It doesn't often happen that you can feel reading a book changing your world-view. I can remember the first time I read "Sickness Unto Death" and suddenly commercials sounded different. It's a simple Either/or: either you are part of the problem or you are part of the solution. Either you are moving, and, whether you know it or not we are all moving, in one direction or the other. The opposite of "faith" is not "doubt," for "doubt" can a moment within faith. The opposite of "faith" is "despair." Despair is the "Sickness Unto Death," and there is no other real death. All else is temporary, but despair is eternal. The great dialectian draws out and describes the variety and etiology of despair in a language he describes as "algebraic" (that is, spare, formulaic, a prime example is the famous opening paragraph with its comic parody of Hegel (he's pulling your leg at the same time he is deadly serious. That's SK)). You may find this language hard to deal with, but it is worth it to stick with it.

While musing on the story of Lazarus, Kierkegaard is faced with the realization that for Christians there is something far worst to be fear than death: the sickness unto death. In the first half of the book, Kierkegaard, the ‘father of existentialism,’ delves into the mire of human existence to discover that all are in despair. With absolutely no hesitation, Kierkegaard dreadfully sculpts the desperate situation every individual experience. After successfully sculpting what looks and feels like shattered pieces (mentally and emotionally), Kierkegaard presents in the second half “the possibility of offense in Christianity” as the one genuine hope for individuals: the fact you can be offended by God proves that God is the remedy for your despair–your position of sin. The expansive gulf between man and God can only be crossed with “the leap of faith,” only to truly discover that God has already crossed the great divide in Christ. Blessed are those who take no offense at him.

Kierkegaard is well-known but not widely discussed, due to the depth of his writing. This is a serious book, deeply psychological and religious. The full title gives you a good idea of what it is about. Don't buy for casual or beach reading. You won't get past page 3. A classic, as are all of his works. This is a hard read, due to the intensity of the writer and his topic. Ordered as a bargain, reduced-price, used book. Great price, quick delivery, new condition. I am a happy camper.