Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Departure Analysis

In 1906, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was born along with his twin sister Sabine in Breslau, Germany to neurologist Karl Bonhoeffer and his wife Paula. Growing up, Dietrich was expected to follow the footsteps of his father and his older siblings into the field of medicine, however it was quite a surprise for them to hear that he had decided to become a pastor. This was shocking news to the Bonhoeffers because they were not religious family. Bonhoeffer graduated from the University of Berlin in 1927 with a doctorate degree in the field theology at the age of only twenty-one. He believed that Christians needed to be involved in politics and work together in order to establish God’s kingdom on earth.

No dog can pull a sled on his own; all must work together to finish the race. Additionally, they must unite in following the master’s directions. If one dog tries to pursue another route, he will only make the race harder for the rest of the pack and the musher will eventually need to pull him out. Similarly, each of us needs other Christians in order to finish the race strong. No one can accomplish the task alone. In Hebrews 10:25, Paul admonished the early church with these words: “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” We must unitedly follow the Master’s guidance. Otherwise, we will only make things harder for ourselves and others around

Critics argue that such funds, which are often used for the purpose of constructing or decorating extravagant cathedrals, ought to be used solely for the benefit of the poor and needy. In contrast, Fr. Havens expressed that all things which are good and beautiful glorify God and He has given us talents of creativity and craftsmanship that we may glorify Him. In other words, places of worship are constructed and beautified so ornately, not necessarily to be lavish or to abuse donations, but because giving and doing one’s best represents strong devotion to God and willingness to remember Him always. Our best and most beautiful creations can emphasize God’s eternal capacity to create, to organize and create life and meaning where there was only unorganized matter

A church whose pastor and others in leadership have failed to put in place a proactive plan for discipleship for Believers is usually a “growing” church — growing stagnant, growing cold, growing spiritually immature Christians, and eventually, many growing closed. Patte said, “There is much at stake in accepting or rejecting the challenge of discipleship…” When a pastor or a church makes a conscious decision to make discipleship of Believers a primary focus in their

He used to be a religious person, but then he loses his faith and starts to slowly lose his religious beliefs. He does not understand why God would let such a bad thing happen to the Jews. He at one point says “I did not deny God’s existence, but I doubted His absolute justice” (Wiesel 42). He just thinks that God is not as powerful as he thought. He used to be very serious about his religion.

God loves his Church and Jesus is the one who builds the Church. Then, it goes without saying that God loves the local church and Jesus builds the local church. Unfortunately, there are many factors that come into play, causing churches to become complacent or stagnate before entering into a season of decline. Yet this can be avoided through the process of revitalization.

Living in Christian community is a necessity for the everyday life of a Christian. Without community, the Christian has no one else to “sharpen” them, no one else to understand the everyday struggle of living in the world, sharing the Gospel, but not partaking in the sinful ways of the world. In “Life Together”, Dietrich Bonhoeffer explores Christian community, and presents not only the benefits of Christian community, but also the toxins that can destroy the community. Living in Christian community brings incomparable joy and community in and through Jesus Christ, but can be easily lost due to humanistic ideals, or “dreams”.

From this passage, Bonhoeffer states that our brothers and sisters in Christ reflect the voice of God. He explains that if people do not know listen to their brother and sister in Christ then it means you are not listening to God. God works and reflects on his children-That means all his children. Overall, in what I learned from Bonhoeffer based on this passage is to listen to our brothers and sister in Christ. As Christians, we believe that is to our self and do not listen to the people around us. Personally, I believe as a leader of an important area in my church is very important for me to listen to my fellow brothers and sister in Christ. I also believe that my team (who are children of Christ) should listen to me because if they do not listen to me then that means they are not listening to God.

What does Christian community really mean? Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community by Dietrich Bonhoeffer gives insight into what Christians relationships were designed to be like. The main theme Bonhoeffer explores is Christ in the Christian community under the Word of God. Bonhoeffer explains God’s gift of community by arguing the following: “It is grace, nothing but grace, that we are allowed to live in community with Christian brethren” (Bonhoeffer, 1978, p. 20). In addition the author adds, “Christian community is like the Christian’s sanctification. It is a gift of God, which we cannot claim. Only God knows the real state of our fellowship, of our sanctification” (p. 30). Overall Life Together is biblically

“Every age has its own characteristics. Right now we are in an age of religious complexity. The simplicity which is in Christ is rarely found among us. In its stead are programs, methods, organizations, and a world of nervous activities which occupy time and attention but can never satisfy the longing of the heart. The shallowness of our inner experience, the hollowness of our worship, and that servile imitation of the world which marks our promotional methods all testify that we, in this da, know God only imperfectly, and the peace of God scarcely at all.”

The theological principle in this passage is that Christ provides people for the building up of his church.

This pervasive insincerity among individuals and the toleration coupled with it consequently leads to hypocrisy in the church as a whole. For example, one of Jesus’ major teachings was remaining humble by not worshiping

What people expect from us is to be witnesses of living faith that is rooted in prayer and scripture (52). Ruddy’s brings into consideration what Paul VI said in his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi that: “modern man listens to witnesses more than to teachers, and if he does not listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.”

Bonhoeffer encouraged that Christ’s followers are to enter into solidarity with those who have been victimized by those forces of oppression, political domination, and persecution that rob innocent people of their God-given dignity as created in the image and likeness of none other than Jesus Christ himself

Gerhard Lohfink, German-born in 1934, was Professor of New Testament at the University of Tübinger. In 1986 he resigned to live and work as a theologian in the Catholic Integrierte Gemeinde—a community of priests. This move seems to be a direct outflow of his studies and increasing conviction around the communal aspects of Church from which this book was birthed in 1982. In his introduction Lohfink talks about the influence of Adolf von Harnack towards an individual experience of God. Jesus and Community is Lohfink’s response to the outfall