Bonhoeffer: Christian Moral Action Flashcards
What is on the Specification?
-Duty to God Duty to the State
-Church as community and source of spiritual discipline
-The cost of discipleship
What are the two kingdoms ordained by God in Lutheranism?
Spiritual Kingdom (governed by church)
Political Kingdom (governed by the state)
What are two quotes supporting the view that humans have a duty to the state?
‘Give back Caeser what belongs to Caeser and give back God what belongs to God’
‘Whoever rebels against authority has rebelled against what God has instituted
Explain duty to God.
-A christian is called to submit themselves to the call of Jesus.
-we learn that action is just as important as teachings.
What is different about Bonhoefffer’s belief of Lutheranism?
He believed that it gave too much power to the state and so took a radical interpretation of Luther where he believe that the church should be more active in challenging to achieve justice.
What is bonhoeffer’s Justification of civil diobediance?
-ensure that the state act in accordance to God’s will
-He belived that nazism marginalisation of minorities and disreguard is a gross distortiin of god given order
What did Bonhoeffer believe about the Christians who did nothing?
Nazism required christians to be disobediatn to the state so thos who did nothing were just as bad as doing evil
e.g he was banned from public speaking due to using his influence to speak out.
What is suffering disobedience?
Tyrannicide (deliberately killing a ruthless ruler) is a christian duty if it creates social order.
What does it mean when something is a bottom up theoloy?
Placing God’s protection of the oppressed above the state.
In the Lutheran tradition what is believed about the fall?
Humans are fallen so therefore need human authorities to govern disordered people.
what does it mean to take the higher ground?
They should vocalise that they do not agree but still follow orders e.g Jesus crucifixion
What is the main argument against Bonhoeffer’s view that Christians should go against the state?
The fact that he was living in a very extreme circumstance where in which the society is unique.
What dd Bonhoeffer believe about leadership?
-god is ultimate leader
-redirect followers to follow God
-Ultimate leader is shown in Jesus Christ he is the mediator
What does Bonhoeffer believe God’s Will is?
-following Jesus first and foremost
-‘it will be clear in the moment of ACTION’
-this comes from conscience comes from living a good christian life.
What is Bonhoeffer’s view of love?
-it is through community
-comes from understanding of the ultimate leader
What are 3 arguments against Bonhoeffer view of duty to state and God?
-humans are fallen
-God has given free will we should use this free will to sort our situations ourselves (martin Luther)
-He took his view from the interpretation in the bible that Jesus is a mediator perhaps his interpretation is simply wrong.
What is the confessing Church?
A church which arose as opposition to the unification of protestant churches becoming a protestant reich church
What is the western void?
-christinaity had become dominated by middle class western ideals
-the chruch had to embrace the religonless society
-this created a vacuum of things where instead of filling the gap with christianity it woould be filled with the ideology of for example nazims
Religionless christianity is what?
-something that’s free from the trappings of the past
-the mistaken idea that we need to fill in the gaps with new ideologies
-refocus Jesus is mediator
What is Bonhoeffer’s rusty sword metaphor?
-refers to the outworn ethical attitudes held by the christian church but not by society
-He argued the German church was a rusty sword ineffective as he beleived they should make meaninful change
Explain Bonhoeffer’s Community church in 1935.
-it was where pastors and preists were trained
-didnt have to follow hitler and avoided the aryan clause
-they focused on prsyer and dicipline
What was life like in finkalwalde?
-they focused on simplicity
-ate simply had limited possestions meditated daily
What did they do with the bible in these finkalwalde meetings?
they would debate and lecture and the book of psalms was the focus this allowed them to develop their spirituality with God.
Why was Bonhoeffer’s view of the ideal christian not realistic?
-it cannot be applied to ordinary christians who are busy with jobs and families
-Faith is something personal its a connection you have with God individually no one dicatates that
-The seminaries were clearly much more nowledgable in the aspcet of christian knowledge as there studying it at a advanced level not what a ordinary christian can really comprehend
What is God’s Grace?
God’s freely given love that cannot be earnt/bought German christians had lost sight of this.
What is Cheap Grace?
-Christians who wrongly beleive that God’s grace was given as a gift without any personal sacrifice.
-They think that they can earn it throught good deeds and following christian teaching however this is viewed as a passive christian
What is costly grace?
-free grace demands a responce of true sacrifical deiscipleship
-christian like in attitude
-scknowledge Jesus’s sacrifice and ‘pick up your cross’
-acknowledge that christianity can be burdensome
e.g forgiving your enemy
What is bottom up theology according to Bonhoeffer?
-stand in solidarity to serve those who are most in need.
-look at those who are outcasted
How did Bonhoeffer lead by example acting in solidarity?
-donated money to Jew families
-He returned to Germany after the second trip
Why is duty to God more important (3)?
-the choice between defeating a nation or defeating christian civilisation the choice should be obvious
-any theology which takes a bottom up approach should understand the church to also be a moral guide to the state
-where christian principles are challengedduty to God is more important.
why is duty to the state more important (3)?
-quotes
-fallen
-higherground
What would catholics argue about knowing God’s Will?
The fact that we have god given reason and so we celebrate what it teaches us.
Why cant we now God’s Will?
-fallen reason corrupted
Why did bonhoeffer present a realistic view of christian life?
-makes sense for christian life to be centred around worshipping the ultimate leader
What are disadvantages og finkalwalde?
-all male
only concerned for christians
-requires abandonement of contemporary lifestyle
strengths of discipleship?
-all humans are equally made in God’s Image
-the fact that there is still revelance as there are oppressed people
-jesus called all followers to follow him
