europe of the 1800s saw remarkable change. Previously unthinkable ideas and 'isms' made their way to the forefront of exploration in European society, forcing Christianity to a crossroads it had never before experienced. This thesis examines the fusion of politics and religion into a sort of surrogate religion for the Post-Enlightenment world. Above all, it examines historical Christianity through precedent-setting writers Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche. Given the unique process of secularization in the nineteenth century, both writers offer something often overlooked; the inevitable progress or decline of the Lutheran tradition depends, in true existentialist fashion, on the individual.
Recommended Citation
Jones, Robert, "Searching for Answers: Examining Historical Christianity in Nineteenth Century Europe Through Kierkegaard & Nietzsche" (2020). Theses. 381.
https://irl.umsl.edu/thesis/381