A favorite among small, Christian, liberal arts colleges, Bonhoeffer’s The Cost of Discipleship exposits what it means to follow in the Christian tradition. The book was published in 1937, at the rise of the Nazi regime in Germany, thus making it a very politically charged book. He works through the Sermon on the Mount account as indicative that the church is a manifestation of Christ on earth and it must follow him accordingly – which he too exposits. The book is bold, certainly, as indicated by his statement: “Nothing could be more ruthless than to make men think there is still plenty of time to mend their ways. To tell men that their cause is urgent and that the kingdom of God is at hand is the most charitable and merciful act we can perform, …show more content…
Involved with a conspiracy to kill, one may question the authenticity, especially in light of his chapters on revenge and the enemy and “thou shalt not kill”. In this case, Bonhoeffer fought against the system more than the individual person, an important and necessary distinction. The entire book is a backlash against political systems and an affirmation of the politics of discipleship. However, the difficulty of this book is the theology of Bonhoeffer. At the end of his life many of his theological views shifted away from the content of Cost of Discipleship. In his most controversial letter to Eberhard Bethge he writes: “we have to live in the world as if there were no God”. The difficult part, then, is responsible reading. Cost of Discipleship is a powerful book that forces readers to consider the complacency in their lives and while Bonhoeffer’s later writings suggest a spiritual shift in his person, the same does not have to be true for all readers of his work. Many refer to Bonhoeffer as brilliant without knowing his theology; this is not to discount the content of Cost of Discipleship – I found it convicting and thought provoking – but it is to encourage a holistic learning. For the purpose of review, I will steer from cynicism to emphasize the truths of the
In chapter two, ‘Francis and His Companions,’ Cunningham exposes the considerable growth in Francis of Assisi’s influence, as he recounts his companions that joined him after deciding to live his life. The chapter is significant because it exposes how Francis of Assisi’s gospel is different from the orthodox Catholic practices, which recognized the pope, as the sole Vicar of Christ. (Cunningham 32). This chapter is important in my life because it reinforces my conviction God is the almighty and all-powerful, and all people regardless of the status of the needed to worship
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was born on February 4th 1906, as a son of a professor of psychiatry and neurology at the University of Berlin. Throughout his early life he was an outstanding student, and when he finally reached the age of 25 he became a lecturer in systematic theology at the University Berlin. Something that is very striking is that when Hitler came to power in 1933, Bonhoeffer became a leading spokesman for the Confessing Church, the center of Protestant resistance to the Nazis. He organized and for a shot amount of time he led the underground seminary of the Confessing Church. His book Life Together describes the life of the Christian community in that seminary, and his book The Cost Of Discipleship attacks what he calls "cheap grace," meaning that grace used as an excuse for moral laxity.
Within mainstream society it seems as if there is not a great deal of emphasis on the contributions made by theologians in society, as well as contributions by theologians to religious thought. Particularly in Christendom, ecclesiastical assemblies are so consumed with vain ideas of worship, and content on hearing biblical messages that capitulate to their personal desires, that theological studies are often neglected. Yet the contributions theologians have made in society, and the impact these contributions have had on religious assemblies have been pivotal in guiding religious discourse on subjects such as ethics, morality, and social transformation. It is for this reason, that in this essay an attempt will be made to analyze three essays from three world-renowned theologians of the 20th century. The theologians are Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Walter Wink, all of which have produced the essays used for this analysis, and have written works that have completely challenged status quo religion, and changed the landscape of Christendom forever.
What a fascinating adjustment in perspectives, motive, and determination from the once deeply connected to God the unprofessed theologian. The man who we admired for his crafty dexterity to be a Christian Apologetic emerges to be torn from the foundations of his faith and experiences of how to respond to the unspecified. This book is openly troubling for the believer because all too often we know that this is a very real situation that our author is experiencing. However, while it may appear that a staunch believer has lost his way were hastily reminded that this not the case at all. In the book "A Grief Observed" by C. S. Lewis we see, what I call, a defining mature Christian transition, disruption to the norm, or bump in the road all Christians
For this paper, I read and analyzed the Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I focused specifically on his writing regarding ‘Christian Community’. Bonhoeffer uses Psalm133, verse 1 as the diving board for his exposition on community, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity” (KJV). Bonhoeffer’s writing centers on the truth that everything given to Christians is a gift of grace. This paper will explore Bonhoeffer’s exposition on the nature of Christian community in his book, Life Together and compare it to daily life of a Christian. Bonhoeffer distinguishes between the “human ideal and God’s reality” of community and “between spiritual and human community” (39).
