Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy

Este es un gran libro, te enseña. En un momento en el que era fácil dejarse llevar por la corriente Nazi, como hizo la inmensa mayoría de la población alemana desde principios de los años treinta, Bonhoeffer se opone.¿por qué? ¿De que madera estaba hecho este hombre? ¿Que principios animaban sus actos? Aquí están las respuestas. Un gran libro de fácil lectura

This is my first exposure to Bonhoeffer and I was not disappointed. This book has peaked my interests about him even more. I would very much like to read his written works too. And I wouldn't mind reading other biographical accounts written about him too.

Es war ein Versehen, daß ich die englische Originalversion bestellt habe. Aber ich habe es nicht bedauert. Nicht nur habe ich gegenüber der deutschen Version eine Menge Geld gespart. Darüber hinaus habe ich meine einrostenden Englischkenntnisse reaktivieren können. Und ich habe ungefiltert das Bild vermittelt bekommen, das sich ein wohl evangelikaler, junger Amerikaner von Dietrich Bonhoeffer gemacht hat. Über Eric Metaxas verrät das Buch, daß er ein sehr erfolgreicher Schrifsteller ist und an der renommierten Yale University studiert hat, aber leider nicht, was - das ist schon kurios! Er scheint recht gute Deutschkenntnisse zu besitzen, weil er die Quellen offenbar auf deutsch gelesen und Zitate selbst ins Englische übersetzt hat. Wenn er allerdings deutsche Wörter zitiert, dann oft mit erheblichen Fehlern.Seine Darstellung der deutschen Geschichte und wie sie zum Nationalsozialismus geführt hat, erscheint mir an manchen Stellen doch arg holzschnittartig und undifferenziert zu sein. Mir scheint, daß er den Einfluß Luthers auf das Denken der Deutschen stark überschätzt. Sehr wertvoll finde ich dagegen seine historischen Erklärungen darüber, wie es zu dessen teilweise extrem antisemitischen Äußerungen kommen konnte, die später von den Nazis mißbraucht wurden.Dietrich Bonhoeffer begegnet uns in diesem Buch als ein äußerst intelligenter und auch sonst vielseitig begabter Mann. Als jemand, der sein Leben rückhaltlos Jesus Christus zur Verfügung gestellt hat. Als jemand, der radikal und absolut konsequent das in die Praxis umgesetzt hat, was Er - zu Recht - unter "Nachfolge Jesu" verstanden hat. Und als jemand, der weitsichtig genug war, um von Anfang an zu erkennen, daß sich der Nationalsozialismus damit in keinster Weise vereinbaren ließ. Deshalb hat er schon sehr früh diese antichristliche Verführung als solche aufgedeckt und bekämpft, was ihn schließlich das Leben gekostet hat. Und das war kein Versehen oder Scheitern - er ist diesen Weg ganz bewußt gegangen. 1939 ermöglichten ihm Freunde die Flucht in die USA, wo er hätte Karriere machen können. Aber er hielt es dort nur vier Wochen aus - dann war er wieder bei seinen geistlichen Brüdern und Schwestern der Bekennenden Kirche.Als Theologiestudent habe ich mir leider nicht die Zeit genommen, mich näher mit diesem großen Mann Gottes zu befassen. Ich begegnete ihm nur indirekt in Heinz Zahrnts Buch "Die Sache mit Gott". Als ich dort durch dessen Brille von Bonhoeffers "religionsloses Christentum" erfuhr, verband ich dies sofort mit dem, was zeitgenössische Theologen daraus gemacht haben: daß man politische, unbiblische Vorstellungen in biblische Begriffe hineininterpretiert und sie damit mißbraucht. Damit war Bonhoeffer für mich als "liberal" abgestempelt. Das war er aber nicht. Er hätte sich jedoch auch nicht als "evangelikal" eingeordnet, weil er auch an den Pietisten seiner Zeit berechtigte Kritik übte.Ich kann unmöglich in diesem Rahmen seine Theologie insgesamt würdigen. Ich will nur ein Beispiel herausgreifen: Er sah die "Bekennende Kirche", die er immer wieder als zu inkonsequent und zu wenig mutig kritisierte, nicht als Abspaltung von der "wahren" Evangelischen Kirche in Deutschland, sondern umgekehrt. Die "Deutschen Christen" waren es, die den Boden des Evangeliums verlassen hatten und deshalb die Kirche spalteten. Das ist natürlich absolut richtig. Im Hinblick darauf hat er dann ja auch in einer Vorlesung in Finkenwalde den umstrittenen Satz gesagt, den Metaxas auf Englisch so zitiert:Whoever knowingly separates himself from the Confessing Church in Germany separates himself from salvation (Wer auch immer sich wissend von der Bekennenden Kirche in Deutschland trennt, trennt sich vom Heil).Leider macht Metaxas keinerlei Angaben über den Zusammenhang dieses Zitats, sondern versucht, seine Bedeutung zu verharmlosen. Das ist eine Schwäche dieses Buches! Später erfahren wir jedoch, daß Bonhoeffer um der Klarheit willen des öfteren bewußt überspitzt und übertrieben formuliert hat - ich vermute, daß das auch hier der Fall war. Dennoch bleibt diese Ausdrucksweise fragwürdig.Aus evangelikaler, nichtlutherischer Sicht noch viel befremdlicher ist, daß das Wort "Bekehrung" anscheinend nicht zu Bonhoeffers aktivem Wortschatz gehört hat. Der Verfasser versucht zwar, ein bestimmtes Ereignis als dessen Bekehrung zu identifizieren, aber ich halte das ebenfalls für fragwürdig. Damit will ich jedoch ganz und gar nicht behaupten, daß Bonhoeffer kein wiedergeborener Christ war - ganz im Gegenteil! Das hängt sicherlich mit seiner lutherischen Prägung zusammen: Er hat wahrscheinlich an die "Taufwiedergeburt" geglaubt. Deshalb war für ihn offenbar jeder Getaufte, der seinen Glauben ernstnahm, ein Kind Gottes, ein wiedergeborener Christ. Dennoch kann ich mir vorstellen, daß durch Seine lebendige, ansonsten klare Evangeliumsverkündigung so Mancher zu einer persönlichen Beziehung zum Herrn Jesus Christus gefunden hat. Metaxas zitiert eine Frau, die ihn in den Dreißigerjahren regelmäßig predigen gehört hat, mit den Worten:When you saw him preaching ... you saw a young man who was entirely in God's grip (Wenn man ihn predigen sah, sah man einen völlig von Gott ergriffenen jungen Mann).Muß ich wirklich noch sagen, daß ich dieses Buch wärmstens empfehlen kann? Mich hat lange keine Lektüre mehr so bewegt wie diese!

