What Makes a Christian Life Alive? On Call and Creation in N.F.S. Grundtvig and Jean-Louis Chrétien

Abstract

According to 19th-century Danish theologian and poet N.F.S. Grundtvig, Christianity truly comes alive when it is freely expressed in the congregation through confession of faith, preaching, song, and praise. This article presents a contemporary systematic reading of Grundtvig's important essay, The Christian Signs of Life, alongside his hymn There Sat a Fisherman Deep in Thought, which depicts the conversion of Simon. It is argued that Grundtvig's hymn may be taken to show not only what it means to be called to a Christian life, but also the necessity of contemplation, as well as the movement from contemplation to action. To further elaborate on Grundtvig's insights, the article draws upon 20th-century philosopher Jean-Louis Chrétien's work concerning the call and the response. By reading Chrétien alongside Grundtvig's hymn Creation, it is shown how being called may be understood as a foundational moment not only in discipleship, but in Creation as such.