The biography Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy showcases the vast contributions that Dietrich Bonhoeffer achieved during a life that was cut suddenly to short. Bonhoeffer is memorable for his activity within an anti-Nazi resistance, founding the Confessing Church, creating many new theological ideas, and being brave enough to enter back into a warzone to stop the ongoing eliminations of innocent people. Although, he was hung weeks before Germany surrendered and Adolf Hitler was conquered, Bonhoeffer left an important theological legacy.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor who was martyred for his anti-Nazi stance and helped found the Confessing Church in the early 1930s. One of his most famous works is his book: 'The Cost of Discipleship' where in part 1 where he contrasts cheap and costly grace. Whilst the church of today may be slighly confused at these terms, the Lutheran church of his day defined such graces to be diametrically opposed to each other. To put it simply these were grace that could be demanded but yielded little to no fruit and the sort which Christ paid on the cross to provide and yielded much fruit. In the light of Nazi occupation of Germany and the Lutheran church of the day, this was one of the major issues facing the church and Dietrich was
This great “Father of the Church,” wrote a handbook on the three theological virtues: faith, hope, and love. The Enchiridion on Faith, Hope, and Love was written in the year 420. It is a brief handbook on the proper mode of serving God, through faith, hope, and love. It is easy to say what one ought to believe, what to hope for, and what to love. But to defend our doctrines against the slander of those who think differently is a more difficult and detailed task. If one is to have this wisdom, it is not enough just to put an enchiridion in the hand. It is also necessary that a great eagerness be in the heart.
whole life to God and the Church. This is one major Cost of being a
This is a spirituality steeped in monastic theology, aiming at wisdom rather than knowledge, seeking to draw lessons out of scripture to apply practically to a life of contemplation and devotion. The ever-pervasive influence of the Cistercian sermo means his writings assume a shared starting point of faith and outlook and press towards corporate encouragement. To this end, Bernard, with his abbatial burden, seeks to share with the reader, or hearer, the grace he himself has received from the Lord. A careful study leaves the reader assuredly edified towards a greater love for Christ. His emphasis on the will and its attendant desire and love offers a helpful corrective to our contemporary over-emphasis on reason, which often veers towards an evangelical rationalism. Bernard’s view of the Christian life through the metaphors of journey and relationship is useful in engaging the heart and mind and again provide a helpful corrective to contemporary decisionism and easy believism. Bernard presents a view of Christian discipleship not as a program or study plan, but as a headlong plunge into an experiential pursuit of the Spirit of Christ, seeking the threefold kisses of repentance, obedience and contemplative union. A union which through degrees draws the seeker away from a selfish love of God and others, to a divinely empowered love of God and others. Our evangelical minds can shrink back at the heights of love to which Bernard calls us to, even as those who believe the Bible, we are prone to temper his call to love with a divine self-forgetfulness, with rejoinders of the limitations of our fallenness this side of glory. And no doubt, the fullest experience of this perfect will requires glorified, perfected hearts, minds, souls and strength. This side of glory we only experience in part and see through a glass darkly. But our limitations should not cause us to
Theological reflection, according to Bonhoeffer, must be much more than an academic exercise, and should directly impact the church (Vanden Berg, 2009). The essence of true Christianity, according to Bonhoeffer, rests in the necessary connection between truth and goodness (...
Teachers around the time when Jesus lived thought that learning was such that the people who wanted to learn should come to them to be taught. But Jesus felt differently and rather than waiting for people to come to him, he went out to find them and then chose them to be his followers. He called them disciples and this word means one who learns. But Jesus chose his disciples carefully as we are told in Mark 1:16-20 and also in Mark 3:13-19. In the first passage, Jesus appoints his first four disciples, Simon, Andrew, James and John. Jesus said to them “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Mark 1:17) In Mark 2:13-17, Jesus calls up the fifth disciple, Levi who was a tax collector, and Jesus later renamed him Matthew. But Levi was not called in the same way as the other four disciples. Jesus was with him at the tax collector’s booth and Jesus simply said, “Follow me” (Mark 2:14) and he rose and followed Jesus.
"EXPLORING THEOLOGY 1 & 2." EXPLORING THEOLOGY 1 2. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2014.
...s distributed in Theology 101 at the University of Notre Dame, Fremantle on 22 April 2008.
During my high school years, each day, after early the dreaded morning seminary, our dear Sister Gestcher would leave us with this last piece of advice: “be good.” Well what does she even mean by that? I later learned that Sister Gestcher was reminding us to be obedient and live in harmony with the teachings of Jesus Christ. As I’ve studied the scriptures and various conference talks about obedience, I have learned that obedience can lead a person to so many other gospel principles and blessings that otherwise wouldn’t be available. Before we can understand this, we must understand what obedience is and why it is a principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ.