Bonhoeffer's Critique of Totalitarianism

Abstract

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, as is now well known, was a German theologian executed in 1945 by Nazis for his participation in plot to assassinate Hitler. For nearly four decades since his execution, however, Bonhoeffer has remained something of an enigma to theological world. The problem is that he was a Lutheran theologian who never disavowed Lutheran teach ing on Christian obedience to governmental authorities. One searches his Letters and Papers from Prison or four drafts of his Ethics (written during period of conspiracy), for example, in vain for anything even resembling a theology of resistance.1 Instead, one finds in former only halting and enigmatic phrases like religionless Christianity and Jesus as the man for others that, however suggestive, do not add up to a legiti mation of resistance at all. In Ethics, occasional attempts to call for responsible action beyond good and evil is hardly suc cessful theologically—Bonhoeffer knew that and so left Ethics unfinished. His early works, moreover, are completely apolitical. The place where one most yearns for an explanation is in The Cost of Disciples hip (published in 1937 only a year or two prior to his entering conspiracy), but it is also silent on matter of Christian political action.2 Indeed, Bonhoeffer even used his exposition of Romans 13 in The Cost of Disciples hip as part of his defense during Nazi interrogations.3 All of this adds up to a major problem in Bonhoeffer interpre tations. This problem is how to account for Bonhoeffer's partici pation in conspiracy while at same time explaining his rather traditional, and in some places even authoritarian, theol ogy. In general, voluminous literature has tackled this prob