Christian moral action Flashcards
Define ‘discipleship’
Following the life, example and teaching of Jesus
Define ‘cheap grace’
Grace that is offered freely but is received without any change in the recipient and ultimately is false as it does not offer salvation
Define ‘costly grace’
Grace followed by obedience to God’s command and discipleship
Define ‘passion’
Jesus’ sufferings at the end of his life
Define ‘solidarity’
An ultruistic commitment to stand alongside and be with those less fortunate, the oppressed and those who suffer
Bonhoeffer lived in (1) when German Christians were divided by (2), some incorporated (3) into their belief systems which led to a split of German protestant churches in 1934 between (4)
1 - Germany
2 - the rise of Hitler and the Nazi party
3 - Nazism theology
4 - Nazi-controlled German church and the Confessing church separate from political ideology
Give a quote from Hermann Gruner (spokesman for the German Christians)
“It is because of Hitler that Christ, God the helper and redeemer has become effective among us… Hitler is the way of the spirit”
How did some church ministers link themselves to National Socialism?
- Wearing of brown uniforms
- Promotion of Nazi Aryan Clause
- Prohibited ministers of Jewish ancestry working in the church
Bonhoeffer was ordained in (1) with a group of (2) to try and change (3) because he saw it as a conflict between (4) as they were not being true to their discipleship and commands of God
1 - 1931
2 - young reformers
3 - Christianity adopting Nazism
4 - Germanism and the true message of Christianity
Describe Bonhoeffer’s view of obedience
The call to discipleship is the call to obedience to the leadership of Jesus and God, the first disciples responded to the call not with a profession of faith or rational account of theology but acts of obedience
How does Bonhoeffer describe religion and the encounter with Jesus?
“A testimony to the absolute, direct and unaccountable authority of Jesus… obedience to the call of Jesus”
Why is obedience to God controversial?
Can pace discipleship above the law and human leadership above the responsibility of citizenship
Bonhoeffer quotes Luke 9:57-62, why?
Jesus speaks of the son of man having no place to rest, one man who Jesus calls says he must first bury his dead father, following the legal responsibility he has but Jesus says the dead should be left to bury the dead and so even the law cannot stand in the way of Jesus
What does obedience to God entail?
- Cutting ourselves off from previous existence
- Produces a new situation in which he disciple walks with the son of God
- Must take precedence over other life duties
Quote Bonhoeffer in his book ‘The cost of discipleship’ 1959
“Only he who believes is obedient and only he who is obedient believes”
What does Bonhoeffer believe is the only real faith?
Such acts of obedience to respond to God’s call of discipleship in ‘single minded obedience’
What stands in the way of single minded obedience? What are the consequences of putting aside single minded obedience?
Reason, conscience, responsibility and piety
Replaces the justification of God with self justification but obedience to Jesus is not within human power
Finish the quote “We do not walk…
under our self made laws and burdens but under the yoke of him who knows us and whole walks under the yoke with us” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
At what cost did Bonhoeffer teach against Germanism?
- Lost his job at the university where he worked
- Radio broadcast was cut before the end
- Eventually arrested and executed by Gestapo
Why did Bonhoeffer get a job with German military intelligence and what was the result?
To protect himself from Gestapo arrest after they banned him from public speaking, he became a double agent to provide info to the Resistance movement and allies and to smuggle jews to Switzerland before his arrest
What is meant by ‘salt and light’?
In the Sermon on the Mount, the followers of Jesus are required to be ‘salt and light’ - metaphor for the presence of Christians among other people in the community. Salt adds flavour to food just as they have to act morally and light illuminates a room for sight (Matthew 5:13-16)
What does Bonhoeffer mean by a ‘visible community’?
The Church must follow in its mission and be a sign for others, without ‘salt and light’ the Church is lost
Give a quote from Karl Barth describing the confessing church
“German evangelical church… rendered ineffective y alien principles… on the part of… German Christians” - ‘Theological Declaration of Barmen’ written by Karl Barth and the Confessing Church in Nazi Germany
What was the aim of ‘Theological Declaration of Barmen’?
