Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy [Paperback]

BONHOEFFER: PASTOR, MARTYR, PROPHET, SPY
By Eric Metaxas

So many books have been written on Bonhoeffer, including the definitive biography by his best friend Eberhard Bethge. So why another one? Eric Metaxas has done a masterful job offering us a biography that is accessible to a new generation of North Americans who may not have any sense of the European context at the beginning to mid-20th century within Germany and beyond. In particular, Metaxas highlights the large opposition to Hitler and the Nazis within Germany, as well as the failure of the Allies to recognize and support such opposition, leading to repeated failures to bring down Hitler and the Nazis from within. Metaxas also does a great job chronicling the development of thinking that lead a group of Germans traditionally supportive and respectful of the rights of a legitimate ruler elected by the people, to the radical conviction that such a ruler and his party must be brought down by any means possible, including murder.

Bonhoeffer is a key player in this drama, and Metaxas offers us accessible ways to comprehend Bonhoeffer's personal and theological journey, his efforts within the church as both pastor and theologian, his witness in the ecumenical movement, and finally his involvement with the "Abwehr" (German Secret Service) in plans to assassinate Hitler and find support among the Allies for such a task.

While this is the dominant story line, Metaxas also beautifully chronicles Bonhoeffer's various relationships, especially with his parents and siblings, his best friend Bethge, and his growing love for Maria.
Metaxas also does a brilliant job describing various conceptual themes and how they develop, such as the Aryan/Pagan theology and the antagonism of the Nazis to Christianity, in particular it's Jewish elements and its presentation of a crucified Saviour as the revelation of God; the theological developments that lead to the split within the German church leading to the establishment of the Confessing Church, divisions within the Confessing Church and Bonhoeffer's impatience with their hesitation to be as radical as he believed they should be; his partnership with ecumenical leaders and the development of key relationships with people like Bishop George Bell; the development of his theological thinking around themes of discipleship, The Lordship of Christ, God's commitment to the earth and to the particularity of embodied life, his relationship with Karl Barth and others.

With all this going for the book, however, there are a few weaknesses. It would have been good to get a little more about Bonhoeffer's American experience and his response to theological voices like Reinhold Niebuhr. Moreover, in his discussion of the development of Aryan ideology and Reich church theology, Metaxas reflects on the ambiguity of Luther's position on the Jews, but offers no such reflection on the distorted appropriation of Nietzsche by the Nazis. In addition, while German opposition to Hitler is connected to the persecution of Jews and the disabled, precious little is mentioned about homosexuals and nothing on the Gypsies. Finally, a little more could have been said to try to understand how it is that so many Germans were drawn to Hitler when he was so obviously deranged.

In spite of these concerns, however, this is among the best books on Bonhoeffer one can ever read.
(Book has been provided courtesy of Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available now at your favourite bookseller)

This is a wonderfully well written biography of a key figure in 20th century Christianity. Eric Metaxas has done a masterful job of communicating the zeitgeist of early and mid-20th century Germany, the inter-relationships between church and state amidst the growing popularity of the National Socialist Party and the incongruity of being a Christian, and adhering to official NAZI party lines. Four points are particularly well made:

First, there can be no doubt that one of the key issues that Bonhoeffer must respond to throughout his early life is the way the German Church - the church of the reformation that has so highlighted the importance of scripture, salvation and reconciliation with God by grace through the redeeming work of Christ on the cross - the German Church had adopted habits, that made it vulnerable to collaborating with government abuse of different populations. The German church is portrayed as simply offering up all kinds of deep compromise to the NAZIs. This biography begs the question: how do you interpret scripture in a way that will make you stand in the face of evil, cover your neighbor's back, look after the poor and the rejected, even if it means your end? To what extent will you go?

Second, the question takes on even more depth when applied to each individual's personal life. The question is not how to live your life without sin, without making mistakes. The question is: How do you respond with your entire life to God's calling? This question is incredibly significant in the face of a modern day Christianity that is strong on cultural judgement and too often thin on judging the atrocities and calamities that go on all over the world. As image bearers, are we concerned with avoiding a "bad life" rather than fully living the life that God has redeemed and made new.

Third, this biography is masterfully written by someone who has really done much careful historical work. I have read many works on the rise of the NAZI Party and the conditions that provided the context for the atrocities of WWII. I have learned much in this book about the intricate plans by the NAZIs to co-opt the German Church and, in an Orwellian fashion reminiscent of more explicit Stalinian tactics, allow the church to survive as an institution while removing completely all of its power and significance. There is much in this book that expresses NAZI thinking about Christianity and God and the role of believing Christians in the German resistance.

Finally, and perhaps most significantly, the specifics of the Bonhoeffer story are remarkable. His uneasy beginnings in theology, his experience of the American church, his work with the Confessing German Church and his early stands against some of the troublesome actions of the more traditional German Church, his work with the community of ordinands and his devotion to people, to service, even in prison, even at the dawn of his own execution. His desire to marry, start a family, to keep friends and to cherish them, to enjoy them, his bouts of depression. His struggle with the great issues that he faced and the choices that he made, especially as he engaged in a plot to assassinate Hitler. Above all, his refusal to live a life where the easy decisions are made that take you away from responding to God's calling. Metaxas makes a wonderful point, drawn from Bonhoeffer's thoughts on Ethics, about three quarters of the way through the book where he claims that not wanting to make mistakes will take you away from action that reflects God's presence. But deciding to take action will almost certainly confront you with different other dilemmas and force you to make other decisions. Being an image bearer is not an easy path.

This biography, like few other books, leaves the reader with the same question that haunted Bonhoeffer: How do you respond with your entire life to God's call? A question for the ages.

The historical biography genre is alive and well in the hands of Eric Metaxas...his book about famous pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer is so fluid and alive that it transports the reader to another world. That the subject matter of Dietrich Bonhoeffer is eminantly important is beyond a doubt and Metaxas weaves an incredibly readable and highly relevant biography that captures details that have been missed or downplayed in other sources.

It is something when you can say that a biography is so compelling you find it hard to put down but this is just such a biography.Metaxas writes with a clear awareness of the relevance of Bonhoeffer to our own culture and emphasizes certain aspects of his life and theology such as the question of "what is the church?" Truly a biography for our time.

The author's biographical skills are not the only thing showcased in the text, his attention to historical detail is also constantly at the fore.

For those who know and appreciate Bonhoeffer you will be very happy with Metaxas' treatment of him. If you are unaware of him or simply not a fan of biographies I cannot stress enough how important it is for you to check out this book. You will be introduced to a person who will challenge and sharpen you and you will be given a wonderful and unique perspective about a critical period in world history - early 20th century Europe.

I promise you that this book will not disappoint...it will be a measure of what a biography should be for years to come.