The Irony of Actuality

I've been reading some more Kierkegaard -- very deep stuff, but profound (when I can make sense of it). Tonight I finished reading his dissertation entitled "The Concept of Irony, With Continual Reference To Socrates." Kierkegaard delivered this on September 16, 1841. I know not all of you will make sense of this, if any of you -- perhaps one must read it for him or herself to grasp it, but this is my attempt at sharing something I found profound.

Kierkegaard is discussing the concepts of irony and actuality. He defines actuality not as some objective reality, but "as historical actuality - that is, the given actuality at a certain time and in a certain condition. . . . The word 'actuality' can also be used for the historically actualized idea." It didn't make sense to me at first either. He goes on to give an example that cleared it up some for me:

"Catholicism was the given actuality for the generation living at the time of the Reformation, and yet it was also the actuality that no longer had validity as such. Consequently, one actuality collides here with another actuality. Herein lies the profoundly tragic aspect of world history. At one and the same time, an individual may be world-historically justified and yet unauthorized. Insofar as he is the latter, he must become a sacrifice; insofar as he is the former, he must prevail -- that is, he must prevail by becoming a sacrifice."

He goes on to explain the ironic subject, who is the individual who believes the present actuality has lost its validity and seeks its hindrance in every way possible, yet he does not possess the new. He is always pointing forward to something he does not yet know. Kierkegaard then explains that because "every particular historical actuality is continually but an element in the actualization of the idea, it carries within itself the seeds of its own downfall." He then explains how John the Baptist was this ironic subject within Judaism that brought about its downfall, pointing forward to one he did not yet know -- Jesus.

Now for those who are not following the philosophical speech, Daniel over at Like a Mustard Seed wrote a post today entitled Uncontrollable. In that post he refers to the Kingdom of God as the same sort of "actualized idea" or "actuality" that Kierkegaard is speaking of. Daniel describes it as a vast ocean that we cannot get our heads around:

"The ocean is huge, and uncontrollable. We can map it, study it, navigate it, but we cannot control it. It's currents and tides go their own way, without consulting us first. We can build levies, harbors, ships, bridges even man-made islands, but we cannot take on the power, or the scope, of the oceans. Whenever we are able to take a moment to gaze at the horizon, to allow ourselves to marvel at just how big and untamed it is, we are glimpsing a God-given snapshot of our finite, limited place in the universe. The ocean reminds us that we are not in control.....

. . . . What is so remarkable is that the more we scan the horizon, the more we begin to glimpse the scope and the massive scale of this response to the Spirit's prompting. One of the key characteristics of this shift, is that there is a growing understanding that the Kingdom is not run by a chain of command, no hierarchy, and that in fact there never was. As that reality is grasped, it is almost like seeing the ocean for the first time. No one owns it. No one controls it. No one person, and no one group, can claim to even to be able to monitor and record all that is happening amongst those who belong to Christ around the world.

We see people awakening to the idea that they do not in fact need to meet in special, religiously-oriented buildings, but can in fact meet anywhere, be it a coffee shop, park, beach, or home. We see people rejecting the American materialism that has become so infused with the church in this country, and stepping out to engage with the homeless and poor, in ways that go far beyond writing a check to the local soup kitchen. We see many people coming to the conviction that however you end up choosing to vote in the political process, ultimately the changes that come from being a citizen in Jesus' Kingdom can never be superficially imposed on the greater population through laws and leaders, but can only come through a changed heart, being made alive again through faith in Christ.

The truth is, there is no one leader, no one author, no one organization, no one label, that really captures what God is doing. And the cool thing is, that's okay.

In a sense, those of us who are repeatedly labeled as emerging, simplistic, or even revolutionary -- are merely those who refuse to be labeled (just as Jesus refused to be labeled) because we understand that the current actuality of modernist, Republican country club Christianity is no longer authorized, and we grasp the idea as more of an ocean than as a puddle which we can regulate and understand. The idea has always been there, and we are the seeds from within that will bring its demise -- but only to further usher in the new -- which is the real actuality. And then the cycle will repeat -- now that's irony. . . .