Dietrich Bonhoeffer | Brunnen | 320 pages | €21.00
Why Dietrich Bonhoeffer returned to Germany from his studies in New York in 1939, shortly before the outbreak of war, remains incomprehensible to many. The theologian had joined the Confessing Church in 1933 and had already been harassed and persecuted by the Nazi regime for years. Yet this did not deter him from returning, strengthening the church, and dying. His decision may seem incomprehensible, but only if viewed from the perspective of wanting the easiest and most comfortable life at any cost.
“Discipleship” powerfully demonstrates that God’s grace cost Him everything, namely His precious Son. This costly grace cannot possibly be a cheap commodity under whose “protection” everyone could live their life as they see fit. Instead, it calls each individual directly to discipleship, to fellowship with Christ, to the unconditional surrender of the self, and to the readiness to take His call seriously. In this book, Bonhoeffer also wants to shift our focus away from ourselves and our work and toward Christ. This spiritually and literarily demanding volume powerfully transforms our thinking and actions, not simply by accusing us of complacency, but through a renewed appreciation of God’s authority and grace in our lives.
Jonas Merling,
Municipality of Venne