Dietrich Bonhoeffer Religion Essay

From a young age, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was an enlightened thinker. Whether it be because of his youthful fascination with the word eternity, which he found “majestic” (p.3), or his determination to be a theologian at thirteen, it seems unsurprising that he would grow to be a man of original mind and concepts, not destined to follow a crowd. Throughout his life, there are many ideas that are either thrown his way or intentionally sought after by him that contribute overall to his decision to resist the German Christians and subsequently the Nazi regime. Bonhoeffer’s acquisition of knowledge that he accumulates throughout his existence, which include theories from each new place and new people he encounters, allow him to grasp a worldly view of

32) Evidently, he travels many other places as well, however, his time in America seemed to enlighten Bonhoeffer’s ideas a lot. He discovers, for himself, American pragmatism— the practical and useful application of religion—and acknowledges the American way of thinking, picking out parts of the religion that suits particular moments. After a while, he opinionated that “there was no theology there,” and found it extremely underwhelming. (p.104) Until he encountered the religiosity of the oppressed, “Negro community,” Bonhoeffer was sure he had not experienced true religion. (p.117) He had a revelation about religion and it was that “Christ himself was hiding in weakness,” therefore real faith comes out of those experiencing hardships. (p.118) Here, he became truly interested in the oppressed, confused by how Christianity and racism—paradoxical in his mind— can coexist. His “six-month immersion in American black Christianity” can be construed as the foreshadowing of his passion for resistance against the German Christians and Nazi regime who were persecuting the Jewish people.