February 20, 2025
Good afternoon
( I am taking an on-line class on Dietrich Bonhoeffer from CMU )
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German pastor, theologian and church person. He grew up in upper class society, and was destined to continue with such a life. He received his Ph.D at the early age of 21, and was going to be a teacher. He went to the United States in the early 1930’s and his views were radically changed by reading the Sermon on the Mount, and attending an African-American Church in Harlem, NYC. He says he became a believer. Our life as believers, as he discovered, was not to be effective, but to be faithful. He became a pacifist at this point.
He was part of the Confessing Church after Hitler came to power. He spoke truth to power. Most of the German church followed Hitler and became part of Nazi propaganda. The Confessing Church refused to back down, and Bonhoeffer became the face of this movement. His family wanted him to leave Germany because it was too dangerous for him. He went to New York in 1939, but almost immediately got on another ship, and returned to Germany.
He was arrested in 1943 on charges of conspiracy, in attempting to kill Hitler. He was executed on April 9, 1945 right before the end of the war. It seems everyone takes something out of Bonhoeffer’s life and theology, and uses it for their purposes. Eric Mataxas is a right-wing church person in the United States, and has written a biography on Bonhoeffer that seems to use the theologian’s writings and life, to defend the church’s defense of Mr. Trump. Three Mennonite scholars just finished a book that states that Bonhoeffer was not part of any plot to kill Hitler. Would any of us be justified in helping to kill Hitler. A Mennonite problem, for those who are committed to pacifism ?
Steve Martin, a Catholic poet/musician from Kitchener wrote a poem on Bonhoeffer. Below is part of it:
So Bonhoeffer with mind and heart
Along with kindred souls
Devise a plan to stanch the threat
with cunning and with moles
They thought that ending such a plague
Was aiding in God’s will
Even if it meant a murder bold
A despot’s blood to spill
His faith on action built to last
The Bible anchor sure
His writing showed no tolerance
For those might demur
His life and work for justice was
a template hard and clear
To follow in his dogged steps
Meant facing down dread fear…
Steve Martin April 2019
Lord of heaven and earth, help us to be faithful to our call to peace… AMEN
Fred
black and white shadows
crush humanity’s freedom
am I complicit ? MPL 2025
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Ponder Anew 