Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy in Readers Sharing Reviews

Mar 26, 2011 Mike (the Paladin) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: christian-theology

Let me say first that this is a wonderful book. Congratulations Mr. Metaxas.

From an account of Bonhoeffer's life to the overlay of history I was drawn in and followed it. There is (of course) for me a sort of bittersweet sense to the book as Bonhoeffer died just before the end of WWII. He was murdered about 3 weeks before Hitler took his own life more than likely having been murdered on the orders of the mad man himself.

Some will not be as interested in the theological insights that can be found Let me say first that this is a wonderful book. Congratulations Mr. Metaxas.

From an account of Bonhoeffer's life to the overlay of history I was drawn in and followed it. There is (of course) for me a sort of bittersweet sense to the book as Bonhoeffer died just before the end of WWII. He was murdered about 3 weeks before Hitler took his own life more than likely having been murdered on the orders of the mad man himself.

Some will not be as interested in the theological insights that can be found here but it was a major part of what I love(ed) about the book. Bonhoeffer has a lot to say and whether a Christian holds with all his insights or not they are still worth reading.

Of course a major part of the book (and why it was selected here) has to do with Bonhoeffer's disgust with the way the Jews were treated in Nazi Germany. Having visited America and expressing his concern over the racial situation here (pre-WWII America) he was relieved that no corollary existed in his own Germany. Having thought this the situation that met him when he returned home from his short visit to America was doubly troubling for him.

I was not aware before I read this book of Bonhoeffer's involvement with the long running conspiracy to kill Hitler. I had been aware of the earlier abortive attempts. These do always seem creepy to me as Hitler always seemed to escape from situations where he shouldn't have. The books account of Bonhoeffer's thoughts and concerns the struggle he has before he moves in that direction. The man moved from being almost a pacifist to participating in a conspiracy. Rather amazing.

I can't possibly give an insight into all you'll find here. Bonhoeffer was an amazing person, a devout and humble Christian and a resource for us still today through his writings. While I can not escape the feeling of loss, outrage and sadness at the death of Bonhoeffer at such a young age, he himself was ready for his death and met it with calmness and faith. A special individual and a good book.

Highly recommended.

...more

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Dec 12, 2018 Werner rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: history, biography

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) was a German Lutheran pastor and theologian hanged by the Nazis at the age of 39, shortly before the conclusion of World War II, for his role in the plots for Hitler's assassination. His dramatic death has served to make him a semi-legendary figure in some circles, though his name isn't a household word to the general public; but even in the circles where his name is recognized, it's a fair assumption that many more people know of him vaguely by hearsay than have Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) was a German Lutheran pastor and theologian hanged by the Nazis at the age of 39, shortly before the conclusion of World War II, for his role in the plots for Hitler's assassination. His dramatic death has served to make him a semi-legendary figure in some circles, though his name isn't a household word to the general public; but even in the circles where his name is recognized, it's a fair assumption that many more people know of him vaguely by hearsay than have actually read his own writings or studied his life in much detail. He's often been posthumously co-opted by the Religious Left, on the basis of an out-of-context seizing upon of a single phrase he used in a 1944 letter, "religionless Christianity."

This is the only Bonhoeffer biography I've personally read. The one that's generally recognized as THE definitive one is the 1,084-page 1968 tome by his close friend, pupil and correspondent (who eventually became his nephew by marriage), Eberhard Bethge, which is obviously a primary source for much of the subject's life. One Goodreads reviewer characterized Metaxas' work as "dependent on Bethge." In fact, to the extent that they're serious about historical investigation, subsequent biographical treatments are all somewhat "dependent on Bethge," and one might question their authors' commitment to serious research if they weren't. Yale graduate and evangelical Christian professional writer and public intellectual Metaxas, however, has used a substantial array of other primary and secondary sources besides Bethge's (the bibliography fills about two and a half pages). What he's also done is to synthesize and condense this material into 542 pages of actual text, which is still pretty detailed, but less daunting and more manageable for the non-specialist reader.

Metaxas starts with Bonhoeffer's family background (he came from a distinguished lineage on both sides; his father was Germany's foremost brain specialist, and one of his brothers, as a physicist, helped split the atom). He then proceeds to cover every stage of his subject's life, from childhood through the July 27, 1945 memorial service at Holy Trinity Church in England (which frames the main narrative at beginning and end). Bonhoeffer's theological thought is treated intelligibly, in the context of the events and experiences of his life in which it took shape. His own writings, letters, and diary are quoted frequently, as are the words of other people who played parts in his life and who knew him. A Goodreads reviewer complained that too much historical context is provided, but I personally did not have that feeling at all; I found the focus to be quite steadily on Bonhoeffer, with reference to the events around him confined to what's necessary for understanding his own role and reactions. As a history major, I went into the book with a general knowledge of the Nazi regime and the war, and I had some basic prior information about Bonhoeffer's life and thought; but I encountered much significant information here that I didn't previously know. Clearly, the author admires Bonhoeffer greatly, and considers him a hero (as I think any non-Nazi who studied the man's life would). But he's writing biography, not hagiography; he portrays his subject in photographic detail, without trying to air-brush the picture.