This is a wonderfully well written biography of a key figure in 20th century Christianity. Eric Metaxas has done a masterful job of communicating the zeitgeist of early and mid-20th century Germany, the inter-relationships between church and state amidst the growing popularity of the National Socialist Party and the incongruity of being a Christian, and adhering to official NAZI party lines. Four points are particularly well made:First, there can be no doubt that one of the key issues that Bonhoeffer must respond to throughout his early life is the way the German Church - the church of the reformation that has so highlighted the importance of scripture, salvation and reconciliation with God by grace through the redeeming work of Christ on the cross - the German Church had adopted habits, that made it vulnerable to collaborating with government abuse of different populations. The German church is portrayed as simply offering up all kinds of deep compromise to the NAZIs. This biography begs the question: how do you interpret scripture in a way that will make you stand in the face of evil, cover your neighbor's back, look after the poor and the rejected, even if it means your end? To what extent will you go?Second, the question takes on even more depth when applied to each individual's personal life. The question is not how to live your life without sin, without making mistakes. The question is: How do you respond with your entire life to God's calling? This question is incredibly significant in the face of a modern day Christianity that is strong on cultural judgement and too often thin on judging the atrocities and calamities that go on all over the world. As image bearers, are we concerned with avoiding a "bad life" rather than fully living the life that God has redeemed and made new.Third, this biography is masterfully written by someone who has really done much careful historical work. I have read many works on the rise of the NAZI Party and the conditions that provided the context for the atrocities of WWII. I have learned much in this book about the intricate plans by the NAZIs to co-opt the German Church and, in an Orwellian fashion reminiscent of more explicit Stalinian tactics, allow the church to survive as an institution while removing completely all of its power and significance. There is much in this book that expresses NAZI thinking about Christianity and God and the role of believing Christians in the German resistance.Finally, and perhaps most significantly, the specifics of the Bonhoeffer story are remarkable. His uneasy beginnings in theology, his experience of the American church, his work with the Confessing German Church and his early stands against some of the troublesome actions of the more traditional German Church, his work with the community of ordinands and his devotion to people, to service, even in prison, even at the dawn of his own execution. His desire to marry, start a family, to keep friends and to cherish them, to enjoy them, his bouts of depression. His struggle with the great issues that he faced and the choices that he made, especially as he engaged in a plot to assassinate Hitler. Above all, his refusal to live a life where the easy decisions are made that take you away from responding to God's calling. Metaxas makes a wonderful point, drawn from Bonhoeffer's thoughts on Ethics, about three quarters of the way through the book where he claims that not wanting to make mistakes will take you away from action that reflects God's presence. But deciding to take action will almost certainly confront you with different other dilemmas and force you to make other decisions. Being an image bearer is not an easy path.This biography, like few other books, leaves the reader with the same question that haunted Bonhoeffer: How do you respond with your entire life to God's call? A question for the ages.

