“Silence itself in the face of evil is evil itself. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.” — Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Tag Archives: Bonhoeffer
No antidote for stupidity
It would be great to think we could overcome some things in society. According to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, stupidity is not one of those things. For believers, there is possible hope. Read on:
Christians and the hunger for power
Christianity stands or falls with its revolutionary protest against violence, arbitrariness, and pride of power, and with its plea for the weak. Christians are doing too little to make these points clear … Christendom adjusts itself far too easily to the worship of power. Christians should give more offense, shock the world far more, thanContinue reading “Christians and the hunger for power”
The community of the saints and sanctification
“The sanctification of the church-community consists in its being separated by God from that which is unholy, from sin… For the community of saints this implies three things. First, its sanctification will manifest itself in a clear separation from the world. Its sanctification will, second, prove itself through conduct that is worthy of God’s realmContinue reading “The community of the saints and sanctification”
How to live with others
So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. (Matt. 7:12)
The point of the Sermon on the Mount
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on theContinue reading “The point of the Sermon on the Mount”
Transparency in the Body of Christ
“It may be that Christians, notwithstanding corporate worship, common prayer, and all their fellowship in service, may still be left to their loneliness. The final break-through to fellowship does not occur, because, though they have fellowship with one another as believers and as devout people, they do not have fellowship as the undevout, as sinners.Continue reading “Transparency in the Body of Christ”
The place of community in the Body of Christ
“Let him who cannot be alone beware of community… Let him who is not in community beware of being alone… Each by itself has profound perils and pitfalls. One who wants fellowship without solitude plunges into the void of words and feelings, and the one who seeks solitude without fellowship perishes in the abyss ofContinue reading “The place of community in the Body of Christ”
Words that sound incredibly strange from Bonhoeffer
The way to wholeness and healing is to recognize there is a sickness.
There really isn’t “personal” sin
Every act of self-discipline by a Christian is also a service to the community. Conversely, there is no sin in thought, word, or deed, no matter how personal or secret, that does not harm the whole community. When the cause of an illness gets into one’s body, whether or not anyone knows where it comesContinue reading “There really isn’t “personal” sin”
Apprentice 2 Jesus 