Bonhoeffer: Civil Disobedience Flashcards
What is civil disobedience?
An active and open refusal to obey certain laws set down by the government
What did Bonhoeffer believe about civil disobedience?
It was sometimes necessary as duty to God is far more important than duty to the state (in his view)
Who was Bonhoeffer’s friend?
Theologian, Reinhold Niebuhr
What did Bonhoeffer write to Reinhold Niebuhr?
German Christians had to make a choice between wanting their nation to be defeated so Christianity could survive, or wanting their nation to win but losing Christian civilisation
How did Bonhoeffer lose his job?
He openly spoke against Nazism in the university where he was employed
What did Bonhoeffer call Hitler?
The anti-Christ
How did Bonhoeffer become a double agent?
He worked for German military intelligence but actually linked it with the Resistance and the Allies, using Church meetings to smuggle information
How did Bonhoeffer smuggle Jews to the safety of Switzerland?
He disguised them as members of the military intelligence
