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Jean Bethke Elshtain Scholar of Religion, Political Philosopher and Active Bonhoeffer Society Member

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Jean Bethke Elshtain Scholar of Religion, Political Philosopher and Active Bonhoeffer Society Member Number 106 Fall 2013 Jean Bethke Elshtain Scholar of Religion, Political Philosopher and Active Bonhoeffer Society Member ean Bethke Elshtain, professor of social and political ethics at the University of Chicago, died on August 11, 2013. Her writings on Jpolitics, ethics, and theology shaped the discipline of Christian ethics after the end of the Cold War, and her provocative, realistic perspective on the war on terror reminded us that the new century requires us to explore old questions about just war in a different way. Her students and colleagues knew her also for her profound appreciation of the life and work of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and the International Bonhoeffer Society benefitted especially from her lecture on “The Profile of Bonhoeffer’s Political Resistance from the Perspective of Political Science” at Sigtuna in 2012. Professor Elshtain was a Inside This Issue prolific author, with more * * * * * * * than 20 books to her credit, and her interests ranged Reports from Augustine to Jane Addams. Running through all her writings, German Section 6 however, were key concepts from the history of Western politics: German Resistance 7 authority, democracy, sovereignty, and the state. These ideas, as Memorial Center she articulated them in Augustine and the Limits of Politics, shape our images of God, just as our idea of God sets limits to what is Society News possible in politics. She devoted her Gifford Lectures in 2005-06 to President’s Message 2 these themes, and the resulting book, Sovereignty: God, State, and Note to Members 3 Self, is a masterful exposition of the sense of authority and autonomy Annual Meeting 15 that is part of both modern psychology and modern politics. But she Annual Dinner 19 warned that this autonomy rests on an idea of divine sovereignty that may not stand up to theological scrutiny. Like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Book Reviews 4,12 she challenged the pretensions of modern thought to self-sufficiency while maintaining the Enlightenment passion for “the equal dignity Publications - New & 8 of all people as ethical beings” (Bonhoeffer, Ethics, DBWE 6:374). Forthcoming Her interest in Bonhoeffer had its roots in a political realism that Newsletter Archives 14 she learned from reading Augustine and Luther, and she found its modern voices in Reinhold Niebuhr and Hannah Arendt. This was Obituary 1 Continued on Page 12 President’s Message Fall 2013 Greetings to all! These words are written on the eve of the 12th anniversary of 9/11 as the United States plans commemorative services in communities around the nation to remember the events of that day and to reflect on its meaning these many years later. As we think back on those events and the manner in which they altered our lives, I was struck again by the poignancy of Bonhoeffer’s reflections contained in his message to fellow conspirators, “After Ten Years.” He began, “Ten years is a long time in the life of every human being.” As he then goes on to note, those 10 years had been significant not only in defining the past decade but as importantly for how they would shape the future. We might ask ourselves, what have these ten years meant to us? What has transpired during this time? Are we at a better place? As we continue to grapple with the moral and political forces shaping our world, there is an ongoing need for voices of clarity and conviction, voices that can guide us to a better future. Without much effort, it is easy to discover that there are many looking for that future and often they find Bonhoeffer’s ideas and witness important in that search. A couple of recent examples illustrate this. The first is Christian Wiman’s My Bright Abyss. Wiman is a poet who, though he had grown up in the church, had left the church behind, only to have his faith reawakened and reaffirmed after being diagnosed with cancer. Interestingly, even though he had left the church, he, like many others like him, did not leave their questions about God or concerns about faith behind. One credible conversation partner he discovered along the way was Bonhoeffer A second example comes from the newly released Breach of Trust by Boston University’s professor of history, Andrew Bacevich. He finds Bonhoeffer’s concept of “cheap grace” useful in illustrating the self-deception of Americans regarding their patriotism and civic responsibility. These are but two recent examples of varied voices that find relevance to Bonhoeffer’s thought. As we prepare for our meetings in Baltimore, I am reminded once again of the importance of the Bonhoeffer community around the world; through its faithful exploration of Bonhoeffer’s theology, we are discovering new ways that Bonhoeffer’s witness speaks to the current generation, both inside the churches and beyond. The works noted above remind us of the importance of the work of the society in preserving and perpetuating Bonhoeffer’s legacy. In