Friday, June 30, 2017

Books read in 2017: No. 19 -- Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy

by Eric Metaxas

Started: June 12
Finished: June 30

Notes: For some little while now I've been intrigued by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran pastor who spoke out against and worked against Hitler and Nazism in Germany before and during the Second World War. I don't know much about Bonhoeffer, so that is why I turn to this biography of the man.

Mini review: Where to begin? Bonhoeffer was something of an intellectual, but also seemingly a true man of faith. I find it interesting that at one time or another he has been claimed by both conservatives and liberals alike, yet during his life he frequently confounded both. He stood against, preached against, and ultimately conspired against Nazi Germany and Hitler himself. He would pay the price. Imprisoned during the last years of his life, just two weeks before American troops arrived at the last prison where he was held, Bonhoeffer was hung to death as a traitor. This might seem a tragedy to most, but Bonhoeffer himself seemed not to think so, that his death gave him true freedom in deliverance to God. An intriguing figure, I'll have to read more about this man, though this biography is quite thorough.

1 comment:

Charles Gramlich said...

If you're confounding both sides of the political spectrum it probably means you have a good moral compass