London, 1933-1935

Works #13

by Isabel Best, Keith W. Clements (Editor)

Dietrich Bonhoeffer's pastoral sojourn in England from October 1933 to April of 1935, which he initially viewed as a withdrawal from the church clashes in Germany, marked instead a new phase in his intensive participation in that struggle. This enlightening volume provides an almost daily documentation of his deepening engagement against the placid backdrop of his two London pastorates.

Detailing Bonhoeffer's extensive contacts with German expatriates, ecumenical partners and allies, and friends and family, 1933-1935 impressively records both Bonhoeffer's involvement in the rapidly developing clash with the deutsche Christen and the means by which he pursued it.

The bulk of the material consists of his wide correspondence but also includes records and minutes of his congregational meetings, excerpts from the diaries of Bonhoeffer's friend and London colleague Julius Rieger, reports from international conferences from 1934, and more than twenty sermons he preached to his London congregations. The wealth of this material, says editor Keith Clements, allows us to experience a dramatic slice of this history and see the many and complex facets of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's personality.

Genres: Theology

550 pages, Hardcover

First published July 3, 2007

Reviews

[Corey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly letters and sermons, less papers in this one. It's crazy that he was so active in guiding the German church from so far away. Loved the interchange between him and Barth.
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Second time through, the sermon on the mine that has fallen through and revelation as the rescue is one of the most memorable things for me in all of the volumes.

[Van Jones]

Powerful sermons! Read again in 2025.