Letters to London: Bonhoeffer's Previously Unpublished Correspondence with Ernst Cromwell, 1935-1936 - Softcover

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1625643799 ISBN 13: 9781625643797

Publisher: Cascade Books, 2013

Synopsis

In the autumn of 1933 the twenty-seven-year-old Bonhoeffer accepted a two-year appointment as a pastor of two German-speaking Protestant churches in London. It was during this time that he began his friendship with Ernst Cromwell, one of his confirmands-a friendship that is now documented in these letters published for the first time here in this book (most of which are dated between March 20, 1935 and March 27, 1936). Seventy-five years later, the publication of these letters throws light on several aspects of Bonhoeffer's life and thought, including: the development of his views on the practice of silence; his practice of catechesis and confirmation; the impact on his personal relationships of his involvement in the Church struggle; his understanding of friendship, and in particular friendship that values the potential contribution of young people to living out the "truth-telling" of Jesus Christ.

About this title

About the Author

Stephen J. Plant is Dean and Runcie Fellow at Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge, where he teaches theology and ethics in the Divinity Faculty. He edited the journal Theology for SPCK from 2007 to 2013 and is the author of several books including Taking Stock of Bonhoeffer Studies in Biblical Interpretation and Ethics (Ashgate Press, 2014). Toni Burrowes-Cromwell is an International Development Specialist and former International Director of one of the UK's largest children's charities. Her background spans student ministry, social policy reform, and program delivery across the Caribbean, in southern Africa and in Canada. Toni is affiliated with several professional associations including the International Society for Third Sector Research (ISTR).

Review

Just when we thought there was no more to be discovered of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, there comes this little gem: letters from him to a teenage boy and his family in London, written just as Bonhoeffer was concluding his time as pastor there and taking up his crucial work as leader of an underground seminary back in Nazi Germany. Here we see the brilliant theologian and courageous resister against Hitler as no less concerned to be a caring pastor and personal mentor of a young person starting to face the uncertainties of his age. Ten years later, in prison, Bonhoeffer was to describe friendship as 'by far the rarest and the most precious good' of human freedom, and these earlier letters underline how true that always was for him. Aided by excellent editorial commentary and notes, they also give fascinating extra glimpses into the fateful struggle then being waged in Germany and, as with all great spiritual writing, what was addressed personally to one or a few readers years ago can speak with wisdom and encouragement to many more today. --Keith Clements, Editor of Dietrich Bonhoeffer: London, 1933-1935 (Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, Vol. 13)

In 1999, when the German edition of the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works was completed, almost every piece written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer seemed to be published. It is therefore both rare and exciting when new papers or letters are discovered. The letters published in this well-edited volume belong to this kind of new discovery. They are especially interesting as they document a friendship between the pastor Bonhoeffer, at the time he was preparing to become the director of a seminary of the Confessing Church in Germany, and an adolescent who was Bonhoeffer's confirmand in London, whom Bonhoeffer addresses as an adult. --Christiane Tietz, President of the German Section of the International Bonhoeffer Society

It is remarkable that Bonhoeffer would have had the time to write these letters to Ernst Cromwell. That he did so, however, is a testimony to his calling as a pastor . . . We are in debt to Stephen Plant and Toni Burrowes-Cromwell for making these letters available to us, along with their excellent annotations. Bonhoeffer lovers will love these letters. --Stanley Hauerwas, Professor of Theological Ethics, Duke Divinity School

About this edition

• Publisher: Cascade Books
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1625643799
• ISBN 13: 9781625643797
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 124
• Editor: Plant Stephen J.