Bonhoeffer

Question 1

What is on the spec?

Answer 1

• duty to God and duty to the state
• church as community and source of spiritual discipline
• the cost of discipleship (costly and cheap grace)

Question 2

Who was Dietrich Bonhoeffer!

Answer 2

German Lutheran Pastor in the early 30th century during Nazi Germany. He joined a resistance in attempt to assassinate Hitler

Question 3

Finish the quote “Whats worse than..

Answer 3

doing evil, is being evil”

Question 4

What does the quote “Whats worse than doing evil, is being evil” represent

Answer 4

You have to do things that aren’t moral entirely moral - costly discipleship

Question 5

Finish the quote “silence in the..

Answer 5

face of evil is evil itself”

Question 6

‘Two kingdoms’ Lutheranism teaches

Answer 6

• Spiritual Kingdom (goverened by church)
• Political Kingdom (governed by the state)
  In traditional Christian teaching, passage from the NT reinforces the view that Christians have a duty to the state “Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar” Mark 12:17

Question 7

Why does Bonhoeffer disagree with Lutheranism?

Answer 7

It gave too much power and authority to the state and its rulers and undermined the true purpose of Christianity and the one true leader (Jesus)

Question 8

According to Bonhoeffer, a Christian must submit themselves to

Answer 8

the call of Jesus (God)
Through Jesus we learn our actions are just as important as teachings

Question 9

What is civil disobedience?

Answer 9

The refusual to accept laws or practices of a government, usually in a non-violence way

Question 10

What is the ley to understanding Bonhoeffers justification of civil disobedience?

Answer 10

Christians have a ‘responsibility to the state’ ensuring it acts in accordance to God’s will.
Church thought Nazism was imposing order over a disordered nation
Bonhoeffer believed its marginalisation of minorities amd blatant disregard for life were gross disstortions of the God-given order
Nazism required christians to be disobedient to the State

Question 11

What is ‘suffering disobedience’?

Answer 11

tyrranicide (the deliberate killing of a tyrant - a ruthless ruler - for the common good) may be a christian duty if it means establishing social order. He called it ‘suffering disobedience’ emphasising that this is not an easy task

Question 12

What is ‘bottom up’ theology?

Answer 12

where you should always put Gods protection of the opressed above the state

Question 13

Who did Bonhoeffer believe was the ultimate leader?

Answer 13

Jesus Christ - sole Mediator innthe world

Question 14

Responding to Jesus’ call?

Answer 14

disobeying the State when it goes againts the will of God

Question 15

What is Bonhoeffer’s response to knowing what the will of God is?

Answer 15

it will ‘be clear in the moment of ACTION’

Question 16

Where does the ACTION come from?

Answer 16

Christian’s awareness of their conscience, which is formed by living a good christian life

Question 17

Why might Christians not always know God’s will?

Answer 17

• Humanity is fallen, reason is corrupted by the Fall
• God has given us free will and so we need to try and use this to resolve situations ourselves (Martin Luther believed that free will was an illusion)

Question 18

What was The Confessing Church?

Answer 18

a movement within German Protestantianism during Nazi Germany that arose in opposition to government-sponsored efforts to unify all Protestant churches into a single pro-Nazi Protestant Reich Church

Question 19

Wht is religionless Christianity?

Answer 19

Christianity without the baggage of the oast and contamination by the ideological beliefs of the present

Question 20

Why did Bonhoeffer advocate a ‘religionless Christianity’?

Answer 20

He wanted to re-focus on Jesus as the ultimate leadee

Question 21

What does Bonhoeffer mean by the term ‘rusty swords’?

Answer 21

a metaphorical term to describe the outworn ethical attitudes which the Church held but were no longer representative of societies issues
he believed the German church had become just as useless as ‘rusty swords’

Question 22

What was Finkenwalde?

Answer 22

a secret seminary for the Confessing Church - a college where pastors/priests were trained

Question 23

What was life at Finkenwalde like?

Answer 23

It was simple, the seminarians would eat simply, had limited possessions, meditated daily and maintained the Bible at the centre of their lives e.g. they would go on bike rides

Question 24

What is Cheap Grace?

Answer 24

Christians who wrongly believed that Gods grace was given as a gift without any personal sacrifice or obligation expected from the individual in response. They are described as passive

Question 25

What is ‘costly grace’?

Answer 25

The idea that the free gift of grace demands a response of true, sacrificial discipleship