Northwest Center for Holocaust, Genocide and Ethnocide Education

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German Pastor, theologian, and spiritual writer, was one of the few church leaders of his time to stand in opposition to Hitler and the policies of the Nazi Regime. Bonhoeffer questioned what it meant to be a Christian and spent a great deal of time speaking throughout Europe, vigorously promoting the Church's responsibility to fight political injustice. In 1939, Bonhoeffer fled Germany to New York, where he had studied several years before at Union Theological Seminary. This time he went to teach, but less than one month later, chose to return to his country. He felt he should share in the trials that Christians in Germany were facing - "the terrible alternative of willing the defeat of their nation in order that civilization may survive, or willing the victory of their nation and thereby destroying civilization." Bonhoeffer was imprisoned in 1943 and 2 years later was hanged in the concentration camp at Flossenburg. Those who were with him in prison spoke of the guidance and spiritual inspiration he gave not only to fellow inmates but to prison guards as well. Bonhoeffer's many writings continue to influence people around the world.

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Links to Sites on Dietrich Bonhoeffer

• www.cyberword.com/Bonhoef/ - the home page of the International Bonhoeffer Society. A thorough site with historical facts, descriptions of Bonhoeffer's works, resources for research online, and up-to-date news and events about Bonhoeffer.
• www.ushmm.org/bonhoeffer/b1.htm - this page was written by Victoria Barnett, author of For the Soul of the People, Protestant Protest Against Hitler, for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Offers thoughtful insight into the conflict within the Protestant church and Bonhoeffer's response to the conflict and turmoil occurring in his country.
• www. luther95.org/NELCA/internos/moeller.htm - A Reflection on the Life and Ministry of Dietrich Bonhoeffer by Michael Moeller.
• www.thesumners.com/bonhoeffer/index.html - Bonhoeffer's Cell, a well-organized site by Darren Sumner. Includes esssays and links.
• The tribulation of Dietrich Bonhoeffer - an article from Sojourners Magazine briefly describing the life and thoughts of Bonhoeffer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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