Reader response to “Life Together” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Despite reading about him for years, I had never actually read an entire book by the famous German pastor and theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Some small excerpts of his made their way into my seminary reading and I always enjoyed what I read. His consistent stand against the Nazis and the courage to act on his beliefs are traits that people all around the world have long admired.
Personally, I have especially appreciated his willingness to struggle realistically with the challenge of living out the Christian faith in the midst of a broken world. He was no utopian ideologue. Bonhoeffer understood the complexities brought about by sin in the world. This why, even as a pacifist, he ultimately lent reluctant support to the plot to assassinate the fuhrer. He came to see the great evil that was being perpetrated in and by his homeland and could see no other way out. He was anguished by the choices he had to make, but accepted the responsibility that was being placed on him by history.
Coupling theological ideals and concrete action
In Life Together I got a chance to see Bonhoeffer’s theological realism in action. His short book laid out the Biblical rationale for Christian community. He described the structure, purpose, and practices that bring believers together. He made a strong case for the fact that Christian community is different from every other form of human community. It is a body joined together by the person of Jesus Christ himself. He repeatedly and convincingly made the case that everything is to be measured and defined by Jesus’ example, life, ministry, and resurrection.
On the other hand, throughout the book, Bonhoeffer was incredibly specific about the challenges which arise when fallible human beings try to commune with each other. For all the loft grandeur of his theology, as much time, if not more was spent on very earthly concerns. Personal relationships, musical choices, human sexuality, and the ordering of one’s day are all discussed in detail. While living and teaching in an underground community of Confessing Church seminarians Bonhoeffer saw firsthand how the stresses of everyday life could impact the spiritual health of both individual Christians and the group as a whole.
It seems to me that Life Together‘s greatest legacy is a demonstration of one way to be “in the world, but not of the world.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s faith in the grace of Christ was unwavering. God alone was Lord of his life and the Christian communities he described. They were bound together and shaped by the resurrection of Jesus. Yet, he also recognized that sinful people will fall short, hurt each other, and the world around them. This is why he insisted on the need for forgiveness and confession within those Christ-shaped communities.
Principles we can use
Even though some of the specific practices he laid out may not apply in our particular contexts, most of the principles which guided his writing do. Churches would do well to remember his insistence on the fact that it is the Holy Spirit who calls Christians together. Congregations are not simply human organizations that happen to worship together. They are the very body of Christ. As such, discipleship is not to be taken lightly. Christianity demands total personal commitment, mutual support from our brothers and sisters, and a willingness to let every aspect of our Life Together be shaped by the example and resurrection of Jesus.
