Christ the Center Quotes

“Nothing can be known either of God or man until God has become man in Jesus Christ.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Christ the Center

“Teaching about Christ begins in silence. 'Be still, for that is the absolute', writes Kierkegaard. That has nothing to do with the silence of the mystics, who in their dumbness chatter away secretly in their soul by themselves. The silence of the Church is the silence before the Word. In so far as the Church proclaims the Word, it falls down silently in truth before the inexpressible: 'In silence I worship the unutterable' (Cyril of Alexandria). The spoken Word is the inexpressible; this unutterable is the Word. 'It must become spoken, it is the great battle cry' (Luther). Although it is cried out by the Church in the world, it remains the inexpressible. To speak of Christ means to keep silent; to keep silent about Christ means to speak. When the Church speaks rightly out of a proper silence, then Christ is proclaimed.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Christ the Center

“When the Counter-Logos appears in history, no longer as an idea, but as "Word" become flesh, there is no longer any possibility of assimilating him into the existing order of the human logos. The only real question which now remains is: "Who are you? Speak for yourself!" The question, "Who are you?", is the question of dethroned and distraught reason, but it is also the question of faith.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Christ the Center

“Human reason has reached its limits with the question, "Who?" What happens when the Counter-Logos raises his claim? Man seeks to deny the one with whom he is confronted. Pilate asks, "Who are you?", and Jesus is silent. Man cannot wait for the answer, because it is too dangerous. The logos cannot endure the Counter-Logos. It knows that one of them must die and it therefore kills the one whom it asks.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Christ the Center