Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas (Review)
Multiple friends have recommended Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas to me over the years since its publication. I am glad that they did. While I have read a selection of Bonhoeffer writings and knew of his role as a pastor who conspired to assassinate Hitler, it seemed there was more to his story that warranted exploration. Metaxas’s writing tells the story of Bonhoeffer and does so in a way that prompted further reading on the subject, which is what a good biography should do. Yet some of my subsequent reading resulted because Metaxas portrayed Bonhoeffer in ways that did not match what I previously knew of Bonhoeffer’s life, and he seemed to take some liberties with with Bonhoeffer’s positions.
If you look over most of my book selections, you’ll find a heavy dose of books by authors who strongly adhere to the historical method. It may be the lawyer in me who expects a steady stream of footnoted citations and explanations for context. Metaxas does not always follow this approach, and there are instances in which he writes as if he omnisciently knows what Bonhoeffer was thinking and feeling. I have read books by other biographers who have taken a similar approach, but it seemed more recurrent in Bonhoeffer than many of my selections.
As I worked through Bonhoeffer, I also read Kierkegaard’s The Concept of Anxiety and Bonhoeffer’s Ethics. I did so because both Bonhoeffer and Kierkegaard are individuals who receive a wide variety of labels. As such, neither fits cleanly into a particular philosophical camp. Yet Metaxas seems comfortable shaping the known details of Bonhoeffer into the image of a modern evangelical warrior—just as much a physical power as a spiritual. Even fellow evangelicals note that Metaxas did not give a complete analysis of Bonhoeffer’s beliefs and actions (Metaxas's Counterfeit Bonhoeffer: An Evangelical Critique by Richard Weikart).
With this in mind, I still endorse Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy but do so with a caveat: this book should only be one part of a Bonhoeffer exploration. I have already purchased Strange Glory: A life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer by Charles Marsh, and I expect other books will join my reading list in relation to Dietrich Bonhoeffer and WWII. Those who read Metaxas’s biography will find a book that unfolds with a steady pace and lends welcome insight into Nazi Germany from the perspective of a German who resisted the Third Reich until the very end. This story is one worth exploring, and I’m pleased to better understand an aspect of WWII that I had not previously evaluated.
In addition to leading me to other books, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy offered a number of points I found interesting. Here are some of them:
In the prologue, Tim Keller gave a primer on how the German church contributed to Hitler’s ascension to power. The land of Martin Luther—one of balance between salvation by grace alone yet a grace that prompts a changed heart—gave way to those who adopted one of two paths: (1) formal legalists who pursued salvation by following rules or (2) a “cheap grace” where God forgives all followers without expectation or need for change. The combination left the church wilting to Hitler’s proclamations and many of the church leaders swearing oaths to Hitler. This backdrop let Hitler and his monstrosities rise and continue. Bonhoeffer fought Germany’s descent as part of the German resistance, and his warnings carry weight still today.
Metaxas ascribed a tribute to Martin Luther that I had not heard before. He commented that Luther’s German translation of the Bible unified a hodgepodge of dialects into a single language. His translation was the singular book, and this—coupled with the hymns he also penned—shaped the way Germans communicated. Luther also imprinted Christian Protestantism on the people’s identity.
When Bonhoeffer studied in Rome, one of his early observations was the universal nature of the church: “white, black, and yellow members of religious orders—everyone was in clerical robes united under the church. It truly seems ideal.” This observation is particularly interesting given how soon Nazi racism would soon overrun Germany. Metaxas cited Bonhoeffer’s dissertation to highlight how his time in Rome galvanized Bonhoeffer to see the Nazi views as anathema.
Within Bonhoeffer’s dissertation, he revealed his analysis of the church, which began in Rome. He defined it as, “Christ existing as church community.”
During his time in Barcelona, Bonhoeffer began to understand the plight of the poor and homeless. It was far different from the existence of those in his church, and those in such experiencing such a pitiable existence softened his heart. They had little time or inclination to think on the matters of eternity, yet their need was just as critical. To understand and carry out Christ’s command takes exposure to those in need.
Martin Luther was the forefather of German Christianity. At the end of Luther’s life—in the midst of illness—his writings cast Jews in a negative light, despite a lifetime of expressing his desires for Jews to join the Christian faith and noting that Jesus was born a Jew. The Nazis used these later writings to support Jewish expulsion and extermination.
