Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Christian History has an interesting essay today folk should read. It’s titled ‘My Friend Dietrich‘. And it’s by Eberhard Bethge. And, unsurprisingly, it’s filled with appreciation for and admiration of Bonhoeffer.
This man has forever become a monument—glorified, risen to the unreal as thinker, prayer, and doer. There seems to be a new tendency to bring him back to earth. Some seek to dismantle his possible overvalue, to tone down his significance.
Why? From my observation, two factors may contribute to this tendency.
The first comes from responsible theological teachers. Their students may show hasty enthusiasm for Bonhoeffer as a “doer” among theologians, someone who will release them from hard theological thinking and learning. Thus, teachers defend themselves against someone like Bonhoeffer who too quickly and too easily makes students into critics of old traditions.
Another contributing factor: Protestants have lacked for centuries the tradition, conception, and teaching about “martyrs.” Without this understanding, the phenomenon of Dietrich Bonhoeffer can be downplayed. We lack convincing works about the place and function of modern martyrs—and martyrs have been multiplied over all the earth in this century! Studies of contemporary martyrdom may shed light on the fragmented work of Bonhoeffer.
Unlike Bethge and so many others I just can’t find it in myself to honor Bonhoeffer. To me, he is no martyr, he’s a murderer (if in intent but not in fulfillment). His ideas weren’t all that revolutionary and I think that if he had not been made famous by his murderous plottings history would have consigned his theology to the ash heap 3 days after his books appeared. He’s famous not because his theology rises to the stratosphere of Brunner or Barth- but because he died.
I just can’t like the man. I just can’t.
Zwinglius Redivivus 
A murderer he was. As much as you are… and I am. We’re all sinners and sin continuously. Often deliberately.
As soon as Bonhoeffer was made aware about the concentration camps and gas chambers, he was responsible to act on this information or the blood of those innocent 6,000,000 was as much on his hands as on the hands of Hitler.
I think Bonhoeffer did the right thing by helping to plot Hitlers dead. And yes that made him a murderer in intent… but whichever way he would turn… blood would be on his hands. Hitlers death could be justified. Not the 6,000,000 innocents.
I am glad he took his responsibility and for me he is a hero, because he represents all those unknown brave people who dared to stand up to Hitlers regime and died anonymously. He is a symbolic martyr who represents those martyrs. And that should never be forgotten.
Theology wise… I don’t know much about that. What I do like about his sermons and writings is that they are very inspiring for a practical faith. Non-theologians can understand it and work with it and grow through it. That is what makes him standout for me.
I don’t like the way he becomes a hype every now and then in the christian world. Hypes are never good and don’t do right to any person. He should get his steady personal place on earth.
This all said… feel free to keep on disliking him.
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oh well thanks, that is, for the permission…. 😉 but – in practical terms, he was more a murderer than me (I don’t know how many plots to murder you’ve been involved in), because i’ve never tried to have anyone killed.
so many christians are satisfied with ‘the ends justify the means’ pseudo-theology. one thing is sure- bonhoeffer didn’t learn his theology from Jesus. remember, he’s the one who said ‘turn the other cheek’. i think he meant it. i don’t think he qualified it in terms of a sliding scale of evil. after all, how evil is so evil that it has to be taken care of by us?
and where is his faith in God in all this? it’s clear, isn’t it, that God didn’t wish the plot to succeed, right? else it would have, right? so why would God sanction something he clearly didn’t approve?
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May I ask, what would you suggest he should have done when learning about the massacres in the concentration camp? It wouldn’t have been his own cheek he would have turned when not planning the murder. It would have been the cheeks of the victims.
He was in a privileged position: he knew the information and was able to do something about it. I don’t know what Jesus would have done. He was God after all. He knew exactly how God would intervene and when. Bonhoeffer didn’t. He was only human with a human responsibility. Him doing nothing doesn’t make him better than him taking up the sword.
It was much more dangerous to step out and do something about Hitler then sit back and do nothing to avoid doing evil.
When Jesus said that about the turning the other cheek, he also said that humans cannot fulfill the law. That is why He came to fulfill it for us. God knows that how ever good intentions we may have we do evil all the time. I could lock myself in my house for the rest of my life to avoid to sin, or I could go out in the world and love an act on Gods Word and sin and repent and love and work again.
And even though you haven’t tried to kill anyone… how about this verse from the sermon of the mount?
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother[c] will be liable to judgment; whoever insults[d] his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell[e] of fire.”
– I think you’ve used the word ‘fool’ many times on your blog. I sometimes I even do agree when you use it… Try to keep Gods perfect law… but you’ll fail everyday again.
And how about living in a country that’s involved in wars, where abortion is legalized, where death penalties are carried out, doesn’t any of that blood stick on your hands? Unknowingly, I might have been involved in many murders already…
Bonhoeffer had to live from Gods mercy. And so do I.
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you still haven’t answered the only question that really matters- if God wanted him to do it, why did the plot fail. and if God didn’t want him to do it, why did he?
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I don’t know if God wanted him to do it. I also don’t know if God didn’t want him to do it. I cannot read or understand Gods ways and plan. Your question is for God to answer.
I will never condemn Bonhoeffer for what he did. I rather admire a man taking up responsibility in an evil time. That’s much more than any of us does.
The explanation ‘it failed, so it wasn’t Gods plan’ I find simplistic and only human. What if God intended for Bonhoeffer to suffer in prison? Bonhoeffer living in war time in Germany in prison, gave him way different perspective on Gods word than our reading in the comfort of our houses and churches.
What if God did not like Bonhoeffer’s plans but turned them for the good? We don’t know any of that. We cannot know until we see things from Gods perspective.
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fair enough- but i remain unconvinced that christians can, or should, take part in murder plots. i think it’s impossible to justify either theologically or biblically. ‘thou shalt not kill’ doesn’t leave wiggle room. it just doesn’t.
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You are right. God’s commands are to be obeyed. Maybe there was a different way to get rid of Hitler… a way Bonhoeffer didn’t see. We can say this easily afterwards in Bonhoeffers case… but can we today in our own lives? In many ways we do not keep Gods high commands.
Still I can enjoy very much reading the writings from the sinner and hero Bonhoeffer as I can enjoy reading from sinner and man after Gods heart King David (his murder plot against Uria did turn out successful;).
I am a sinner and my heart plots a lot of wrong plans. But I love to notice how mercy works through me and how Gods sanctifies me. He might be using me after all for his good work.
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