VU Research Portal Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Endurance Mosher, A.K 2009 document version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Link to publication in VU Research Portal citation for published version (APA) Mosher, A. K. (2009). Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Endurance: An Examination of One Christian's Persistence in the Face of Evil and Injustice. General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal ? Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. E-mail address: [email protected] Download date: 01. Oct. 2021 TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents ..........................Fout! Bladwijzer niet gedefinieerd. Preface .....................................................................................................3 Introduction .............................................................................................4 Historic Influences in Bonhoeffer’s Life...............................................10 Bonhoeffer’s Family ........................................................................................10 The Blossoming of the ‘Theologian of the Church’ ........................................13 Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Jewish Question .................................................18 Bonhoeffer and Political Resistance ................................................................24 Conclusion .......................................................................................................27 Evil In Bonhoeffer’s Creation and Fall, Discipleship, and Ethics.......29 The Introduction...............................................................................................29 The Beginning..................................................................................................31 Lessons from Creation and Fall......................................................................42 Evil in Discipleship..........................................................................................44 Evil in Bonhoeffer’s Ethics..............................................................................48 Evil in “Christ, Reality, and Good” .................................................................48 Successful Evil?...............................................................................................50 Evil and History ...............................................................................................51 The Church’s Evil............................................................................................53 Radical Evil......................................................................................................53 “History and Good 1 & 2” ...............................................................................55 “God’s Love and the Disintegration of the World”.........................................57 “Church and World I”......................................................................................61 Conclusion .......................................................................................................62 Dietrich Bonhoeffer And Justice...........................................................63 Important Topics in Ethics...............................................................................63 Justice in “Christ, Reality, and Good”.............................................................65 Justice in “Ethics as Formation”......................................................................69 “Guilt, Justification, Renewal” ........................................................................75 “Ultimate and Penultimate Things”.................................................................77 “Church and World I”......................................................................................80 Conclusion .......................................................................................................83 The Effect of Bonhoeffer’s Theology on his Endurance ......................85 The Impact of Bonhoeffer’s Family on His Endurance...................................86 The Centrality of Unity with God....................................................................89 The Meaning of the Church for Bonhoeffer’s Endurance ...............................98 General Conclusions............................................................................108 Bibliography........................................................................................113 PREFACE I would like to first thank my supervisor, Prof. Dr. Martien Brinkman, for his energy, time, and patience while leading me to finish this dissertation. While I have great respect for your quick intelligence, professional demeanor, and clear direction, my most vivid memory is the day that I thought I could not endure to complete this work. On that day your pastoral heart combined with your broad intercultural knowledge and provided the words and encouragement that led to the completion of this dissertation. This work exists thanks to your care and kindness in leading me through the process. I enjoy having you as a supervisor, both in this dissertation and in our work with the International Reformed Theological Institute, and have learned much from you regarding leadership and scholarship. I also thank my supervisor, Prof. Dr. Eddy Van der Borght. I was a difficult student for you to supervise due to the many hours that we disagreed and discussed parts of this dissertation, but each discussion occurred because I felt safe being honest with you. The gift of compassion, patience, and kindness that has been given to you is beyond measure. I feel immensely honored to be your first promotion. I would like to also thank Prof. Dr. Abraham van de Beek. The time that I spent in class with you was a unique learning experience. I appreciate the time that you have given to your students to discuss and examine theological principles. You are a theologian’s theologian. Thank you for your words of wisdom regarding Bonhoeffer scholarship and your part in the initial supervision of this project. Special thanks must be given to my dear friend and paranimf, Suzanne Huisman. The care and love you have shown by taking care of me while we worked through this process cannot be described. Your personality and presence every day is a great joy for me. While speaking about professionals and work-related encouragement, I would like to thank the academic faculties and administrative personnel of the Faculty of Theology and the Faculty of Philosophy of VU University Amsterdam. The camaraderie and challenge that you offer has made me a better person and a better academician. I must also thank members of my family who have made this possible. My parents, Calvin and Dorothy Mosher, who always told me I could do anything I set my mind to. Thank you for listening to me as I enthusiastically explained my project. Your expectations that I could achieve success in my life were my first lessons in egalitarianism when it related to gender; my sister, Virginia Bair, who is always proud of me and supportive even while so far away; my brother and sister-in-law, Pete and Cindy Mosher, for the years of nurturing me, keeping me on the right track, and being examples of good people. I would also like to thank my in-laws, Hubertus and Maartje van Es-Zwagers for their support and pride in my work. Finally, I thank my children for being the real source of my own endurance— especially my sons, Asa and Noah Bryant. I cannot describe the quiet support and encouragement that you have always given me while I completed this work. You are more precious than words can describe. A final thank you is due to my husband, Thomas van Es. Thank you for the many ways you have relieved my tasks so that I could focus on this work. While this first dissertation is an once-in-a-lifetime achievement, I know that the real achievement in my life is being loved by a soul as kind and precious as you. Without your love and support this dissertation would not have been completed. 1 INTRODUCTION Dietrich Bonhoeffer. For Christians throughout the world, the name conjures various emotions and mental pictures. Outside of Christianity, he is hardly even known. While some may find this a pity, it is fitting for a theologian whose home was the church and whose desire was for the health of that church. The first time I seriously heard of the name of Dietrich Bonhoeffer was as a seminary student reading his Letters and Papers from Prison in a Christian devotional class. At the time, while also studying Martin Luther King, Jr., I was struck by the tenacity of both theologians while under extreme pressure from their own faith communities as well as their own governments. How could they continue serving in communities that were so disappointing and where the work of Christ was not demonstrated, I wondered. From this the question for this dissertation