Bonhoeffer’s Last Words, Before He Was Hanged (76 Years Ago Today)

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was hanged in the Nazi concentration camp of Flossenbürg on April 9, 1945, just two weeks before the U.S. military came to liberate it. John W. de Gruchy describes the lead-up to that day in his Editor’s Introduction to Letters and Papers from Prison (Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, volume 8): On October 8 [of 1944], Bonhoeffer was taken … Continue reading Bonhoeffer’s Last Words, Before He Was Hanged (76 Years Ago Today) →

Bonhoeffer: Lying Destroys Community

Dietrich Bonhoeffer from his Cost of Discipleship: Because the first and last concern of truthfulness is the revealing of persons in their whole being, in their evilness before God, such truthfulness is resisted by the sinner. That is why it is persecuted and crucified. The truthfulness of the disciples has its sole basis in … Continue reading Bonhoeffer: Lying Destroys Community →

Bonhoeffer’s Last Words, Before He Was Hanged (74 Years Ago Today)

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was hanged in the Nazi concentration camp of Flossenbürg on April 9, 1945, just two weeks before the U.S. military came to liberate it. John W. de Gruchy describes the lead-up to that day in his Editor’s Introduction to Letters and Papers from Prison (Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, volume 8): On October 8 [of 1944], Bonhoeffer … Continue reading Bonhoeffer’s Last Words, Before He Was Hanged (74 Years Ago Today) →

Bonhoeffer on an “Unconditional Obligation” of the Church

Food for thought this Friday: The church has an unconditional obligation toward the victims of any societal order, even if they do not belong to the Christian community. –“The Church and the Jewish Question,” 1933

Guilty Deputyship: Bonhoeffer’s Justification for Trying to Kill Hitler

One of the abiding questions about the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer is: How did a theologian with pacifist leanings choose to join a conspiratorial effort to kill Adolf Hitler? How could he justify his action, let alone feel compelled to seek the life of another human? Larry L. Rasmussen explores the question in his amazing … Continue reading Guilty Deputyship: Bonhoeffer’s Justification for Trying to Kill Hitler →

Wise Words from Bonhoeffer for These Troubled Times: “The Tyrannical Despiser of Humanity”

Read it carefully, read it well. From Bonhoeffer’s Ethics: The message of God’s becoming human attacks the heart of an era when contempt for humanity or idolization of humanity is the height of all wisdom, among bad people as well as good. The weaknesses of human nature appear more clearly in a storm than in the … Continue reading Wise Words from Bonhoeffer for These Troubled Times: “The Tyrannical Despiser of Humanity” →

Bonhoeffer on How to Answer the “What Should We Do?” Question

I’m reading this book that I absolutely love so far (even if only 10 pages in): It is dense but wonderful. I love Bonhoeffer’s idea of answering, “What am I to do?” by answering, “How is Christ taking form in the world?” The author of this book, Larry L. Rasmussen, says: With this … Continue reading Bonhoeffer on How to Answer the “What Should We Do?” Question →

New Bonhoeffer Title: Engaging Bonhoeffer

I learned today of a new Bonhoeffer studies title releasing (in days!) from Fortress Press. It’s called Engaging Bonhoeffer: The Impact and Influence of Bonhoeffer’s Life and Thought. Here’s the blurb: Engaging Bonhoeffer documents the extraordinary impact of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s life and writing on later thought. Despite his lasting legacy, little substantial scholarship has … Continue reading New Bonhoeffer Title: Engaging Bonhoeffer →

Bonhoeffer’s Last Words, Before He Was Hanged (71 Years Ago Today)

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was hanged in the Nazi concentration camp of Flossenbürg on April 9, 1945, just two weeks before the U.S. military came to liberate it. John W. de Gruchy describes the lead-up to that day in his Editor’s Introduction to Letters and Papers from Prison (Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, volume 8): On October 8 [of 1944], Bonhoeffer … Continue reading Bonhoeffer’s Last Words, Before He Was Hanged (71 Years Ago Today) →

Bonhoeffer Reader’s Editions: Now Published, and a Look Inside

The Bonhoeffer Reader’s Editions are now available for public edification. Check out the details here. The set covers four classics: Discipleship, Life Together, Ethics, and Letters and Papers from Prison. Here is the full publisher’s description: Using the acclaimed Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works English translation and adapted to a more accessible format, these new editions of … Continue reading Bonhoeffer Reader’s Editions: Now Published, and a Look Inside →