Talk:Dietrich Bonhoeffer

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-- Dietrich Bonhoeffer was one of the most important Christian theologians of the 20th Century. He did important work in the field of Christian Ethics and paved the way for some of the liberal Christianity of the type made famous by John Robinson in his works such as the book "Honest to God" - however, this article focuses on the events of his life, which overshadowed his enormous, incomplete and controversial theological and philosophical achievements. I think it is very important that we get a more qualified theologian (for NPOV we may need several, his beliefs are still something of a hot topic!!) to add some more flesh to this. VivaEmilyDavies 23:21, 9 Dec 2004 (UTC) ok

Contents 1 Pacifism 2 Opposition to Hitler 3 Formality 4 Useful source for theology 5 Re-wording(?) 6 Early studies/Harlem 7 Confessing Church 8 This article contradicts itself

[edit] Pacifism

It would be helpful to study Bonhoeffer's pacifism and see whether or not it is sufficient to write: "After he realized that diplomatic means to stop Hitler were impossible, he decided that assassination was the only solution. He joined a hidden group of high-ranking officers who were trying to have Hitler killed." The situation was far too complex to assume that he believed diplomatic means were no longer available. And to say that Bonheoffer thought it was the only way to stop Hitler is possibly not to have understood him correctly. In summary, the words "After he realized that diplomatic means to stop Hitler were impossible, he decided that assassination was the only solution" is not a neutral statement regarding his own thoughts and theology. Marco Funk marco_funk@yahoo.com

Certainly. It is in fact debatable whether we can state that Bonhoeffer regarded tyrannicide as a "solution" at all: the term might imply that he had resolved the ethical problem presented by the matter. This point may seem pedantic but the point at which the personal decision is made by the agent does not imply that there has been, in any real sense, a "resolved" argument. Open to further discussion on this difficult point.

HELP- someone was editing the Bonhoeffer article and it got left in a mess of French and computer symbols. (I was on here 20 minutes ago and it was fine; now it's illegible.) Callie Lowenstein

[edit] Opposition to Hitler

I disagree with the sentence: "While the confessing church was not large, it represented the only Christian church in Germany that was in opposition to Hitler's practices." It suggests (imh incorrecly) that all other Churches agreed with Hitler. The Catholic Church condemned the Nazi ideology in 1937 with the Encyclical Mit brennender Sorge. Also, the article should describe the schism in the Lutheran Church between Deutche Christen (filo - nazist9 and the confessing Church

--- Agreed. I had a go at incorporating the comments above, though without adding much detail; also at tidying up the description of events in the 1930s. New to all this, may try to do more later. --Rachel

I have done a lot of research on D. Bonhoeffer, and I believe that a lot of this report is false! For example, he was not part of a group of people that tried to assasinate Hitler. --Jon

[edit] Formality

Is there a reason, why the article refers to "Dietrich" (first name) instead of "Bonhoeffer" (last name) I think it's too informal and will change it if nobody oppposes. -- Fuffzsch 11:30, 7 Sep 2004 (UTC)

[edit] Useful source for theology

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich (1906-1945) at Boston Collaborative Encyclopedia of Western Theology [http://people.bu.edu/wwildman/WeirdWildWeb/courses/mwt/dictionary/mwt_themes_780_bonhoeffer.htm Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) (Matt McLaughlin, 1999)]

[edit] Re-wording(?)

For humiliation, and for the edification of the SS-staff present, all four men were
forced to strip down completely in their cells before walking totally naked to the gallows.

Could this passage be re-worded for the sake for slightly more objective language...namely the phrase "for the edification of the SS-staff present"? Could we say, "to set an example before the SS-staff present" or something to that effect? ~ Dpr 00:06, 27 August 2005 (UTC)

I believe Hans von Dohnanyi was hanged at Sachsenhausen KZ; Klaus Bonhoeffer and Ruediger Schleicher were shot outside a Gestapo prison in Berlin. Dietrich was hanged with Admiral Canaris, General Hans Oster, Karl Sack, and Ludwig Gehre at Flossenbuerg. Disrobing was used routinely for those condemned in relation to the July 20 plot when they were hanged at Ploetzensee prison in Berlin. Refer to other listings in Wikipedia for more information.205.188.116.196 07:42, 2 February 2006 (UTC)Nyoreg

[edit] Early studies/Harlem

Can we insert a statement regarding his visits to the African-American churches and community in New York stating that this was relatively novel, that cross-racial activity was relatively rare at the time, and even more novel for a European (as opposed to a Caucasian/White American)? ~ Dpr 00:06, 27 August 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Confessing Church

The article states: During World War II, Bonhoeffer played a key leadership role in the Confessing Church. I'm not certain that the timeline is accurate. He certainly played a key role in the mid-1930s, but I don't think he was a leader in the church during the war. -JohnRDaily 05:08, 7 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] This article contradicts itself

The beginning of the article says that Bonhoeffer was arrested in March, but later in his bio it says April. Which is it? J.J. Bustamante 10:06, 27 March 2007 (UTC)