Bonhoeffer and Christian Moral Action Flashcards
what is the governments aim?
to impose law and order on the sinful human tendency towards disorder
what two passages from the New Testament suggest that Christians have a duty to both the state and to God
- when Jesus was asked whether his followers should pay taxes to the Romans he said “give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are Gods”
- St. Paul wrote “let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is not authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God”
what is the problem with the two passages from the new Testament
the state too often has too much power, and makes justice subordinate to its own policies and ideas. It doesn’t represent God’s wills because of its own sense of importance
what does Bonhoeffer argue about leadership and the nazis
- leadership is usually about matters beyond the leader, but under nazis it has become about the leader himself.
- the German people have chosen to give up their freedoms in obedience to a tyrant
what is the role of the church
is not to be part of the state, but to keep it in check
what does Bonhoeffer argue about when Christians should decide to obey the state
- Christians must ask themselves “what is the will of God?”
- and that this will only be clear in the moment of action
for Bonhoeffer what is conscience?
the experience of disunion with yourself- it is a moment of self knowledge when you must engage with the “terrible alternative”
why does Bonhoeffer argue for civil disobedience (breaking state laws)
because the church has a duty to the state and this is to ensure that it acts in accordance with Gods will
Bonhoeffer saw that the German church hadn’t followed what?
followed Jesus’ example and valued the weak and oppressed. He was annoyed in particular at the German churches attitude to the Jews
what are the three ways that the church must fight discrimination
- it should question whether the states actions are legitimate
- it must help all victims of justice of whatever faith or belief
- it must be fully engaged in resistance
why did Bonhoeffer argue that tyrannicide may be a Christian duty?
- it is the will of God
- the attempt to kill hitler can’t be justified by ordinary human ethics, but by “bold action as the free response of faith”
what does Bonhoeffer write in prison
-that killing is a sin and no amount of human reason can make it justifiable but that God promises to forgive “the man who becomes a sinner in the process”
what did Bonhoeffer mean by “a world come of age”
-he welcomed modern western cultures because it has discarded childish superstitious views of religion and stresses a more rational understanding of the way things are
what did Bonhoeffer mean by “the western void”
- we live in a more liberal society where people are allowed to flourish because we have been given maximum freedom over our lives and moral decisions
- along with superstition, society has thrown out Christian values aswell.
- this has lead to a moral vacuum which was being filled with more dangerous beliefs e.g. nazism
what was the German Evangelical Church
- created by hitler
- removed all clergy who weren’t of aryan descent
what was the confessing church?
- created by Bonhoeffer
- no national, political or racial boundaries
what is religionless Christianity
- no superstitions of the past
- not contaminated with these new beliefs of the present
what does Bonhoeffer mean by “there should be no rusty swords”
-a sword being the old Christian values and ethical attitudes it held in the past which were effective at the time, but are no longer useful in the modern world
Bonhoeffer argued that Christianity should be based on three fundamentals. What are these
Christ
scripture
faith
what was Finkenwalde ?
-a religious community set up by Bonhoeffer to train ministers for the confessing church
what are the five aspects of Finkenwalde ?
- life was very basic, exercise was important
- meditation
- read and discussed the bible
- they saw themselves as a brotherhood and took turns to be the director, so that the community did not become stuck in its way.
- they stressed being outwards looking and engaging in the world
what happened in Finkenwalde ?
in was closed down by the Nazis in 1937
in his final days in prison why did Bonhoeffer become disillusioned with the confessing church ?
because it had failed to topple hitler. He felt that it had become too concerned with itself. He said “the church is her true self when she exists for humanity”
what did Barth argued about Christianity?
- it cannot simply be an abstract system of thoughts (e.g. who is God)
- Christianity isn’t about us thinking and knowing about God, but God in fact reveals himself to us
