Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Reality and Resistance - Softcover

Rasmussen, Larry L.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0664230113 ISBN 13: 9780664230111

Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press, 2005

Synopsis

What led Dietrich Bonhoeffer to his momentous decision to be involved in the plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler on July 20, 1944? What is the relation between his resistance activities and his theological and ethical reflections? Exploring these and other intriguing and complex relationships in Bonhoeffer's life and throughout the turbulent 1930s and 1940s, Larry Rasmussen characterizes Bonhoeffer's resistance as an enactment of his Christology lived out with utter seriousness. Originally published in 1972 and now updated with a new introduction by the author, Dietrich Bonhoeffer remains the defining study of Bonhoeffer's views of Jesus Christ, his ethics, and his resistance against Hitler and the Nazi regime.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

"I have learned more from Rasmussen’s Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Reality and Resistance than from nearly all the other books on Bonhoeffer’s theology and ethics. Incisive, analytical, wise, and with great judgment, Larry Rasmussen raises the right questions for our appropriation of Bonhoeffer and for our own ethic today in the face of the power of empire." —Glen Stassen, Lewis Smedes Professor of Christian Ethics, Fuller Theological Seminary

"Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer's move into the conspiracy to kill Hitler and overthrow the Nazi regime remains one of the most intriguing theological decisions of all time. Larry Rasmussen shows how Bonhoeffer's resistance was firmly grounded in his faith and theology, and explores the consequences of Bonhoeffer's actions for his wartime ethical writings. The chapters on the character of Bonhoeffer's pacifism and his interest in Gandhi provide unique insights into the development of Bonhoeffer's thought. This new edition will be important not only for Bonhoeffer scholars, but for all who wrestle with the dilemmas of moral responsibility in times of violence and evil—questions that remain as important today as they were in Bonhoeffer's time." —Victoria J. Barnett, General Editor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, English Edition

About the Author:

Larry L. Rasmussen is Reinhold Niebuhr Professor Emeritus of Social Ethics at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. He is the author of The Predicament of the Prosperous and Dietrich Bonhoeffer: His Significance for North Americans, both published by WJK.

About this edition

• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0664230113
• ISBN 13: 9780664230111
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224