Life Together by is perhaps one of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s compelling works. This Christian book was primarily written in the backdrop of Bonhoeffer’s experiences in German in the heigh to Hilter reign. The author, therefore, uses his lived experience with pastors and Christians in German 1930s to put forward persuasive facts. Largely viewed as a Christian classic writing, the book is deeply demanding and challenging at the same time. While some can argue that Bonhoeffer’s way of writing is obscure or challenging to understand, this book contains vital insights concerning living in God’s word (Bonhoeffer, 2015). This paper argues that the message in the book is largely shaped by historical context and Bonhoeffer’s experiences.
Summary
The Life Togeher book presents a Christian perspective of cultivating and living in a community of believers. Having been the victim of the Hitler third Reich, the author offers personal experiences of living in a Christian community. Bonhoeffer uses this authority to argue that communal life and the interaction with other Christians form the basis of the ideal Christian life. In his book, Bonhoeffer describes the characteristics of the Christian community through the use of various concepts. The book covers five chapters, which include Community, The Day Alone, The Day with Others, Confession and Communion, and Ministry.
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Bonhoeffer illustrates that a Christian community or communal thrives together in Jesus Christ. Even though the Christian community may not be ideal, it is a celestial reality. Therefore, Christian must not perceive community as a utopian world of immense experiences and riches, but inherently challenging. This is an ideal created by God in which all Christians could participate. In such a reality, however, the waywardness of human beings is ever-present. Hence, Christians must come into terms with this reality in order to fully embrace the knowledge and genuineness of the Christian fellowship (Bonhoeffer, 2015).
Bonhoeffer’s central message is that Christians (including him) have profound imperfections and that its trough Christ and living in a community that Christians can act together as brothers and sisters towards salvation. Bonhoeffer argues that this should be the ultimate goal of all Christians. Indeed, Christians should have an attachment to the Church, common worship, prayers, and scripture reading. Such acts of mutual worship form the basis of Christian community and consequently, creating sanctified worshippers. Living Together is an outstanding book. Its lessons and message are not only relevant, but enduring.
Analysis
Living together is not only a classical text, but also theological, shaped by the historical and bibliographical contexts of the author. Bonhoeffer wrote this book in the shadow of the Second World War and prosecution by the Gestapo. Moreover, Bonhoeffer drew his theological inspiration from the German theologians who revived the belief of God and Jesus. The theological faculty is one of the sources of the contemporary German liberal thought. Most German theologians of the 19th and 20th centuries did not base their teachings on the Biblical traditions of Jesus. According to them, Christianity, or rather religion was largely a mode of human living, which borrowed cultural relevance from the Bible. Paradoxically, most liberal German theologians embraced or believed in the concept of a Messianic individuals. Understanding the historical context of writing this book is critical to deciphering Bonhoeffer’s message (Marsh, 2014). The German theologians believed that the Germans were God’s like the Hebrews did. Therefore, they thought that the Germans were God’s sanctified instrument of bringing order and just in the world. This thought contributed to World War II in which the Germans lost. While in Berlin, Bonhoeffer got influenced by Karl Barth’s stand against the criticism of German. Barth is credited to have re-energized the orthodox belief in the Biblical Jesus. Barth theology formed the foundation of German’s Christians’s beliefs in God. Therefore, Bonhoeffer drew his inspiration from Barth’s theology along with his belief to revive the German Lutheran Church. This appears to be Bonhoeffer’s full encounter with Jesus Christ.
Bonhoeffer’s message of a Christian community foreshadows the challenges of the Hitler’s Third Reich and the split of the German Church and the consequent of prosecution of Christians. His message about common life is largely based on the Protestant view. There is a possibility that life experience in Finkenwalde shaped his perspective towards common and community life. Arguably, community experience at Finkenwalde was largely shaped by discipline and not shared Protestant background as some critics have pointed out. One thing that stands out in Bonhoeffer’s message is the radical obedience to the teachings of Christ. It is vital to point out that when Hitler rose to power, anti-Semitic messages and actions increased and opposition the theologians such as Karl Barth and Bonhoeffer. Hence, such opposition could have contributed to the radicalization of Bonhoeffer’s religious messages. Bonhoeffer, therefore, hoped to repudiate the false narratives that the Christian Church must recognize the existence of other powers, include political institutions and figures.
