Dietrich Bonhoeffer

After his martyrdom at the hands of the Gestapo in 1945, Dietrich Bonhoeffer continued his witness in the hearts of Christians around the world. His Letters and Papers from Prison became a prized testimony to Christian faith and courage, read by thousands. Now in Life Together we have Pastor Bonhoeffer's experience of Christian community. This story of a unique fellowship in an underground seminary during the Nazi years reads like one of Paul's letters. It gives practical advice on how life together in Christ can be sustained in families and groups. The role of personal prayer, worship in common, everyday work, and Christian service is treated in simple, almost biblical, words. Life Together is bread for all who are hungry for the real life of Christian fellowship.

The Classic Exploration of Christian Community

Life Together

One of the great classics of prison literature, Letters and Papers from Prison effectively serves as the last will and testament of the Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a young German pastor who was executed by the Nazis in 1945 for his part in the “officers’ plot” to assassinate Adolf Hitler. This expanded version of Letters and Papers from Prison shifts the emphasis of earlier editions of Bonhoeffer’s theological reflections to the private sphere of his life. His letters appear in greater detail and show his daily concerns. Letters from Bonhoeffer’s parents, siblings, and other relatives have also been added, in addition to previously inaccessible letters and legal papers referring to his trial. Acute and subtle, warm and perceptive, yet also profoundly moving, the documents collectively tell a very human story of loss, of courage, and of hope. Bonhoeffer’s story seems as vitally relevant, as politically prophetic, and as theologically significant today, as it did yesterday.

Letters and Papers from Prison

C. S. Lewis

Annie Dillard

Thomas Merton

Henri J. M. Nouwen

A collection of spiritual readings by various authors for the Advent and Christmas season.

Readings for Advent and Christmas

Watch for the Light

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was an important theologian, biblical interpreter, pastor, ecumenist, and leader in the Confessing Church in Germany during the Nazi period. His writings and the example of his life continue to speak to people from many backgrounds. Here, for the first time in English is Sanctorum Communio in its entirety, including all material omitted from the original 1930 German publication. Bonhoeffer's doctoral dissertation sets out the theology of sociality that informed all his work, engaging social philosophy and sociology to interpret the church as "Christ existing as church-community." Here are the roots of his commitment to the Confessing Church and the ecumenical movement, and of his actions in the resistance movement for the sake of peace and Germany's future.

A Theological Study of the Sociology of the Church

Sanctorum Communio

The Cost of Discipleship is one of the bestselling titles on the SCM Classics list and one of the classics of modern theology. Perhaps Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s most radical book, this reading of the Sermon on the Mount has influenced many Christians throughout the world over the last 50 years. 50 years after its first publication, the book is reintroduced to readers of our time by Stephen Plant, Dean of Trinity Hall, Cambridge and one of the leading Bonhoeffer scholars of our time.

The Cost of Discipleship

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was only thirty-nine when he was executed by the Nazis in 1945, yet his influence on Christian life has been enormous. His passionate, theology-based opposition to Nazism made him a leader, along with Karl Barth, in Germany's Confessing Church. Bonhoeffer is embraced by both liberal and conservative Christians, and the integrity of his faith and life have led believers everywhere to recognize him as the one theologian of his time to lead future generations of Christians into the new millennium. His writings are a treasure of spiritual wisdom, social con-science, pastoral care, and theological insights that are an inspiration to us all, no matter what challenges we face. A Year with Dietrich Bonhoeffer showcases his writings, letters, and sermons in a daily devotional format, encouraging and deepening readers' reflections and meditations. With a foreword by Jim Wallis, author of God's Politics, A Year with Dietrich Bonhoeffer will take readers on a 365-day journey of understanding with this deeply spiritual man.

Daily Meditations from His Letters, Writings, and Sermons

A Year with Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Based on careful reconstruction of the manuscripts, freshly and expertly translated and annotated, this crown jewel of Bonhoeffer's body of work is the culmination of his theological and personal odyssey.

