Dietrich Bonhoeffer is often celebrated as a “prophet of justice for the op-pressed” who identified the need “to see the great events of world history from below” (Guth, 2013). As a theologian of resistance his writing, teaching and acting during the Nazi regime in Germany, impacted immensely on the community, the Church, and politics and provides significance for today’s society.
In the following, Bonhoeffer’s background will be explored, how he impact-ed during his time and why, it will be critiqued to what extent he applied the “Principles of Hospitality”, and addressed what learning has taken place for myself and today`s society.
Bonhoeffers life and work are inseparable. His theology was profoundly shaped by the circumstances of …show more content…
Belonging to the confessing church, but also to “my people” – all fellow Germans – is evidence of his strong solidarity with the mission of his church and the fate of his people. “The view from be-low” displays his thoughts on solidarity with the weak, the afflicted, and the oppressed (Clements, 1997).
The establishment of the confessing church can be seen as good news to all baptised Jews, as it gives them a chance to still be a member of “their” church. All of Bonhoeffer’s acting proclaimed the freeing of people from the captivity of Nazism, not only Jews, or Christians, but humanity as a whole.
His essay "The Church and the Jewish Question" was an explicit ethical commitment to all those persecuted by Nazism, Bonhoeffer clearly viewed the measures against the Jews as a civil liberties issue and wanted that to be recognised by his people, who followed Nazism blindly (Bonhoeffer & Robertson, …show more content…
An interesting point that I came across in his essay, “The Church and the Jewish Question,” was that although he called upon the church to de-fend the victims of state persecution, his defence of the Jews was marked by Christian supersessionism. His ethical and theological views seemed to be slightly contradicting. He described Judaism using the same terminology as he did for Christianity: he spoke of the equivalence of church and syna-gogue, titled Jews as “brothers of Christians” and “children of the covenant.” On a theological level, however, Bonhoeffer still believed that the “Jewish question” can ultimately only be resolved through the conversion of the Jews. (Bonhoeffer & Robertson, 1970) The question that evolved for me is, if “Christ calls men, not to be religious, but to be men”, why does it then matter which religion men belong
In the following, Bonhoeffer’s background will be explored, how he impact-ed during his time and why, it will be critiqued to what extent he applied the “Principles of Hospitality”, and addressed what learning has taken place for myself and today`s society.
Bonhoeffers life and work are inseparable. His theology was profoundly shaped by the circumstances of …show more content…
Belonging to the confessing church, but also to “my people” – all fellow Germans – is evidence of his strong solidarity with the mission of his church and the fate of his people. “The view from be-low” displays his thoughts on solidarity with the weak, the afflicted, and the oppressed (Clements, 1997).
The establishment of the confessing church can be seen as good news to all baptised Jews, as it gives them a chance to still be a member of “their” church. All of Bonhoeffer’s acting proclaimed the freeing of people from the captivity of Nazism, not only Jews, or Christians, but humanity as a whole.
His essay "The Church and the Jewish Question" was an explicit ethical commitment to all those persecuted by Nazism, Bonhoeffer clearly viewed the measures against the Jews as a civil liberties issue and wanted that to be recognised by his people, who followed Nazism blindly (Bonhoeffer & Robertson, …show more content…
An interesting point that I came across in his essay, “The Church and the Jewish Question,” was that although he called upon the church to de-fend the victims of state persecution, his defence of the Jews was marked by Christian supersessionism. His ethical and theological views seemed to be slightly contradicting. He described Judaism using the same terminology as he did for Christianity: he spoke of the equivalence of church and syna-gogue, titled Jews as “brothers of Christians” and “children of the covenant.” On a theological level, however, Bonhoeffer still believed that the “Jewish question” can ultimately only be resolved through the conversion of the Jews. (Bonhoeffer & Robertson, 1970) The question that evolved for me is, if “Christ calls men, not to be religious, but to be men”, why does it then matter which religion men belong