One of his books written in towards the end of 1930s The Cost of Leadership advocated for radical faithfulness and obedience to God’s messages. Thus, it appears that the rise of Hitler made Bonhoeffer a crusader by rebuking comfortable Christianity. Grace and following God’s message was about discipline. However, the government burned his Finkenwalde, which were underground seminary teachings. This forced him to change his strategy, initiating radical reflections about Christianity. Overall, the German history shaped Bonhoeffer’s theology and messages. In the Life Together book, he calls for a radical obedience to God by the formation of Christian community.
Moreover, Bonhoeffer’s life formed the foundation of his teachings. He spent most of his early years in Berlin. He was born into a humble family, which valued academics. For instance, he presented his doctoral thesis at the age of 21. Arguably, Bonhoeffer’s perspective and thoughts are grounded in his dissertation. The sections of his thesis include Community, Christ, and Conceteness. It appears that Bonhoeffer understood his theological principles at the age of 21. His dedication to spreading God’s message is unquestionable. For instance, he returned from New York to Berlin during Hitler’s rule to speak with Christians. His message about Christian community started during the control of the Hitler government and the breakdown of the German Church. He passionately and boldly spoke to German-Christians who were under the yoke of the Nazi regime. His freedom, however, was short-lived along the individuals who spoke against the Nazi regime. After his arrest on the claims of leading resistance movement and planning to assassinate Hitler, he spent his time in prison serving fellow detainees secretly.
Primarily, Life Together can be interpreted as a crusade by Bonhoeffer. He combined his life’s purpose with the Christian faith to illustrate the importance of living and believing in a community of worshippers. His passion in Christianity is largely grounded in life experiences and historical context. His goal was clear yet complex: convince the German Church that Christians must live in a community, led by faith and God’s message. Bonhoeffer’s upbringing and historical context contributed to shaping his theology. In general, the spoke his mind and theology by persuading Christians to put God first. Possibly, the historical context shaped the way Bonhoeffer framed his messages. In this book, however, he uses a radical approach to persuade Christians to form communities (McCabe, 2015).
The book specifically addresses Christians. The historical context, however, illustrates the author targeted the German Christians. Moreover, the radical nature of the message reveals that Bonhoeffer targeted the wider community, including the political class. This is a classical theism book in which Bonhoeffer illustrates that God is the ultimate power. He draws from the Bible and experiences to pass his message. The book attempts to teach and influence Christians to live a vocational life. According to Bonhoeffer, Christianity must entail the full practice, including living in communities of believers. Thus, does it imply that Christians should alienate themselves from other people? Bonhoeffer puts forward several main messages.
Bonhoeffer argues that Christians must live and learn to experience both individual and communal spiritual development. For instance, in chapters two and three, he talks about the importance of living in a community of believers. He argues that Christians should strive to realize solitude through communal fellowship. In general, community fellowship enriches spiritual growth. Moreover, Bonhoeffer clarifies that serving the community is a form of ministry. For instance, his ministry was largely about helping and speaking or advocating for the less fortunate individuals in the community.
Bonhoeffer provides sufficient evidence to back his claims. For instance, he clarifies that a Christian community fosters spiritual growth among the believers. However, this message can raise critical concerns and controversies (Bonhoeffer, 2015). In particular, what kind of Christian community is the author advocating? Does he want Christians to isolate themselves from the population of the non-believers. However, it is vital to clarify that Christians can form worship communities to share the word of God. Communities does not mean in the literal sense of the word. Rather, it implies that Christians need to come together and help each other grow spiritually. A communal worship is ideal for spiritual growth because it is the source of joy and celebration.
References
Bonhoeffer, D. (2015). The Classic Exploration of Christian Community. Fortress Press.
Marsh, C. (2014). Strange glory: A life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer . SPCK.
McCabe, J. H. (2015). Charles Marsh, Strange Glory: A Life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
