Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Biographical Essay

I first heard about Dietrich Bonhoeffer this past summer when a friend mentioned his name. Beforehand, I honestly never knew anything about this extraordinary man. Part of the reason that I had not heard about him may have been because of my Baptist upbringing. Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran. And yet, C.S Lewis, an Anglican who lived around the same time as Bonhoeffer is praised by many Baptists for both his fiction and nonfiction works.

Another reason why I, and possibly many others in the Baptist circles, have not grown up learning much about Bonhoeffer could be his work in the ecumenical movement. Bonhoeffer shared a relationship with many ministers both inside and outside evangelicalism. He received theological training from the University of Berlin, under the tutelage of liberal theologian, Adolf von Harnack. Bonhoeffer, however, rejected the liberalism he sat under at the University. One of his closest friends from Berlin, Karl Barth, has earned his own notoriety as a theologian.

I must be honest, Bonhoeffer and his works should be approached cautiously by any Christian who affirms the inerrancy of Scripture and believes that salvation only comes by faith in Christ. While Eric Metaxas's biography has brought Bonhoeffer to the attention of many evangelicals, some might forget that the theologian has been known for accusations of universalism and an errant view of Scriptures. Nevertheless, I still believe that evangelicals should be made aware of Bonhoeffer, his life, and his theology. I would encourage the reader to read for himself or herself to further understand this man, his theology, and the impact he made on Church History.

Overall, Dietrich Bonhoeffer's role in the Stauffenburg plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler should earn him at least a mention in the history books. However, his life consisted of so much more than the final few years of his life. Long before he committed himself to the resistance against the Nazis, Bonhoeffer grounded himself in pursuing truth. From an early age, he was taught to live for and defend what he believed.

Bonhoeffer did not merely count up the cost of fighting against the Nazism that ruled Germany, even the German Church. No, as he claimed, he counted the cost of following Christ, sacrificing himself so that countless souls would be rescued from eternal damnation. He believed that all kinds of people, regardless of ethnicity or background, should be welcomed into the Church. For Dietrich, the term "German Church" was in itself an oxymoron as the Church consists of more than just one nationality. Bonhoeffer's source of strength for what he accomplished was the truth that God rules over all things and that Christ has reconciled heaven and earth through His body on the cross.

Growing Up

On February 4, 1906, Dietrich and his twin sister Sabine were born to Karl and Paula Bonhoeffer in Wroclaw, Poland. The Bonhoeffers were an intelligent family. Karl was one of the leading psychiatrists of his time. Both his and his wife's relatives consisted of professors, physicists, and theologians. Dietrich's eldest brother, Karl Friedrich, would go on to be involved in splitting the atom with Einstein. Klaus, Bonhoeffer's middle brother, became a lawyer. His sisters were also incredibly smart and went on to marry intelligent men. Dietrich sort of stood apart from the rest of his siblings as he determined to be a theologian.

Although the Bonhoeffer children had incredible IQs, their father challenged them to train their own minds. They were required to carry their thoughts logically and clearly. Anyone would have to think twice before sharing their thoughts at the dinner table. And yet, the dinner table became a place to discuss politics, religion, and other logic-invoking topics. In the house of Karl Bonhoeffer, Dietrich learned to think for himself. He was taught that no idea could be believed in unless one was willing to live it out. Bonhoeffer would eventually learn that what he believed in would cost him everything.

In 1917, Dietrich and his family saw his brother, Walter, off to the warfront. After two weeks, the Bonhoeffers learned that Walter was killed in battle. Bonhoeffer's mother had a sort of mental breakdown where she lived with the neighbors for several months; and it took her years to fully recover. Bonhoeffer's life was thoroughly changed by this experience.

Theological Education

At age 13, Bonhoeffer decided that he would pursue theology as his career. Karl Bonhoeffer, as the intellect he was, had his reservations about Dietrich's choice. His siblings similarly would tease him. His mother was most likely extremely proud of him as his maternal grandfather and maternal great-grandfather were both theologians. In 1923, at age 17, Bonhoeffer enrolled at Tübingen University to begin theology.

