Wednesday, May 11, 2005
More on Bonhoeffer
Ever since Sunday (VE Day) I have been thinking a lot about Bonhoeffer and his contribution to (and perhaps initiation of) this discussion. It's probably not fair for me to try to summarize his ideas in a few sentences, but let me highlight a few of his ideas worth pondering. (If you are not familiar with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, get ahold of some of his writings, watch the movie about him ["Agent of Grace"], or even visit the International Bonhoeffer Society).
In his Letters and Papers from Prison Bonhoeffer questioned the relevancy of the Christian religion in a "world come of age", that is, no longer dependent on religion. While still deeply committed to the centrality of Christ, Bonhoeffer saw how religion had moved to the boundaries of life, resulting in an empahsis on individualism and/or metaphysics, all the time creating a distinction between sacred and secular. He believed that the church needs to separate itself from its religious trappings, and emphasize that God "must be recognized at the centre of life" and grounded in Jesus Christ. In other words, faith has to transcend mere tradition and ritual, and is to be expressed in action through our entire lives.
In his Letters and Papers from Prison Bonhoeffer questioned the relevancy of the Christian religion in a "world come of age", that is, no longer dependent on religion. While still deeply committed to the centrality of Christ, Bonhoeffer saw how religion had moved to the boundaries of life, resulting in an empahsis on individualism and/or metaphysics, all the time creating a distinction between sacred and secular. He believed that the church needs to separate itself from its religious trappings, and emphasize that God "must be recognized at the centre of life" and grounded in Jesus Christ. In other words, faith has to transcend mere tradition and ritual, and is to be expressed in action through our entire lives.
