chedafontana

Life Together, published in German in 1938, then translated into English in 1956, is Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s prescriptive for disciplined fruitful Christian life as it is lived in community, whether as the typical family unit or in a more communal setting. Bonhoeffer had been living and working in London as pastor of two congregations as he had chosen to leave Germany due to what, translator, John W. Doberstein explains was his conviction that German-Christian relations had been compromised in their relationship with the Third Reich. However, the Confessing Church requested that he return to his homeland and lead an underground seminary to train young pastors. At great risk, Bonhoeffer returned, living in common with twenty-five vicars in Germany while equipping other ministers. While in this living and work situation, he continued to write and Life Together is one of the works that grew out of this experience. Bonhoeffer’s theology is decidedly Christocentric in nature, so for those of us who do not subscribe to this type of exegesis, the book may initially be off-putting, however, his thoughtful treatment of what it requires from each individual to live out Christian-based communal life in the healthiest possible manner is strong, consistent, biblical and compassionate. His devotion to G-d is found within every single line and so is his deep desire for others to experience it as well. The book becomes all the more profound due to the life-circumstances that Bonhoeffer finds himself in. He began as a pacifist, but then was challenged by the question of whether he should take part in an effort to assassinate Hitler. The translator writes: “The man who felt all the force of the pacifist position and weighed the “cost of discipleship” concluded in the depths of his soul that to withdraw from those who were participating in the political and military resistance would be irresponsible cowardice and flight from reality. “ (pg. 11) “Here he acted in accord with his fundamental view of ethics, that a Christian must accept his responsibility as a citizen of this world where God has placed him.” (pg. 12) Bonhoeffer was arrested in April of 1943 and placed in a military prison where he continued to minister. He was transferred to various prisons from October 1944 onward and on April 8, 1945 at the concentration camp of Flossenburg, shortly after teaching and praying with fellow prisoners, he was removed from his cell and was led to the gallows the following day. Not long after, the camp was liberated by allied forces. Bonhoeffer’s passionate recommendations regarding both daily life and the arc of a community’s obligations over time seem daunting even to me, a deeply committed believer, and I wonder if this is either because of Bonhoeffer’s own radical commitment to Christ which might very well supercede the experience of most or if this is due to my own relatively relaxed and informal Christian experience in American culture which, at the present time, doesn’t put a high premium on discipline. In any case, Life Together not only gives a firm outline for living a truly Christian daily life where G-d is at the center, but gives a coherent, loving rationale for even the strictest discipline. I highly recommend this book, for if even a few of his recommendations were to be put into practice, one could not help but experience a profoundly changed and deepened relational experience with G-d and others.

2022-11-14 13:50