This is not academic writing for professional scholars, but for general readers; it does not employ the very dry, objective, precise and colorless mode of writing academics use in writing to each other (and which I wrote in as a college and graduate student, so I'm quite familiar with it). Metaxas' prose, in contrast, can be quite colorful in terms of the comparisons and descriptions used, and he makes no bones about being passionate towards the subject. Examples might include the characterization of the aged Luther, in reference to his anti-Semitic comments dredged up by the Nazis, as "the Don Rickles of Wittenberg" (he insulted pretty much everybody, not just Jews), or the comment, on Neville Chamberlain's declaration of war after two days of dithering, that "at some point someone lent Chamberlain a vertebra." Readers who, for one reason or another, would prefer a more academic tone can fairly point this out. (Unlike some Goodreads reviewers, however, I don't think Metaxas' prose style deserves ridicule.) The hardcover edition (which was pushed into print too quickly, to coincide with the anniversary of Bonhoeffer's death) also contained some typos and misspellings of German words. These were mostly corrected in the paperback edition (which is the one I read), although the misspelling of Gleichschaltung as Gleischaltung wasn't.

Bethge himself (who was the recipient of the letter in question) was strongly and explicitly critical of theologians who recklessly misinterpreted the "religionless Christianity" phrase as indicating some kind of wholesale rejection of traditional Christian beliefs. Both Bonhoeffer and Karl Barth (another close friend, who was also a major theological influence) had been explicitly critical for years of "religion," understood as a man-made system of rules and shibboleths by which people try to earn favor with God and make themselves feel pious, and contrasted with a Biblical dependence on God's grace. (The same terminology is not uncommon among American evangelicals today.) As Metaxas makes clear, Bonhoeffer was not a separatistic and anti-intellectual Fundamentalist. He was a strong supporter of Barthian Neo-Orthodoxy (and in the context of 1920s and 30s Germany, where it was hotly opposed by Harnack's liberalism). In lifestyle, he was much like Barth and his contemporary C. S. Lewis; he was a cultured appreciator of classical art, music and literature, and an uncompromising exponent of intellectual rigor in theology and Biblical interpretation. He was willing to fellowship with other believers, Catholic and Protestant, across denominational lines, and he respected fellow serious thinkers, such as Harnack, even when he disagreed with them. But he was also strongly committed to classical Christianity, to the authority of Scripture, to the practice of serious prayer and worship, and to a life of total obedience to God, which ultimately led to his willing acceptance of his own martyrdom. Metaxas also makes this irrefutably clear, and primarily by quoting Bonhoeffer's own words.

Though footnotes aren't used here, there are 21 pages of notes documenting the sources for each part of the text, by page and sentence/paragraph beginnings. The 14-page index appears to be serviceable, though I didn't use it much. Finally, there are 15 and 1/2 pages of discussion questions, designed for book clubs or other groups reading the book together. These actually seem to be quite good for their purpose, aiming to elicit individual thought and serious group discussion rather than to cut it off by suggesting canned answers.

As a young man, I read some of Bonhoffer's writing, though I don't list it on my Goodreads shelves because I don't remember exactly what I read. But at that stage of my intellectual development and Christian walk, I don't think I was genuinely capable of appreciating and engaging with his thought. One effect of reading this book has been to give me a much deeper appreciation of him as a person and as a theologian; another has been to convince me that I need to seriously read or reread some of his writing --and sooner, as in next year, rather than later. My "default" rating for nonfiction books that I like is normally three stars. This one is a rare nonfiction read that earns five; and that's every bit as significant as it sounds! ...more

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Feb 09, 2016 Travis Bow rated it really liked it

I started this book knowing that Bonhoeffer was a German theologian. I finished knowing that he was also a great musician, a would-be assassin, a leader, teacher, and young man smitten with his fiancé.

I started with some basic idea of Bonhoeffer's theology on cheap grace. I finished with an understanding of how his thoughts developed, of the enormous energy he put into trying to discover the purpose and mission of the church, of his criticism of American theological shallowness and his admirati ...more

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