Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Life Together In A Culture

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Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s world was tainted by warfare, bigotry, and hatred. The Second World War was a dismal time for all, but Bonhoeffer was at the heart of the chaos. Living in Germany where the sense of community was torn apart by the horrific events that took place, Bonhoeffer wrote Life Together in a culture that was in dire need of a Christian community. Throughout the text, Bonhoeffer describes what a divine Christian fellowship should operate and warns against a fellowship that is corrupted by worldly views and desires. In Life Together, I made a connection between the ideal fellowship of which Bonhoeffer reports and the intentional community which Taylor attempts create on campus. Additionally, I have experienced the shortcomings that …show more content…

If I shall die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.” Every night I would say that prayer with my mother, and together we would list each name in our family and extended family. My first experience with prayer was done with another person. Bonhoeffer introduced the importance of group by disclosing that praying together is the “most normal thing in the common Christian life” (62). Whenever I had a discouraging day or a hurtful event, my mom would pray with me. The action of communal prayer had great significance in my youth. Meanwhile, my prayer experience at church was drastically different at church. The pastor would pray and that was it. Prayer was a solitary practice. A couple years back, I was in San Jose, Costa Rica attending a church service at a small church. All of a sudden, I witnessed a phenomenon so far removed from the reality from which I am used to. When the pastor opened up his prayer, the congregation opened their mouths and joined in. Around me, a chorus of voices were rapidly speaking in prayer. This church, no bigger than a waiting room at a doctor’s office, was the embodiment of what Bonhoeffer referred to prayer together. On the opposite end of the scale was my ten times bigger church, who suffered from a disconnection of prayer amongst the fellowship. After encountering an intense group prayer, I can comprehend the importance that Life Together places on it. I wish to integrate more group pray with the social circles of which I am involved, especially with my wing. If we intended to create a christian living community, praying for our common good together will ensure our fellowship to

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