Christian moral action Flashcards
God’s will
Bonhoeffer justified his tyranny by saying he was doing the will of God- he has given Christians an excuse
Human nature is sinful and out judgement of what is right or wrong is affected too
All humans can do is to act out of despair with faith and hope. God’s will would ‘only be clear in the moment of action’
Although Bonhoeffer recognized some actions are sinful, he thought God promised to forgive ‘the man who becomes a sinner on the process’
Civil disobedience
It is more important for a christian to obey God than to obey human leaders- christian should hold the state accountable to God’s laws
If the state is asking its people ‘to do the un-reasonable’ Christians has a duty to withdraw their support
Bonhoeffer’s resistane to Nazism
He became a member of the confessing church, a group who refused the message that only aryans could be part of the church and accepted only christ as authority
He joined the resistance, the most momentous decision of his life. at the time he was staying in new york after investigation by the gestapo for his role of training clergy in the confessing church.
Bonhoeffer’s ethic
The view that humans are finite and sinful, and that no decision is completely right or wrong. in extreme situations, he argued, humans must act out of despair but with hope and faith.
Bonhoeffer knew that killing was wrong, but said that the killing of Hitler was the only option for the church.
Obedience to God’s will
Paul to the Romans
“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except god, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by god.”
Paul to the Romans
Leadership
Leadership here is more about character as an individual person, not within a community.
Leadership focuses on matters beyond self, and this is not what Germany did, it gave up its freedoms and identity for a tyrant.
Justification for civil disobedience
He was critical of those who said they were doing their duty while allowing evil to prevail
Also of those who said the ends justify the means because we cannot count all possible outcomes.
Church as a community
No christian can act morally in isolation.
The church must be a moral and spiritual community to equip each person with the tools and attitude for moral life.
The church cannot be a middle-class institution but be stripped of false pretence of being religious.
It must grow and embrace a religionless world and engage with it.
Religiousless Christianity
He was deeply critical of some aspects of liberal society, but agreed that democracy was right and personal autonomy was best for choosing the life best suited to ones own happiness.
he described modern western culture as a ‘world come of age’ which had grown up and matured, leaving behind its childish superstitious view of religion in favour of a rational one.
But he felt there was a cost, in throwing out old christian views as irrational, it created ‘the western void’, a moral and spiritual vacuum in the place of christianity, open to be filled with dangerous beliefs.
Religiousless Christianity- reform
Bonhoeffer argued that instead of these modern ideas like human progress and competition becoming new religions, Christianity had to become a religionless christianity, shedding the baggage of the past as well as the contamination of the present.
He also said there should be no rusty swords, a phrase which meant that outworn ethical attitudes which the church used in the past have no effect today.
He believes the challenge for christians is to rethink ethics in a theological way and embrace the contemporary world.
Finkenwelde
Discipline
Discipline of oneself in relationship with others is the foundation of the church and leads to action. life in this community was basic, almost monastic. the body had to be disciplined as much as the spirit.
Finkenwelde
Meditation
To develop discipline through prayer.
bible: reading and discussion. debate with evening lectures encouraging intelligent understanding and development of christian teaching.
Finkewelde
Brotherhood
The community is bound together by love of, and for, christ. the director changed frequently so the community did not become stuck in its ways. former students would be informed by reports of the community.
Finkenwelde
Community
Bonhoeffer insisted that the church is a community of the forgiven, not the righteous, because no one is perfect. christ died for all people, so the community must be outward looking and engage with the world.
Ethic as action (Barth)
Ethics is action, which is liberating
Action is prompted by conscience, a moment of self-knowledge
Ethical decisions are always ones of conflict and action; conflict of knowing between good and evil and the action of distinguishing them
Love overcomes conflict. love as in god’s love, like agape.
