Dietrich Bonhoeffer & the Confessing Church

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Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was born in Germany on the 4th of February 1906. He was ordained in 1931.

Christians and the Nazi Party

Bonhoeffer lived at a very testing time.
German Christians were divided by the rise of Hitler and the power and influence of the Nazi Party.
Some Christians joined the Nazi Party, which meant incorporating everything that Nazism embodied. Much of this went against the teachings of Jesus - in particular, Jesus’ greatest commandment to ‘love your neighbour’ (Matthew 22:37 – 39).

German Protestants split

In 1934, there was a split in the German Protestant Churches between the Christians in the Nazi-controlled German Church and a new Confessing Church, which sought to be separate from the political ideology and, in particular, the ever-growing Nazi party.

The Barmen Declaration

The Confessing Church gathered in 1934 at Barmen to produce the Barmen Declaration. This was written by Karl Barth.
They wanted to regain some control and reinforce true Church teachings as Hitler had taken control over much of it.
In particular, the Confessing Church rejected the move by the German hierarchy to ban anyone who was not of Aryan descent from taking on a leadership position within the Church.

Emphasis on discipleship

Bonhoeffer placed a huge emphasis on discipleship.
Discipleship involves showing exclusive obedience to the leadership of God and burning all other legal ties.
This would have been controversial at the time because it placed discipleship above the law and any human leadership, including that of Hitler and the Nazi party.
It also places discipleship above the responsibilities of citizenship. Put very simply, this meant that for Bonhoeffer, God came above Hitler and the Nazi party.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Confessing Church

The Confessing Church was a breakaway church. When the Confessing Church congregated in 1934 in Barmen, they produced the Barmen declaration. It was written by Karl Barth.

Ideas rejected by the Church

In 1934, the Church congregated and decided to reject:
- The Nazi ideology of Aryan supremacy.
- The anti-Jewish laws.
- The identification of Hitler as a figure who fulfilled the Christian vision.

The Barmen declaration

The core beliefs found in the Barmen Declaration were: 1) Jesus is the only true leader and the only way to God 2) Christians must not follow any teaching that does not come from the revelation of Jesus. 3) Other ideologies do not have authority over a person’s life.

Religious community at Finkenwalde

In 1935, the leaders of the Confessing Church asked Bonhoeffer to lead and direct a secret and illegal seminary – a place that trained new pastors.
This became the religious community at Finkenwalde. The seminary was closed in 1937 by the Gestapo.

Bonhoeffer's unhappiness

Bonhoeffer was unhappy that the Confessing Church was not prepared to voice criticism against the treatment of the Jews and the collapse of civil rights in Germany. He felt that the Church had become too concerned with its own situation.
Bonhoeffer became hostile about the bishops’ failure to stand up to the oppression.