Bonhoeffer is such an interesting character in history to me! I know people who love him and people who hate him, so I was excited to finally pick him up and give him a read. He did not disappoint--this was my favorite book so far this year!
LIFE TOGETHER | DIETRICH BONHOEFFER
First, I must say: What an introduction by John Doberstein! He unfolds the narrative of Bonhoeffer's life and situates this text comfortably within it. Before I comment on the rest of the book, I wanted to mention a quote from this introduction because it contains a theme that has been present in several of the books I've been reading so far:
"Christianity could never be merely intellectual theory, doctrine divorced from life, or mystical emotion, but always it must be responsible, obedient action, the discipleship of Christ in every situation of concrete everyday life, personal and public.
This Bonhoeffer quote unites the ideas of Schaeffer, who wrote about truth as a total reality, and Wittgenstein, who wrote about faith as a passion and not mere knowledge or belief, in my mind. How? Well, I'm so glad you asked! For Bonhoeffer, faith--or worldview, ultimate reality, or whatever you want to call it--encompasses every situation in all of life and marries knowledge with action. His notion of Christian faith held a grip over his life that persevered even throughout his imprisonment and execution. His belief captivated every part of his life (Schaeffer) and filled him with strength, joy, and hope (Wittgenstein). Anyway, that's not the main purpose of the book, but I find it to be interesting and hope you do as well.
Bonhoeffer's book explores the nature of community as a brotherhood (and sisterhood) through Christ and in Christ. All in all, I think this means that Jesus Christ is the purpose of Christian community, in the sense that we come to understand ourselves in relation to the gospel more fully together with other believers, and the strength of Christian community, in that Christ provides the unifying cord that eternally bonds believers together as brothers.
He goes on to describe how we ought to relate with one another in fellowship, from morning prayer, to Scripture reading, to worship, to intercession, he emphasizes how our alone and together time is shaped by Christian community and how this community leads us to worship God.
One theme that plays out throughout the text is the theme of humility. He expresses time and time again that life together works best when the believer maintains a humble attitude, particularly an attitude which has been shaped by the mercy and grace of the Gospel of Christ. The most interesting application of this to me is the notion of silence and speech.
In dialogue with God and others, it is important to maintain a balance between silence and speech. For Bonhoeffer, silence is a form of putting the other above yourself--of seeking to understand before seeking to be understood, if you will. Silence gives the other the opportunity to express themselves first and, therefore, puts the other above the self. This is true both with God and men. Bonhoeffer writes:
"We are silent before hearing the Word because our thoughts are already directed to the Word ... We are silent after hearing the Word because the Word is still speaking and dwelling within us. We are silent at the beginning of the day because God should have the first word."
This understanding of silence does a lot to shed light on all of the biblical references about being still before God. We are demonstrating a humility, trust, and reverence for God when we wait on Him in this sense of silence.
Bonhoeffer goes on to discuss the humility of speech:
"There is a wonderful power of clarification, purification, and concentration upon the essential thing in being quiet. This is true as a purely secular fact. But silence before the Word leads to right hearing and right speaking of the Word of God at the right time. Much that is unnecessary remains unsaid. But the essential and the helpful thing can be said in very few words."
The kind of silence Bonhoeffer is referring to is not a dumb or thoughtless silence; rather, it is a reflective and humble silence. It is an opportunity to reflect on what is truly important in God's word, or the speech of your brother, and to respond in a simple and helpful manner. This is the purpose of speech.
Another important instance of humility in the text is in servant-heartedness. The Christian is to humble himself and see his brother in the same light he sees himself in--the light of the Gospel. This was made most evident in what Bonhoeffer wrote about confession. When a Christian hears his brother's confession, even the most grotesque sin will not cause him to judge his brother. This is because the truth of the Gospel--Jesus' death on the cross for our sins, the worst of all sins--has humbled him and unified him with his brother.
Overall, this book has things I agree with 100% and things I will have to think about some more before I decide if I agree or disagree with them. I really like books that leave me thinking! Strangely, one of my main takeaways from reading this book is that I need to read more of Martin Luther--Bonhoeffer references and quotes Luther repeatedly in this text! Maybe after a "fun" book, I can pick up Luther's large catechism or commentary on Galatians--I've heard great things about both!
Conclusion:
Hope to read again and again. Would recommend to a friend. 9/10.
What do you think? I feel like it's time for a novel next! Any suggestions?
