Book excerpt: From Despair to Faith analyzes the spiritual insights and writings of Søren Kierkegaard. Christopher B. Barnett orients readers to Kierkegaard’s grounding in the Christian spiritual tradition and his authorial stress on themes like upbuilding, spiritual journey, and faith. Barnett maintains that Kierkegaard’s spirituality is best understood through the various “pictures” that populate his authorship. These “icons of faith,” represent and communicate what Kierkegaard sees as the fulfillment of Christian existence. Barnett shows how Kierkegaard’s writings serve to illuminate and to deepen one's relationship with the divine.