Christian Moral Action Flashcards
Hitler and the Church
Although in 1933 Hitler signed a CONCORDAT with Pope Pius XI promising not to interfere with the Church, but he broke it in 1937 when the Nazi Party arrested priests
In 1937 alone, 400 Catholic Priests were sent to Dachau concentration camp, leading to Pope Pius XI condemning the Nazi Party
Hitler merged the 28 protestant churches into one ‘NATIONAL REICH CHURCH’ led by a Nazi. Non-Aryan ministers were suspended and the Bible was replaced by Mein Kampf
Duty to the State
The duty of a person to follow the laws of their country
‘Give unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar’ - Mark
‘Let every person be subject to the governing authorities’ - St Paul
Being a Leader VS Leadership
According to Bonhoeffer:
Leadership can be rationally justified and focuses on matters beyond the leader, such as society and God
‘It is virtually impossible to give a rational basis for the nature of the leader’ - Bonhoeffer
A leader is a specific person like Hitler, but Hitler did not have leadership as he sought to achieve his own aims
The Confessing Church
Martin Niemoller founded the PASTORS EMERGENCY LEAGUE in reaction to the ARYAN PARAGRAPH, 1933 legislation which meant that no Jews could attend public schools
This evolved in to the Confessing Church who signed Karl Barth’s Barmen Declaration in 1934, setting out their Anti-Hitler stance
The Confessing Church took 6000 ministers, leaving the National Reich Church with only 2000
Duty to God and Duty to State
Duty to God is a Christian’s duty to obey God
Duty to state is a Christian duty to obey the law. In Mark Jesus states
‘Give unto Caesar that which belongs to Caesar and give unto God that which belongs to God’ - Mark
Duty to God
A Christian’s duty to obey God
Bonhoeffer lived under a corrupt Nazi government, and as DUTY TO GOD comes before DUTY TO STATE, he thought it was right to enact CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE
‘If I sit next to a madman as he drive a car into a group of innocent bystanders, I can’t as a Christian, simply wait for the catastrophe then confront the wounded and bury the dead. I must wrestle the steering wheel out of the hands of the drive’ - Bonhoeffer
True Discipleship
Complete obedience to God’s will at the expense of your life
‘Salvation is free, but discipleship will cost you your life’ - Bonhoeffer
Bonhoeffer used the ANALOGY OF SALT AND LIGHT form the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew
Cheap Grace VS Costly Grace
Cheap grace is the belief that God will save everyone. Bonhoeffer saw this as the ‘enemy of his Church’
Costly grace is the belief that grace has to be truly earned as salvation requires sacrificing everything to God
Bonhoeffer supported costly grace and stated that ‘SUFFERING THEN, IS THE BADGE OF TRUE DISCIPLESHIP’
Bonhoeffer on Costly Grace (x3)
‘Suffering then, is the badge of true discipleship’ - Bonhoeffer
If a Christian lives a comfortable life they are NOT seeking out the oppressed and standing in solidarity with them
‘As a father acts on behalf of his children by tirelessly working […] struggling and suffering for them […] so must Christians share in the suffering of the world’ - Bonhoeffer
Scriptural Support for True Discipleship (x3)
‘Jesus concluded “none of you can truly be my disciple unless you give up everything you have”’ - Luke
‘I reckon my own life to be worth nothing to me; I only want to complete my mission and finish the work the Lord gave me to do’ - Acts
‘No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bowl; instead it is put on the lampstand where it gives light for everyone in the house. In the same way your light must shine’ - Matthew
Examples of Costly Grace
‘Jesus said to them “Come with me, and I will teach you to catch people”. At once they left their nets and wen with him’” - Matthew
Issues with Bonhoeffer’s Ethics (x3)
Bonhoeffers’ ethics were developed under extreme circumstances (NAZISM), so may not be appropriate for regular life
The promotion of civil disobedience and duty to God, contradicts scripture and promotes terrorism
Ayn Rand stated that ‘The first thing he learns is that morality is his enemy; he has nothing to gain from it,, he can only lose’. Indeed, Bonhoeffer focuses on suffering, and this can make Christianity less appealing
The Western Void
Bonhoeffer thought that Europe had become a moral and spiritual vacuum
Bonhoeffer thought that Christianity needed to free itself from its outdates institutions, stating that there should be ‘no rusty swords’
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Believed in costly grace, duty to God, civil disobedience and true discipleship
Distinction between leaders and leadership
Attempted to blow up Hitler. Bonhoeffer was executed in Flossenburg camp 21 days before Hitler committed suicide
