Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (February 4, 1906 – April 9, 1945) was a German religious leader and participant in the resistance movement against Nazism. Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran pastor and theologian, took part in the plots being planned by members of the Abwehr (Military Intelligence Office) to assassinate Hitler. He was arrested, imprisoned, and eventually hanged following the failure of the July 20 1944, assassination attempt.

Importance of Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Dietrich Bonhoeffer is considered a martyr for his faith; he was absolved of any crimes by the German government in the mid-1990s. The calendars of the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America commemorate him on April 9, the date on which he was hanged in 1945.

Related Topics:
Martyr - Episcopal Church - Evangelical Lutheran Church in America - April 9

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An oft-quoted line from one of his more widely read books, The Cost of Discipleship (1937), foreshadowed his death. "When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die." His books Ethics (1949) and Letters and Papers from Prison (1953) were published posthumously.

Related Topics:
1937 - 1949 - 1953

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The theological and political reasons behind his shift from Christian pacifism, which he espoused in the mid-1930s, to participation in planning the assassination of Hitler are much debated.

Related Topics:
Pacifism - Assassination

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Bonhoeffer's letters and papers from prison included vague statements that have intrigued many theologians, including a remark about a "religionless Christianity". It is unknown what Bonhoeffer exactly meant by this and other ideas, but they have sparked a movement in Christian theology labeled, "Secular Theology" popularized by Harvey Cox's book, "The Secular City." Christian theologians since Bonhoeffer have been struggling with how to construct a theology for what Bonhoeffer called "a world come of age." Bonhoeffer is one of the few theologians embraced by both liberal and conservative Christians. It is universally agreed that, with his death, the world lost one of the most insightful theological minds.

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Bonhoeffer's nephew by his sister is the conductor Christoph von Dohnanyi, son of Hans von Dohnanyi.

Related Topics:
Christoph von Dohnanyi - Hans von Dohnanyi

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