I am plowing through my first read of Sanctorum Communio, (DBWE 1), Bonhoeffer’s first dissertation on the church. Now at p. 250, reading only the text, not the extensive notes, which include material in the original but not published due to cost. Frankly, I have almost no clue what he’s talking about much of the time, although it gets easier in later chapters perhaps because they are less sociologico-philosophico-mind-bending-lich and more theological. The basic idea is that the church-community = the Body of Christ = the communion of saints exists in the world under the Word for others just as Christ was a man-for-others. Bonhoeffer held on to this idea throughout, even though his theology in the prison era expressed in the theological letters April 30, 1944, and on, became secular and this-worldly.
I found a copy of John AT Robinson’s Honest to God (1963), which presented a brash, shocking version of Bonhoeffer’s ideas to the world; in so doing, he served to give push to the need for a careful, wholistic presentation of Bonhoeffer’s writing—which has led to the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works (German and English).
I’m fascinated by Christians of the WWII period who were in resistance to totalitarian regimes. I’m not totally sure why. I think we have much to learn.
The tyranny of our world is not political or by overt force in many cases (countries like Libya, Burma, Latin American dictatorships, and China being exceptions). Rather, it is social: the understated pressure of advertising, peer groups, and neighborhood associations. It is financial, the burden of maintaining a certain lifestyle at any cost. It is the sneering laughter of the cynical and sophisticated (see C.S. Lewis’s third sci fi novel). It is the silence of a church, numbed by prosperity and approval.
The structures of tyranny are corporate. Injustice is outsourced, made invisible. Decisions made in New York affect West Africa, China, Indonesia.
Photo by Mary Fran
auto donation Yep, def bookmarking this one
I’m extremely impressed with your writing skills and also with the layout on your weblog. Is this a paid theme or did you modify it yourself? Anyway keep up the nice quality writing, it’s rare to see a great blog like this one these days..
Furthermore, i believe that mesothelioma is a unusual form of cancer malignancy that is often found in those previously exposed to asbestos. Cancerous tissues form in the mesothelium, which is a safety lining that covers almost all of the body’s areas. These cells typically form inside lining with the lungs, abdomen, or the sac that encircles one’s heart. Thanks for expressing your ideas.