Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"What is the Extraordinary? It is the love of Jesus Christ himself, who went patiently and obediently to the cross - it is in fact the cross itself...The Extraordinary - and this is the supreme scandal - is something which the followers of Jesus do." (From The Cost of Discipleship, NY: Simon and Schuster, 1995, p. 153)

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a young Lutheran pastor whose life has left a lasting impression on many Christians, including mine. Born February 4, 1906 in Germany to wealthy parents, the son of a psychologist, Bonhoeffer received two doctorates before his 25th birthday. A talented scholar and teacher, Bonhoeffer aspired to study and teach theology. He came to the United States in 1930 to study and teach at NY's Union Theological Seminary. While in the United States, his life changed dramatically. He attended church in Harlem, learning many of the Negro Spirituals. Though a promising teaching career awaited him, Bonhoeffer returned to Germany, about the time of Hitler's rise to power. He served churches as a minister as Hitler's swastika and Nazi influence spread to the churches. Bonhoeffer was one of a minority group that declared itself to be the Confessing Church of Germany, and opposed Hitler through preaching, writing and teaching.

In 1937, Bonhoeffer's opposition to Hitler led him to the opportunity to lead an underground seminary, to train young Lutheran ministers in theology and practice of Christian spirituality and ministry, specifically in opposition to Hitler's state-run churches (The image of the swastika on the German church's paraments is haunting). It was at Finkenwalde that Bonhoeffer wrote perhaps his two most influential works, Discipleship and Life Together, at the young age of 31. Discipleship (or The Cost of Discipleship, as it is known in its English translation), is a call to the church to be the "salt of the earth" and the "light of the world" through following the teachings of Jesus, rather than relying on the sacraments of baptism and communion, to guarantee salvation. Life Together was written to provide a pattern of devotion for his seminary student's as they lived as one in a nation that hated him.

Later on, after the Gestapo shut down the Finkenwalde Seminary, Bonhoeffer, a pacifist, came under the conviction that the only thing that a Christian could do in response to Hitler was to work for his defeat. Bonhoeffer, along with his brother-in-law, Hans Von Donnanyi, was arrested for conspiracy to kill Hitler. It is this conspiracy on which the movie Valkyrie is based, though Bonhoeffer was not written into the film. On April 9, 1945, Bonhoeffer was hanged as an enemy of Germany and Hitler, but as a true Martyr to the Christ he followed with his life. Two days later, the prison in which he died was liberated by Allied forces.

I first read Discipleship as a college student. It changed my life, and the way I understand Christianity. Thus, I no longer understand Christianity as a religion, but as a way of life. For those who dare to imagine what Christianity would look like if the words of Jesus were actually taught, practiced, and followed, I heartily recommend this masterpiece as a beginning.

On this day I pray to wish a Happy Birthday to Bonhoeffer, whose witness, whose martyrdom, left an impression on the life of many, including mine.