Bonhoeffer: A Call to Discipleship In An Era of Nationalism

Bonhoeffer is a film about a German pastor who challenged the Church during wartime, to follow Jesus not the Führer.

Who knows how profitable the film will be but the message is prophetic. In an era of Christian nationalism (see info in comment below), Bonhoeffer is a wake-up alarm to Christians. It’s past time to to follow Jesus, not a political party or politician.

Joe Leydon of Variety wrote, “If it had been released just two years ago, Bonhoeffer might have come across as simply the latest in a long line of respectable but predictable period dramas about brave Germans who dared to stand up to the Nazi regime. Today, however, the movie feels more like an uncomfortably timely cautionary tale with unsettling echoes of current events.”

 When Was The Cost of Discipleship Written?

“The Cost of Discipleship” was written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer in the mid-1930s while he was teaching at the underground seminary of the Confessing Church in Finkenwalde, Germany. This was a time when the Nazi regime, under Adolf Hitler, was rapidly gaining power and exerting control over various aspects of German society, including the Protestant Church.

Bonhoeffer, as a theologian and pastor, strongly opposed the Nazi ideology and its interference in the Church. He believed that the Church should not compromise its principles and teachings to align with the Nazi regime. Instead, he advocated for a faithful, active discipleship that resisted the pressures and temptations of the world.

Bonhoeffer’s Theology

Unfortunately, Bonhoeffer’s opposition to the Nazis would ultimately lead to his arrest and imprisonment. He was involved in various activities against the Nazi regime, including his participation in the Abwehr, a resistance group. Bonhoeffer’s commitment to his Christian convictions and his active resistance to the Nazis eventually cost him his life. He was executed by the Nazis in 1945, just weeks before the end of World War II.

The camp doctor, H. Fischer-Hullstrung, recorded his impression:
“In the almost fifty years that I worked as a doctor, I have hardly ever seen a man die so entirely submissive to the will of God.”

Bonhoeffer had a unique view of discipleship that emphasized the communal aspect of following Jesus. He believed that discipleship is not just about personal spiritual growth, but also about the formation of a community of believers who live out their faith together.

German Church

Bonhoeffer’s theology was shaped by the failure of German Christianity to resist the Nazi regime. He believed that the German Church had become too closely aligned with the state and had lost sight of its true mission, which was to proclaim the gospel and make disciples.

In our day, this discussion of nationalistic tendencies in religion is highly relevant. In response, Bonhoeffer called for a return to the biblical understanding of the Church as a community of faith, committed to following Jesus and living out his teachings in the world.

Discipleship and “costly grace”

One of the key aspects of Bonhoeffer’s view of discipleship is the concept of “costly grace”. He believed that grace is not something that is freely given without any effort or sacrifice on the part of the believer. Instead, he believed that true grace comes with a cost. That true discipleship involves following Jesus even when it is difficult or uncomfortable. He believed that the local church is the place where individuals can learn to live out this costly grace in the context of a community of believers.

Bonhoeffer also believed that true discipleship involves a commitment to living out one’s faith in the world. He believed that the church should not be a separate entity from the world. He called the Church to be actively involved in working to bring about social and political change. Bonhoeffer believed that the local church is the place where individuals can learn to live out their faith in the world and make a difference in their community.

How Bonhoeffer thought the churches could facilitate discipleship

One of the key ways that Bonhoeffer believed that the local church can foster discipleship is through small community groups. He believed that these groups provide a space for individuals to share their struggles and victories. To be accountable to one another, and to learn to live out their faith in the context of a community of believers. He believed that these groups should be focused on the study of the Bible and prayer and should be led by mature believers who can serve as examples and guides for the others.

He wrote extensively on this in his classic Life Together.

Bonhoeffer and the value of servant leadership for discipleship

Bonhoeffer’s view of discipleship also emphasizes the importance of servant leadership. He believed that true leadership is not about power or control, but rather about serving and empowering others. He believed that the local church is the place where individuals can learn to lead as Jesus did, by serving others and putting the needs of others before their own.

Bonhoeffer believed that the local church should be a place where individuals can learn to lead by serving and empowering others.

Discipleship and active resistance to evil in the world

Bonhoeffer’s understanding of discipleship also involves a strong emphasis on the practice of community and active resistance to the forces of evil. He believed that the Church is called to be a community of believers who live differently from the world around them. He believed that the local church is the place where individuals can learn to resist the forces of evil and to live in the way of Jesus.

11 Quotes from “The Cost of Discipleship”

1. “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”

2. “Discipleship means allegiance to the suffering Christ, and it is therefore not at all surprising that Christians should be called upon to suffer.”

3. “The cross is laid on every Christian. The first Christ-suffering which every man must experience is the call to abandon the attachments of this world.”

4. “Earthly goods are given to be used, not to be collected.”

5. “Judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating. By judging others, we blind ourselves to our own evil.”

6. “Being a Christian is less about cautiously avoiding sin than about courageously and actively doing God’s will.”

7. “Strict exercise of self-control is an essential feature of the Christian’s life.”

8. “Jesus is the only significance. Beside Jesus nothing has any significance. He alone matters.”

9. “The world exercises dominion by force and Christ and Christians conquer by service.”

10. “The call goes forth, and is at once followed by the response of obedience. The response of the disciples is an act of obedience, not a confession of faith in Jesus.”

11. “Christianity without the living Jesus Christ remains necessarily a Christianity without discipleship. A Christianity without discipleship is always a Christianity without Jesus Christ. It is an idea, a myth.”

Have you read Bonhoeffer? Will you see the movie? Do you have a favourite Bonhoeffer quote? Please join the conversation and post a comment below.

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