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I wasn't entirely clear on this in my post, but I meant it to be two completely seperate points. In any case, it's not completely accurate to say that, for Kierkegaard, "knowing does not matter". He emphasizes the historical portion of Christianity so that, while it's possible to come to the thought "I need grace" through natural reason alone (and yes, I do believe that Kierkegaard believes this), the leap to Christian faith requires both the leap and a knowledge of at least a minimal amount of the historical content of that faith.
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"Die Deutschen meinen, daß die Kraft sich in Härte und Grausamkeit offenbaren müsse, sie unterwerfen sich dann gerne und mit Bewunderung:[...]. Daß es Kraft giebt in der Milde und Stille, das glauben sie nicht leicht."
"The Germans believe that power must reveal itself in hardness and cruelty and then submit themselves gladly and with admiration[...]. They do not believe readily that there is power in meekness and calm."
-- Friedrich Nietzsche
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