Adolf von Harnack was a German theologian who Bonhoeffer studied under during his doctoral years. Bonhoeffer’s thesis and academic interests diverged from van Harnack, but he still spoke at van Harnack’s funeral. In it, Bonhoeffer recognized that truth is born of freedom, and that irrespective of beliefs, an environment where people can civilly disagree is essential if truth is to exist. Sadly, elimination dissenting thoughts and voices is what gave rise to the Nazis’ power. Bonhoeffer disagreed with van Harnack’s liberal theology, but he deeply respected van Harnack’s unyielding support for freedom of thought.
Bonhoeffer’s experience in Harlem is even more interesting in light of the American church’s current response to Black Lives Matter. The description of racism by Bonhoeffer in the 1930s sounds remarkably similar to today. As Bonhoeffer wrestled with these issues in America, he applied them to Germany, which was rapidly changing under the Nazis. It was in New York that his friend, John Lasserre, observed, “one can’t be Christian and a nationalist at the same time.” The experiences of racial oppression through Bonhoeffer’s friend, Franklin Fisher, and his conversations with his friend Lasserre, the pacifist, shaped how Bonhoeffer responded to Nazi oppression.
Metaxas regularly mentioned that Bonhoeffer was a serious man but his friends often commented on his winking playfulness. He demanded academic rigor and logical application of his students’ thinking with an expectation they would live out the conclusions they reached. His students described him as open-minded and patient. I think I would have enjoyed his company greatly.
In a letter to his brother-in-law, Rüdiger Schleicher, who was an esteemed lawyer and resistance fighter against Nazi Germany, Bonhoeffer wrote: “If it is I who determine where God is to be, I will always find there a God who somehow resembles me, who pleases me, who is akin to my being. But if it is God who determines where He wants to be, it will most likely be in a place which is not akin immediately to my being, which does not please me. That place, however, is the cross of Christ.” It’s far easier to pick and choose what someone wants to glean from the Bible, rather than wrestling with the full breadth and depth of the text. If I ignore what I don’t like, then it’s hard for the words to change how I think, act, and speak.
I didn’t realize der führer is translated to, “the leader.” I thought führer was a political title, which it only became after Hitler. In Bonhoeffer’s day, Germany was generally seeking a fuhrer to lead, and this devolved into something divorced from any office. The concept became a wholly independent figure without limitation on authority from a particular position like a teacher, statesmen, or parent. Germany was seeking something messianic. Bonhoeffer stated that true leadership must be grounded in service to lead within the role that person is filling. A good leader serves others and leads them to maturity. A leader puts others above themselves, disciplining others to take up the mantle of leadership themselves. A person who sees himself as self-contained and self-controlled is a dangerous anti-leader. Such an approach defies the very core of leadership.
As Hitler rose to power and claimed to support moral order, the German church considered pairing itself to the Nazi regime. Many were willing to overlook their points of disagreement with Hitler, including the Aryan paragraph that condemned those of Jewish descent. It is hard not to see the same unmoored support for President Trump among some Christians, despite his repeated disregard for any biblical principles.
I did not previously realize that the German mistreatment of their Jewish citizens began immediately upon the Nazi rise to power. The first step was to boycott Jewish businesses, which was quickly embraced by Germans. This response by the German people speaks to how quickly a demagogue can rise to power. Similarly, I did not realize that book burning began so early. In spring of 1933, the German Student Union began a campaign against un-German spirit, which included cleansing by fire. Prophetically, the book-burning list included German-Jewish poet, Heinrich Heine. In his 1821 play, Heine wrote, “Where they burn books, they will also ultimately burn people."
The German church initially though Hitler was Christian, but his ideas on power were Nietzschean, and Hitler’s only belief was in himself. Mercy and meekness were anathema for him, which he viewed as weakness. Thus, he had no tolerance for actual Christianity. Whereas Hitler was opportunistic is using the German church, Hitler’s top lieutenants were actively anti-Christian. As Metaxas noted, German Christianity was so bound up in national identity that its tenants were swept up in the culture.
Metaxas gave a powerful summary of Bonhoeffer’s sermon on Jeremiah, the suffering and mournful servant of God. The sermon must have been endlessly dour for the congregants. Yet Bonhoeffer concluded by emphasizing that in suffering for God, Jeremiah found victory. This type of life is just what Bonhoeffer lived.