Ethics

O. C. Dean, Jr.

Jana Riess

"There are only two places where the powerful and great in this world lose their courage, tremble in the depths of their souls, and become truly afraid. These are the manger and the cross of Jesus Christ." "No priest, no theologian stood at the cradle of Bethlehem. And yet, all Christian theology finds its beginnings in the miracle of miracles, that God became human." These stirring words are among forty devotions that guide and inspire readers as they move thematically through the weeks of Advent and Christmas, from waiting and mystery to redemption, incarnation, and joy. Supplemented by an informative introduction, short excerpts from Bonhoeffer's letters, and passages from his Christmas sermons, these daily devotions are timeless and moving reminders of the true gift of Christmas.

Reflections on Advent and Christmas

God Is in the Manger

Eberhard Bethge

The author explains one of his secrets behind the powerful witness of his own life--that he had learned to pray the Psalms and from them drew on the power of God in his years of imprisonment--in a new edition that includes a brief biographical sketch by a friend and biographer of the author, which helps us understand the man who used the Psalms as his prayer book. Original.

The Prayer Book of the Bible

Psalms

Samuel Wells

This short book is a reflection on life as an intentional Christian community, written by Bonhoeffer during his time as a head of the Illegal Seminary of the Confessing Church in Finkenwalde (Eastern Prussia). The book has become a spiritual classic in which many Christians of a wide variety of backgrounds and contexts have found meaning and encouragement.

Daniel W. Bloesch

Navolging

Letters & Papers from Prison

Nachfolge

An illuminating study of prayer using the Psalms as a guidebook.

Søren Kierkegaard

Jean Vanier

Eugene H. Peterson

Joan Chittister

Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove

Richard J. Foster

Chiara Lubich

Saint Benedict

Howard A. Snyder

Dorothy Day

David Janzen

Christine D. Pohl

Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Eberhard Arnold

John M. Perkins

Christine Christine

Fyodor Dostoevsky

Why, in age of connectivity, are our lives more isolated and fragmented than ever? And what can be done about it? The answer lies in the hands of God's people. Increasingly, today's Christians want to be the church, to follow Christ together in daily life. From every corner of society, they are daring to step away from the status quo and respond to Christ's call to share their lives more fully with one another and with others. As they take the plunge, they are discovering the rich, meaningful life that Jesus has in mind for all people, and pointing the church back to its original calling: to be a gathered, united community that demonstrates the transforming love of God. Of course, such a life together with others isn't easy. The selections in this volume are, by and large, written by practitioners--people who have pioneered life in intentional community and have discovered in the nitty-gritty of daily life what it takes to establish, nurture, and sustain a Christian community over the long haul. Whether you have just begun thinking about communal living, are already embarking on sharing life with others, or have been part of a community for many years, the pieces in this collection will encourage, challenge, and strengthen you. The book's fifty-two chapters can be read one a week to ignite meaningful group discussion.

The Life Jesus Wants for His People

Called to Community

"«Vida en comunidad» es el más breve y el más célebre texto escrito por Bonhoeffer. ¿Qué es una comunidad cristiana? ¿Sobre qué está fundada? ¿Cómo pueden sus integrantes vivir una vida cristiana? Interrogantes que encuentran una respuesta fraterna y hermana."--

Vida en comunidad

El Costo del Discipulado: La dicotomia entre gracia barata y gracia sublime

Bijbels-theologische bezinning op de essentie van het christelijke gemeenschapsleven door de Duitse theoloog (1906-1944).

Leven met elkander

Maria von Wedemeyer

Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Maria von Wedemeyer came from urbane, highly educated families. By 1933, when Hitler came to power, Bonhoeffer had earned his doctorate, traveled widely, served a church in Spain, and had taken a position as lecturer and student chaplain at the University of Berlin. He was twenty-seven years old. Two days after Hitler's inauguration, Bonhoeffer preached a radio sermon condemning the German leader's policies. The transmission was interrupted. In 1935, Bonhoeffer was appointed head of an underground seminary at Finkenwalde. The Gestapo closed the school two years later, but Bonhoeffer's resistance activities continued. Bonhoeffer had met Maria von Wedemeyer years before, but when they became acquainted again in 1942 they fell in love. Shortly after their engagement in early 1943, he was arrested. Dietrich and Maria would never see each other again outside prison walls. But through their correspondence their relationship grew deeper, more affectionate, and more passionate. Volumes have been written about Bonhoeffer the theologian and martyr, but none of these works reveals the side of the man known by his fiancee. As we read these letters, we glimpse hopes, dreams, longings, and fears - and we witness a timeless love story.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

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