THE ENDURING LEGACY OF BONHOEFFER
by Chris Nye - Relevant
Dietrich Bonhoeffer had a
strong sense he was not doing anything of great importance. While his
friendships with prominent theologians and members of the resistance to Hitler
were numerous, the German pastor and theologian "would never imagine his
actions as heroic in the least," writes Charles Marsh in the latest Bonhoeffer biography, Strange Glory.
And yet, 70 years after his death, Bonhoeffer
remains a towering figure in recent Christian history and one of the patron
saints of 20th century non-violence. Books on him are constantly being
published as the obsession with his writing and life seems only to be growing.
In his unique Bonhoeffer
as Youth Worker, Dr. Andrew Root tells about his experience presenting on Bonhoeffer at a youth worker convention with surprising
attendance and response. After his presentations to packed rooms, he recalls
standing around "for nearly an hour hearing one after another confess how
this German man had impacted them."
While we certainly need to be careful about putting
theologians like Bonhoeffer on too high of pedestals,
I still feel as though there are things about him that are both commendable
and, if repeated by modern Christians, could help shape our collective
character for the better. Certainly there are more than what is treated here,
but I've compiled a few ways Bonhoeffer continues to
help us think through the faith:
1. Ethics: What's the Right Thing To Do?
I spend most of my hours each week working with students
who are pursuing God in some way. One of the things I see them and many other
Christian people wrestling with is summarized in two simple questions: What's
the right thing to do, and what's the wrong thing to do? When faced with a
decision, they tend to think to themselves, "Is this right or wrong?"
While there are many decisions we are faced with that
have a simple black-and-white identity, there are also many more gray areas in
our faith. In Bonhoeffer's famous, yet incomplete Ethics,
he pulls the question of "right and wrong" back to the question,
"What is the will of God?" He goes on to ask, "For without God,
what meaning could there be in a goodness of man and a goodness of the
world?"
As we navigate our increasingly complex world, following Bonhoeffer as he shifts the question will help us forgive
enemies when the "right thing" feels like holding a grudge.
2. Cheap Grace: What Does It Really Mean to be a
Christian?
It is not uncommon for our church to be asked why we do
not do altar calls or hand-raising type evangelistic efforts. While we see
nothing inherently wrong with these things, we understand that committing to
follow Jesus—to begin dying to yourself every day—is a
decision that can require a different expression than just a hand being raised.
The temptation in modern Christianity is to place a ton of emphasis on the vow,
all while forgetting about the entire life ahead that must live up to that vow.
Bonhoeffer opens his remarkable The Cost of Discipleship
with an understanding of "cheap" versus "costly" grace.
"Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring
repentance," he writes. "Costly grace ... costs a man his life."
Do we have such a value on the Gospel we call people to?
And are we bold enough to preach repentance in a world impervious to change?
3. Community: What Does It Take to Form True Fellowship?
Perhaps Bonhoeffer's greatest gifts to the church is his book Life Together.
However, many people forget how this writing came together. It was through Bonhoeffer's incredible understanding, not just of the
importance of community, but of the cost involved to make such a community that
would cement his understanding around the subject.
Bonhoeffer formed a secret seminary called Finkenwalde, which came out of a strain of thought he would
call, "A new kind Monasticism." After the famous theologian Karl
Barth wrote to Bonhoeffer concerned he was falling
into legalism with his monk-inspired communities, Bonhoeffer
replied in a letter saying, "theological work and real pastoral fellowship
can only grow in a life which is governed by the Word morning and evening and
by fixed times of prayer."
We have much to learn from Bonhoeffer's
connection between discipline ("fixed prayer," etc.) and community.
Today, each young person I meet speaks about a church and
talks about "community." I believe it is one of the highest values of
the much talked about millennial generation. And yet, while we deeply desire
community, we often have little understanding of the cost included in forming
"community." And so many of us move about to new churches looking for
"community," but remain uncommitted, continually bouncing around.
Deep community is only formed through a commitment
to one another.
Eternity: Famous Last Words
It is difficult for us to trace the final moments of Bonhoeffer's life. He was imprisoned after being found as a
conspirator against Hitler's regime and led to the gallows to be executed in
early April 1945, just months before the prisoners would be freed by the
Allies. While not held with complete certainty, the story goes that as Bonhoeffer was led to be executed, he said to another
prisoner, "This is not the end for me; it is the beginning of life."
While not historically water-tight, the statement
certainly frames the pastor's understanding of eternity, which he thought about
nearly all his life.
Do we have the same understanding? Death is merely the
beginning of the life we have been desperately trying to step into while on
earth. A deep understanding of the reality of eternal life should shape our
character now to be as courageous—albeit imperfect and conflicted—as Bonhoeffer himself.