But, after a visit to Rome, Bonhoeffer enrolled the University of Berlin, the most prestigious school in the world for theological studies at that time. There, Bonhoeffer learned from men such as Friedrich Schleiermacher and Adolf von Harnack. Bonhoeffer did not affirm Harnack's liberal theology but still respected him as a fellow intellect. In the book, Seven Men, in the part on Bonhoeffer, Metaxas writes, "throughout his life, Bonhoeffer was not afraid to learn from those with whom he disagreed" (1). At age 21, Bonhoeffer earned his PhD. He wished to continue his work in the church, but, in Germany in those days, one had to be twenty-five in order to be ordained.

At twenty-four, Bonhoeffer made his way to the United States to pursue further studies at Union Theological Seminary in New York. Bonhoeffer became dismayed at the lack of theological adeptness he found at Union as well as at Riverside Church, where Harry Emerson Fosdick ("Shall the Fundamentalists Win?") preached. The following Sunday after his visit to Riverside, Bonhoeffer went with his African-American friend, Frank Fisher, to Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem.

At Abyssinian, Bonhoeffer witnessed an entire congregation of African Americans faithfully worshipping together, even in the face of segregation. He saw that the God of the Bible was not simply a theological construct, but the ultimate reality by which he could be saved. Seeing the inequality for the African American in America would prepare him the fight against oppression of the Jews when he returned to Germany.

Resistance

In later years, when Hitler came to power in 1933, Bonhoeffer made choices to stand firm for the truth, regardless of the cost. As the German Church came to kneel to the Nazi regime, Bonhoeffer decided to establish his own illegal order of sorts. In Finkenwalde, Dietrich trained seminarians for what came to be known as "the Confessing Church." These men were not simply trained to be preachers, but to be committed disciples for Christ. Eventually, the Gestapo, under the command of Heinrich Himmler, shut down the Finkenwalde seminary.

Bonhoeffer increasingly became aware of the government-supported anti-Semitism. Through the work of the Gestapo, Himmler, along with Joseph Goebbels, prohibited Bonhoeffer from writing books on the Psalms and the Old Testament. These men tried to eliminate any type of literature or work that they claimed were too "Jewish". Unfortunately, the German Church, under the spell of Hitler's nationalistic speech, affirmed the anti-Semitism espoused by the Nazi party. Dietrich, however, was not blind to the oppression of the Jews. After learning about the systemic murder of Jews in concentration camps, Bonhoeffer went all in to bring the Third Reich to its knees, contributing as a spy for the Resistance.

Although there were many plots to assassinate Hitler prior to July 20, 1944, the famous Valkyrie plot was the only one where the bomb successfully detonated. Nevertheless, although the Stauffenburg bomb killed many within its vicinity, it failed to take out its one main target. Hitler went on a rampage, having thousands tortured and executed in order to uncover the conspirators. Bonhoeffer's name came up.

He had originally been arrested for an attempt to rescue a handful of Jews. But then, because of his part in the Valkyrie conspiracy, he was transported to an underground Gestapo prison in October 1944. In February 1945, Bonhoeffer was then transported to the Buchenwald concentration camp for two months. Then, on April 9, 1945, in the Flossenbürg concentration camp, Bonhoeffer was executed by hanging.

Lessons to Learn from Bonhoeffer

As stated earlier, evangelicals should take great care when approaching Bonhoeffer's theology. But, we can learn so much from a man who committed himself to living out what he believed. Dietrich desired to live a life apart from what he called "cheap grace." That is, he did not want to treat the Gospel as some far off reality that is separate from regular life. Rather, the Gospel, to Bonhoeffer, is something that permeates every part of our life and should lead us to radical living. We learn from Bonhoeffer that in order to persuade others, we must be persuaded within ourselves. In order to bring the Gospel to the lives of those around us, we need to bring it to our own hearts and lives.

Notes

(1) Eric Metaxas. Seven Men: And the Secret of Their Greatness. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2016), 96.

Bibliography/Recommended Reading

Macleod, William. "Bonhoeffer--A Reliable Guide?". Banner of Truth, 2016.

https://banneroftruth.org/us/resources/articles/2016/bonhoeffer-reliable-guide/

Metaxas, Eric. Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2011.

-------. Seven Men: And the Secret of Their Greatness. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2016.