During the Night of the Long Knives, Hitler committed broad political executions to eliminate his opponents. Hitler was preparing for the death of 86-year-old President Paul von Hindenburg. Once Hindenburg died, Hitler further consolidated power as both President and Chancellor. Soon after, Hitler demanded that all Germans swear an oath of fealty to the führer. This oath extended to new pastors in the church, who broadly adopted the heretical act. The swiftness of the change makes me wonder how deeply Americans understand our own oaths of fealty. Everyone follows someone or something. And if you do not understand that commitment and its subsequent implications, then it is easy to cast off that commitment when something new comes along. Such a posture is dangerous when demagogues like Hitler gain power.
While preparing to meet Gandhi in India, Bonhoeffer commented, “it sometimes seems to me there is more Christianity in their ‘heathenism’ than there is in our Reich Church.” I wonder how often non-Christians look at people claiming to be Christians and are so put off by their words and actions that Christianity has no appeal. I believe it is far too commonplace.
Bonhoeffer wanted his seminarians to learn how to pray and how to read the Bible. Fellow theologian, Karl Barth, was concerned that the focus was not on preaching, but Bonhoeffer was convinced that the former was essential before the latter could happen. As he began teaching how to preach, he likened the sermon—particularly the first few minutes—as follows: it must be like holding up a bright apple to a child or a glass of water to a thirsty man before asking, “do you want it?” The appeal of the Bible should be laid clear before the listeners.
Bonhoeffer described Jesus as the incarnation of selflessness: “loving and serving others to the absolute exclusion of his needs and desires. Similarly the church of Jesus Christ existed for others.” The implication of this idea—particularly when viewing Christ as Lord over the whole world and not just the church—is that the church must look out for everyone who is weak and without a voice.
The Kristallnacht ("Crystal Night"), when Hitler ramped up his violence against Jews, appropriately had a crystallizing effect for Bonhoeffer. He saw more clearly the common humanity as fellow children of God who not only received God’s love just as much as anyone else but also that God expected Christians to love them in just the same way. As racism’s evil effects appear again and again in this country and beyond, it is striking how poorly people show love to those who seem different. The more I have read and considered racism, the more I see its close intimacy with pride. The need to feel superior to others in any way makes it easy to dehumanize others, and the harmful implications of such pride is endless.
As Hitler elevated to demigod status, Bonhoeffer observed the fickleness of crowds at bullfighting events. They would roar for the toreador one moment and then for the bull. Bonhoeffer concluded it was success that people wanted. So was it true for the German people and Hitler, particularly after their WWI humiliation. Bonhoeffer wrote, “in ethics, in a world where success is the measure and justification of all things, the figure of [Jesus] remains a stranger and is at best the object of pity. The world will allow itself to be subdued only by success. It is not ideas or opinions that decide but deeds. Success alone justifies wrongs done…[and] the ends justify the means.” Bonhoeffer concluded this point by emphasizing that “God is interested in obedience, not success.”
Bonhoeffer’s view is that one’s relationship with God orders everything else around it. Metaxas summarized the principle: “To be true to God in the deepest way meant having such a relationship with Him that one did not live legalistically by ‘rules’ or ‘principles.’ One could never separate one’s actions from one’s relationship to God. It was a more demanding and mature level of obedience, and Bonhoeffer had come to see that the evil of Hitler was forcing Christians to go deeper in their obedience, to think harder about what God was asking. Legalistic religion was being shown to be utterly inadequate.”
During Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s funeral service, his friend, Franz Hildebrandt, told how the Bible “was the center of his thought and in whose service was consumed.” Further, Hildebrandt noted how Bonhoeffer came from an academic home and approached life as a scholar: “He knew his classics in art, music, literature before he criticized; he knew how to read and listen before voicing his opinion…” Bonhoeffer made sure to inform himself and observe before he spoke, which reflected a maturity beyond his years. Not only is this approach biblical, but it should be a model to anyone who claims to follow Christ. Despite the biblical admonitions to make your words gracious and kind—sweet like honey; despite the instruction to prepare to make a defense for your faith; despite Paul’s example of knowing his audience before speaking, we do not often see this example typify the words and actions of Christians. It is fortunate there are modern examples like Bonhoeffer for upright Christian living, and it is an example we should treat with seriousness and regard.
As these numerous notes suggest, I welcomed the opportunity to learn more about Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Metaxas provided an enjoyable introduction in Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, but I share the opinion of a number of scholars who take umbrage with the method that Metaxas uses to describe Bonhoeffer’s positions and his degree of involvement in the assassination attempt. As with any significant subject, it is ideal to keep reading to develop a more complete picture. This approach seems likely to match how Bonhoeffer would have approached a subject, and such diligence on a man as complex and interesting at Bonhoeffer seems only fitting for modern readers.
