Discipleship in a World Full of Nazis: Recovering the True Legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer

by Mark Thiessen Nation, Scot McKnight (Contributor), Stanley Hauerwas (Contributor)

"Things do exist that are worth standing up for without compromise. To me it seems that peace and social justice are such things, as is Christ himself." These are words Dietrich Bonhoeffer spoke to his brother a few months before he began training future pastors in the ways of discipleship. For several years he had been speaking out against war. Near the beginning of the anti-Semitic Nazi regime, he called on his fellow Christians to speak out against a state that was engaging in oppressive measures, to respond to victims of oppression, and to be willing to suffer, as a church, if it was required to stop such oppression. His vision for training disciples was rooted in pure doctrine, serious worship, a new kind of monasticism, and the Sermon on the Mount. Bonhoeffer was convinced that through the living presence of Jesus and the explosive teachings of the Sermon on the Mount "lies the force that can blow all this hocus-pocus sky-high--like fireworks, leaving only a few burnt-out shells behind." This is the legacy of this extraordinary theologian that this book seeks to recover--exploring how this was lived out in a world full of Nazis.

Genres: History

236 pages, Paperback

Published January 20, 2022

About the author

Mark Thiessen Nation (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is professor of theology at Eastern Mennonite Seminary in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and has authored several books.

Reviews

[David Rawls · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those that have an interest in understanding Bonhoeffer this would be a great book to read. Depending on what one's cause is many try to adopt Bonhoeffer into their already set political allegiances. After reading this book I came away with two clear takeaways. The first is that Bonhoeffer was willing to take a stand against the German Church that allowed Nazism to shape it. This stand was a result of Bonhoeffer's hermeneutic that was centered on Jesus and especially in the sermon on the Mount. Certainly the evangelical church today could learn a lot from this hermeneutic. The second takeaway and maybe the biggest is that the author Matthew Thiessen Nation seeks to show evidence that contrary to popular belief Bonhoeffer never gave up his pacifist beliefs for a Niebuhrian theology. If you're looking to be challenged and think through how you see your Christianity this book is a home run.

[Gino · Rating 4 out of 5]

The common assumption is that Dietrich Bonhoeffer participated in plots to assassinate Hitler. The story goes that Bonhoeffer pushed aside is pacifist leanings for a more realistic, Niebuhrian view in light of the Third Reich. The commonly told story is that it is Bonhoeffer's complicity in said assassination attempts led to his arrest, imprisonment, and ultimately is execution by hanging on April 9, 1945 at Flossenberg concentration camp.

Nation makes a convincing case against Bonhoeffer becoming a "realist" or ever participating in assassination attempts. Instead, Nation complexifies the story a bit using Bonhoeffer's own words and other historical letters. The result is a compelling case for Bonbhoeffer's Christocentric politics and commitment to what could be called pacifism.

I appreciate Nation's work here in clarifying these accounts and bravely contradicting the typical story. At the same time, Nation does not simply turn Bonhoeffer into a neo-Anabaptist or avoid facing Bonhoeffer's distain for turning ethics into abstract principles. Instead, Nation gives a well-documented and reasonable account of Bonhoeffer's influences and thinking, relying heavily on his own words.

Essays in the Appendices include contributions from Nation, Stanley Hauerwas, and Scot McKnight and all prove to be very helpful.

While I found the writing to become repetitive at times, I still think this book is excellent and needed. At a time when so many popular accounts of Bonhoeffer tend to speak for Bonhoeffer (through multiple voices), it is refreshing to see an account that seeks to put Bonhoeffer's words together in order for him to speak for himself.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark T. Nation uses the preponderance of the writings of Bonhoeffer to distance DB from violence and the attempts on Hitler. Other books attempting to imply the DB changed his views or was directly involved in the assassination attempts on Hitler selectively use limited resources to reach this flawed conclusion.