Confessed evangelical truths e.g. centrality of Jesus Christ as the only way to God and rejected all other worldly leaders such as Hitler
Jesus’ authority over the whole of a person’s life
What’s significant about 1935?
Leaders of the confessing church asked Bonhoeffer to lead a direct, secret and illegal seminary to train new pastors funded by donations and held in a disused, private school in Finkenwade
How could Bonhoeffer’s agreement to lead seminars in Finkenwade be understood?
Luke 10:38-42 when Jesus is staying with Martha and Mary and he rebukes Martha for getting angry about Mary and the preparations of the house while Mary sits with him and he says “You are worried about many things but few things are needed or indeed only one, Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken from her”
What happened in 1937?
The seminary was closed by Gestapo, Bonhoeffer was sent to a concentration camp and killed
How did Bonhoeffer describe the seminary at Finkenwade?
Essential to challenge the nationalist ideology with Christian community
Church community and congregation must be a source of renewal for those spiritually damaged and refuge for the persecuted
What did Bonhoeffer frequently quote?
Psalm 31:8 at Synod “Who will speak up for those who are voiceless?”
What did Geoffrey Kelly describe as a turning point?
Dr. Friedrich Werner (state commission for the Prussian Church) threatened to expel any pastor refusing to take Hitler’s oath. The synod did not stand up for freedom of pastors but left it as an issue for local leaders
Finish the quote “When Christ call a man…
He bids him come and die… suffering then is the badge of true discipleship”
What is grace?
A key theological idea meaning God’s love and mercy given freely to people for the forgiveness of sin and offer of eternal life, grace is not a reward for action but comes from God’s desire for salvation
Give a quote from Bonhoeffer describing cheap grace
“Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our church. We are fighting today for costly grace”
Why does Bonhoeffer oppose cheap grace?
Being a Christian should be sacrificial and hard work, Jesus died on the cross to repent sin and the Church is in effect handing out grace for free e.g. to offer baptism with no expectation of living a disciplined life after
Finish the quote “Cheap grace therefore amounts
to a denial of the living Word of God” - Bonhoeffer
How does Bonhoeffer describe costly grace?
- Matthew 13:44 treasure hidden in a field that a person would gladly sell all their possessions to obtain
- Kingly rule of Christ to take seriously the commands and treat Christ as the King
- Grace is costly because it makes us make changes to follow in the life of Jesus
What is the monastic movement? How did this cause conflict with Bonhoeffer?
Religious lived apart from ordinary life, created a sense of a select few being disciples, Luther proclaimed grace alone is needed for salvation but Bonhoeffer thought some has misinterpreted to mean they don’t need to follow every command of Jesus
Quote Mark 8:34-35
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me for whoever wants to save their life will lose it but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it”
Why did Bonhoeffer believe that suffering was not always a bad thing?
Discipleship and costly grace entails self-denial in allegiance to the passion of Jesus’ suffering on the cross, not in general terms but specifically to Christianity - rejection for the sake of Christ. THE LIFE OF A CHRISTIAN IS A LIFE OF SUFFERING FOR CHRIST
What is the Christian path to victory?
Avoiding temptation and forgiving others rather than seeking revenge which is the cross Jesus refers to and so bearing it is the only way to triumph
How did Bonhoeffer show solidarity?
He was taken to safety and refuge in America but returned to Germany to share the suffering of his fellow Christian people because the purpose of Christian life is to live an existence for others
How does Geoffrey Kelly describe suffering?
God makes a bond of suffering with humanity e.g. monstrous dictators of the twentieth century
How does David Henson describe Bonhoeffer’s solidarity?
- Subversive act from religion to social action
- Against the state for the sake of human relations
- Christianity should be religionless and the church should be interpreted into a language meaningful for all people
