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

by Mark Nation

One of these is the subject of evil. A commitment to nonviolence for Christians does not require a naïveté about evil. “Our concern here is not only with evil,” Bonhoeffer says, “it is with the person who is evil. Jesus calls the evil person evil. My behavior should not give excuses and justification for those who indulge in violence or who oppress me. Nor do I intend to express my understanding for the rights of an evil person by my patient suffering. Jesus has nothing to do with such sentimental considerations. The humiliating blow, the violent deed, and the act of exploitation remain evil. Disciples are to know this and to give witness to it just as Jesus did, because otherwise the evil person will not be engaged and overcome.” But having made this clear, Bonhoeffer also says: “There is no thinkable deed in which evil is so large and strong that it would require a different response from a Christian. The more terrible the evil, the more willing the disciple should be to suffer. Evil persons must be delivered into the hands of Jesus. Not I but Jesus must deal with them”