Christian Moral Action Flashcards
‘Bonhoeffer’s theology is still relevant today’. Discuss. Points FOR.
Christians today undergo persecution and his example might be said to be relevant to Christians who need to be prepared for such experiences.
As society gets more materialistic, his teaching on religionless Christianity and costly grace might be seen to be even more relevant.
Bonhoeffer’s emphasis on spiritual discipline is timeless and remains an important message for Christians today.
Bonhoeffer sees the Church as having a role in challenging politicians. This can be seen as relevant in any society.
Jesus, as the founder of Christianity and God incarnate, should be the central starting point for all expressions of Christianity, as shown by Bonhoeffer.
The Church is challenged regularly to ‘modernise’ and to change its views to fit with the world. Bonhoeffer’s theology seeks to counter this.
‘Bonhoeffer’s theology is still relevant today’. Discuss. Points AGAINST.
Bonhoeffer’s emphasis on the Bible might not be relevant if the Bible is read not as being authoritative.
Bonhoeffer’s circumstances were, of course, extreme, and not relevant to the Church today.
Despite Bonhoeffer’s emphasis on Christianity without borders or boundaries, the effects of globalisation make the world a completely different place than the one in which he developed his thinking.
Bonhoeffer’s ideas of acting in the moment cannot help in a world that is losing its ethical values.
It could be argued that there are too many pressures on modern people and so they cannot engage in the level of spiritual discipline that Bonhoeffer requires.
The idea of following God’s will is important but it is not possible to do so without specific guidance from Church authorities.
Bonhoeffer DOES put too much emphasis on suffering.
Bonhoeffer lived in a unique time and so his theology came out of experiences that are not relevant to Christianity today.
Jesus’ own suffering was said to be once and for all and in the place of humans having to suffer for their sins and so Bonhoeffer puts too much emphasis on it.
The emphasis on suffering seems to ignore the fact that Jesus rose from the dead, which overcame suffering.
Even Bonhoeffer did not actively seek out suffering and so we should not read too much into his emphasis on it.
Bonhoeffer DOESN’T put too much emphasis on suffering
Bonhoeffer’s theology emerged from his understanding of the oppressed in society. Different people are oppressed in society today so there is still relevance in his approach.
Suffering comes out of solidarity, which is the approach Jesus took and so can be said to be useful for all Christians.
In the context of costly grace, it could be said that his emphasis on suffering is a correct understanding of the true cost of discipleship.
Jesus called all people to follow after him and his suffering, so the emphasis on suffering is true to the Gospel message.
Assess Bonheoffer’s teaching on the relationship of Church and State.
Duty to God is more important.
Bonheoffer said that, given a choice between defeating a nation and defeating the entirety of Christian civilisation, the choice should be obvious.
Bonhoeffer siad that doing nothing to combat injustice was just as bad as doing evil (‘we are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself’).
Any theology that takes a ‘bottom up’ approach should always put God’s protection of the oppressed above the State. Indeed, one possible understanding of the role of the Church is to be a moral guide to the State.
Where fundamental Christian principles are challenged, the duty to God is more important. For exmaple, some Christians use this as a reason to refuse to participate in abortions - or to break the law to protest against abortion.
Assess Bonheoffer’s teaching on the relationship of Church and State.
Duty to the State is more important.
In the Gospels, Jesus does not encourage disobedience when he says, ‘Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s’ (Mark 12:17).
The Bible also says, ‘Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authroity except that which God has established’ (Romans 13:1). This teaches that leadership on earth comes from God.
If humans are fallen beings, human authroities could be a way in which good order is placed on disordered people. This is very much the view in the Lutheran tradition of Christianity.
Even if a Christian disagrees with something in society, Christians should be above any disobedience and should take the higher ground - for example, they could say that they disagree but still do as they are told. Jesus could be said to have done this when he spoke out against authorities but submitted to them in crucifixion.
Advantages of Bonhoeffer on the cost of discipleship
Bonhoeffer seems to understand that all humansare equally made in God’s image and deserve the same treatment as each other.
Bonhoeffer challenges those churches that do not emphasise the work of the Christian in the world and so makes Christianity more active and relevant in the world.
Bonhoeffer makes sense of the need for the Christian to be both of this world and separate to it through his emphasis on the need to challenge society when required.
The view of discipleship seen at Finkenwalde emphasises simplicity, which makes his approach accessible.
Weaknesses of Bonhoeffer on discipleship
Bonhoeffer could be accused of being unrealistic in his expectations that all will be prepared to suffer when the majority of Christians are simply trying to live everyday lives.
Some would argue that grace is freely given and that it is part of generosity of God and people can respond to it however they want.
Some might accuse Bonhoeffer of neglecting the importance of living a spiritual life and developing one’s own personal relationship with God.
The view of discipleship demonstrated through Finkenwalde is not accessible for those who are not training to be ministers.
Christians can always know God’s will. Discuss.
Points FOR
Bonhoeffer said that in the moment of action, it is possible to know God’s will. Even if you are unsure in the moment, following your conscience, which you have done your best to form by living a good Christian life, will allow you to make the right decisions.
If Christians approach life as a community then ethics becomes a communal action - the community will ensure that individual decisions are checked. This means that we are more likely to know God’s will accurately.
Catholics (for example) would say that we can know God’s will through our use of reason. Our reason is God-given and we should celebrate what it teaches us.
Christians can know God’s will. Discuss.
Points AGAINST
Humanity is fallen, reason is corrupted by the Fall and so we cannot ever fully understand God or his will because of the broken relationship between heaven and earth.
God has given us free will and so we need to use this to resolve situations ourselves. It is not necessary, perhaps, to know God’s will for an individual situation as long as we know God’s will for the world as a whole.
Bonhoeffer’s view came from his interpretation of the Bible but there are other interpretations of the same passages. His focus on Jesus as mediator, for example, is very much in line with the Protestant tradition. If there are different interpretations, how can we say one is God’s will and another is not?
Bonhoeffer presented a realistic view of Christian life. Discuss.
Points FOR
It makes sense to suggest that Christian life should be centred on the ultimate leadership of God, shown through Jesus Christ.
The Bible provides a realistic focus for this view as revelation from God but also as a book that contains prayer as well as ethics.
It makes sense that a well-formed conscience, through prayer and study, will allow a Christian to act appropriately in the world.
Bonhoeffer’s approach to community life could be said to be in line with the Biblical ideal of community; the early Church is shown to be in true fellowship in Acts 2:42-47 and 4:32-35, where life is shown to be communal, focused around prayer and the Eucharist and so on.
Bonhoeffer presented a realistic view of Christian life. Discuss.
Points AGAINST
The community at Finkenwalde might be said to have been idea for those training for ministry but it cannot be said to be realistic for those who have jobs and families.
Different Christians express their faith in different ways and this does not make one way superior to another.
Christianity is about making a personal commitement to Jesus, not making a commitment to a community.
It is not realistic that most Christians should be able to understand the Bible to the extent that might be required by Bonhoeffer’s community because not all Christians have done theology degrees.