Eric Metaxas has outdone himself with his latest work, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy. The author sets the stage for Bonhoeffer's life and ministry by detailing his life as a child and the events that led to full-time Christian ministry.Metaxas provides rich detail that helps deconstruct this enigmatic character we know as Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The formative years in Rome are explored, student life in Berlin, and his first pastorate in Barcelona. Bonhoeffer is painted as one who loved children and had a passion for equipping young men for the ministry.His life as a university student in Berlin is a fascinating journey, especially the information that pertains to his friendship with the German theologian, Karl Barth. Also interesting is path chosen by Bonhoeffer as he studied with German liberals like Adolf von Harnack. These years taught Bonhoeffer to think for himself and carefully formulate his theological presuppositions and produce doctoral and post-doctoral dissertations (Sanctorum Communio and Act and Being respectively).Shortly after Act and Being was published with little acclaim, Bonhoeffer make his way to America in 1930. He struggled with the lack of discipline that he saw demonstrated among the theological students. He was shocked at horrific way that some Caucasians treated African-Americans.In 1931, Bonhoeffer journeyed back to Germany after his time in America. At this time, he struck up a friendship with Karl Barth. He also returned to the lectern and pulpit with renewed fervor. Metaxas observes Bonhoeffer's desire to nurture the life of the Christian mind in his students: "He wished to disciple them in the true life of the Christian. This ran the gamut, from understanding current events through a biblical lens to reading the Bible not just as a theology student but as a disciple of Jesus Christ. This approach was unique among German university theologians of that era."One of Bonhoeffer's students commented, "Among the public, there spread the expectation that the salvation of the German people would now come from Hitler. But in the lectures we were told that salvation comes only from Jesus Christ." Bonhoeffer sought students who were biblical to the core. Another student noted, "He taught us that the Bible goes directly into your life, [to] where your problems are."Bonhoeffer was a man of conviction. In 1933 he preached at Trinity church in Berlin and boldly proclaimed, "The church has only one altar, the altar of the Almighty ... Whoever seeks something other than this must keep away; he cannot join us in the house of God ... The church has only one pulpit, and from that pulpit, faith in God will be preached, and no other faith, and no other will then the will of God, however well-intentioned."Dietrich Bonhoeffer not only took a stand for Christ; he stood on behalf of Jewish brothers and sisters. His essay, "The Church and the Jewish Question" helped bolster his case for the Jews. Metaxas rightly observes, "But Bonhoeffer knew that a church that did not stand with the Jews was not the church of Jesus Christ, and to evangelize people into a church that was not the church of Jesus Christ was foolishness and heresy."This German pastor was intensely practical and had little interest in academics as an end it itself. Bonhoeffer writes, "Theological work and real pastoral fellowship can only grow in a life which is governed by gathering round the Word morning and evening and by fixed times of prayer." Additionally, Bonhoeffer would have been grieved by the so-called postmodern emphasis on "making the Bible relevant." He adds, "Do not try to make the Bible relevant. Its relevance is axiomatic ... Do not defend God's Word, but testify to it ... Trust the Word."Bonhoeffer placed a strong emphasis on preaching the written Word of God. Metaxas comments, "For him a sermon was nothing less than the very word of God, a place where God would speak to his people ... Like the incarnation, it was a place of revelation, where Christ came into this world from outside it."Metaxas chronicles the fascinating account of Bonhoeffer's role as a spy and conspirator against the Nazi regime. Bonhoeffer was a member of Military Intelligence but was in reality working to destroy Hitler's evil devices. The author speaks approvingly of this double agent pastor/spy: "Bonhoeffer was not telling little white lies. In Luther's famous phrase, he was 'sinning boldly.' He was involved in a high-stakes game 0f deception upon deception, and yet Bonhoeffer himself knew that in all of it, he was being utterly obedient to God."Metaxas meticulously details the events that led to two assassination attempts on Adolf Hitler which ultimately sent him to prison (even though the Gestapo did not initially have any idea of Bonhoeffer's involvement in the conspiracy) and led him to the gallows.Metaxas surveys the prison landscape that would serve as Bonhoeffer's home for the last eighteen months of his life. He explains how Bonhoeffer sought to keep the details of the conspiracy secret and hints at the Lutheran pastors' ability to play a skillful game of subterfuge: "He was not a 'worldly' or 'compromised' pastor, but a pastor whose very devotion to God depended on his deceiving the evil powers ranged against him. He was serving God by taking them all for a long ride."Before Bonhoeffer made his way to the gallows, he uttered these final words: "This is the end. For me the beginning of life."Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy is a thoughtful and illuminating biographical account of a man who lived a faithful Christian life before God and the people of God. The author brilliantly weaves data from personal research and a voluminous set of letters to and from Bonhoeffer. The final product is an encouraging portrait of a courageous pastor who sought above all to obey God. Highly recommended!5 stars