Communion of Saints 02: Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Exposure to the American Black Church prompted a significant shift for Dietrich Bonhoeffer. His life was also deeply impacted by time that he spent teaching confirmation and investing in the lives of a challenging group of boys. In both these instances, he had an initial encounter and then dug in more deeply, rearranging his life to do so.

What experiences have you had with unexpected people or in unexpected places that altered your view of the world and/or your understanding of what it means to experience and love God?

When you experience challenging or unfamiliar situations, do you tend to lean in or pull back? If you’ve had experiences where you have leaned in, why did you do so, and how did the experience impact you? What did you learn?

A major theme in Bonhoeffer’s theology and work is the idea that Tim summarized with this Andy Crouch quote: “the flourishing of the vulnerable depends on the vulnerability of the flourishing.”

Take a moment to sit with this quote and the ideas communicated by it. What do you understand it to mean? How do you understand or make sense of the dependency it states? What does that mean for “everyday Christians” like us?

As he wrestled with his commitment to non-violence and the reality of Hitler’s rise to power, Bonhoeffer came to this conclusion: “We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself.”

How do you respond to this statement? How much do you see it in practice in the world around you? What resistance surfaces for you as you consider this idea? To what extent do you agree with Bonhoeffer? Share about why.