that vein, we are blessed that credible research continues apace. In this issue, we are introduced to several new books that hold before us the ongoing relevance of Bonhoeffer’s life and witness. Thank you for all your efforts. Please find within these pages details of meetings, presentations, gatherings, and dinner taking place in Baltimore, as well as many other items that will inform you about the work of the society. Blessings, H.Gaylon Barker Ridgefield, Connecticut 2 Request for Nominations Each year three members must be elected to the Board of Directors of the International Bonhoeffer Society - English Language Section. In order to prepare a slate of nominees for the election at the upcoming meeting of the society in Baltimore, November 23, the Nominating Committee is requesting names of candidates. If anyone knows of a society member who should be considered for election to the board, submit their name, along with their stated willingness to serve to: Anna Mercedes ([email protected]), Reinhold Krauss ([email protected]) or Jennifer McBride ([email protected]). Nominations from the floor will also be accepted at the time of the annual meeting. Note to Society Members Please send changes/updates of mailing addresses and e-mail addresses to: Rev. Mark E. Randall, 15917 NE Union Road, Unit #103, Ridgefield WA 98642 (Note: this is a new address). or to: [email protected] Please notify the Editor ([email protected]) if you prefer receiving the Newsletter by e-mail in a PDF format. Future Bonhoeffer Meeting Dates and Sites November 23-26 2013 Baltimore, Maryland November 22-25 2014 San Diego, California November 21-24 2015 Atlanta, Georgia November 19-22 2016 San Antonio, Texas November 18-21 2017 Boston, Massachusetts INTERNATIONAL BONHOEFFER SOCIETY ENGLISH LANGUAGE SECTION BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2013 Officers:H. Gaylon Barker (President) Ridgefield CT; Stephen Plant (Vice-President) Cambridge UK; Lori Brandt Hale (Secretary) Maplewood MN; and Mark Randall (Treasurer) Ridgefield WA Board of Directors: Mark Brocker, Beaverton OR; Michael DeJonge, Tampa FL; Peter Frick, Waterloo Ontario; Stephen Haynes, Memphis TN; Jenny McBride, Waverly IA; Anna Mercedes, Collegeville MN; Jeff Pugh, Elon NC ; and Jens Zimmerman, Langley British Columbia. Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works - English Edition:Victoria Barnett (General Editor)(Washington D.C.), Clifford Green (Executive Director)(Boston MA) Editorial Advisory Board: Lori Brandt Hale (Maplewood MN); John Matthews (Chair) (Apple Valley MN); and Clifford Green (Boston MA) Newsletter Editor: Dean S. Skelley (San Antonio TX) Emeriti Board Members: Jim Burtness+, Keith Clements, John Godsey+, Clifford Green, Daniel Har- dy+, Pat Kelley, Geffrey Kelly, Michael Lukens, John Matthews, Burton Nelson+, Bill Peck, Larry Rasmus- sen, Deotis Roberts, Martin Rumscheidt, Charles Sensel, Charles West and Ruth Zerner 3 Book Review expended will be well rewarded. As a German, a Lutheran, a believer, and a man at the crossroads of A Christian in the Third Reich (orig. Chrześcijanin history, Bonhoeffer can help Poles understand what it w Trzeciej Rzeszy). Anna Morawska. Warsaw: means to be a Christian, a patriot and a human being. Her argument works in reverse; non-Polish readers Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Ein Christ can learn much from Morawska, a woman, a Pole, imSpołeczny Deutschen Instytut Reich Wydawniczy ZNAK, 1970. and Roman-Catholic who, prior to her death in 1975, Anna Morawska, was involved in Polish-German reconciliation and the mit Vorwort von Tadeusz secular Catholic dialogue that bore fruit in the devel- Mazowiecki. Aschendorff Verlag, Münster 2011, opment of civil society and the opposition movement ISBN 978-3-402-12931-9 (Winfried Lipscher, to Poland’s socialist regime during the 1970s and 80s. translator).nna Morawska’s 1970 biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, A Christian in the Third Reich, Morawska approaches Bonhoeffer as she approaches Aremains unsurpassed as the best introduction ecumenism, acknowledging the place of scholarly de- for the Polish reader new to Bonhoeffer, yet the sig- bate but stressing face-to-face encounters, personal nificance of this work reaches far beyond its impact on dialogue, and responsible engagement from below. Polish intellectual life. Published alongside Bonhoef- She argued that in the ecclesiastical and political cir- fer’s Selected Works (Pismo Wybrane; Anna Moraw- cles where he served, “his Christianity no longer fit ska, ed., SIW ZNAK, 1970: Warsaw), it was read by within the narrow bourgeois, nationalistic categories both Catholic and secular intellectuals and activists, of the national interest,” and his final letters “truly go including the leaders of the Polish opposition move- beyond the world of the post-feudal intelligentsia and ment and the Solidarity trade union. Over the past 40 its ideals.” For Poles, reading Bonhoeffer meant navi- years it has influenced the course of ecumenical dia- gating the shoals of 19th and early 20th century Ger- logue, the process of Polish-German reconciliation, man Protestant theology for the first time.
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