Ethics

"Sometimes I think I really have my life more or less behind me now and that all that would remain for me to do would be to finish my Ethics . . ." (14).

Unfortunately, he was unable to finish. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was hanged by the Nazi regime on April 9, 1945, a mere two weeks before the allies liberated the Flossenbürg concentration camp which held him. The essays and notes which comprise Ethics were gathered and published posthumously.

Despite the lack of unified structure or flow to the book, the work is rich. Bonhoeffer's penetrating mind reached deeply into a variety of ethical topics. Consider, for example, this meditation on obedience and freedom:

"Obedience restrains freedom; and freedom ennobles obedience. Obedience binds the show more creature to the Creator and freedom enables the creature to stand before the Creator as one who is made in His image" (248).

Bonhoeffer's Lutheran background is evident throughout this work. His discussion of the church and the world, the three uses of the law, and the role of the conscience in the life of a believer all reveal a Lutheran mind at work.

Ethics is a slow read. It's a book that forces you to slow down and consider the details of what it means to be an ethical Christian. show less

It is hard to review Bonhoeffer's Ethics since it is not completed. Many of its portions seem a bit disjointed, especially the somewhat arcane discussion of Lutheran primus usis legis and the like.

Nevertheless, the general theory of the book has merit-- the world is not dualist, but singular, under the authority of Jesus Christ who reconciled the world to God through His blood. Nothing can be properly understood as apart from Christ, since Christ is the source of creation and all things exist because of Him. On account of these things, and in an attempt to make sense of reality, Bonhoeffer identifies four mandates that God imposes upon the world-- labor, marriage (he adds family to this on occasion), government, and the church. show more Bonhoeffer sees each of these functioning in complementary ways and operating under their distinct mandates.

It would have been great to see how all the different pieces could contribute to this whole, but alas, such will not be the case. show less

This is his last writing, and it is unfinished because he was executed in prison for living the ethics he preached. In this book, Bonhoeffer states, "Ethics as formation, then, means the bold endeavor to speak about the way in which the form of Jesus Christ takes form in our world, in a manner which is neither abstract nor casuistic, neither programmatic nor purely speculative."

This work is unfinished due to the death of Bonhoeffer by Nazi Germany. Bonhoeffer argues that the church should challenge the government to rule justly. In this way, he moves away from his more passive (less politically radical) message in his Cost of Discipleship.

Major work by famous German Lutheran theologian; covers both conceptual, theological issues and discussion of specific issues. Best to read in this version from the complete works as earlier versions are incomplete and in different order. Includes important discussion of conscience (276-83, 307-9).

A real martyr for Christianity

One of the best and most beautiful books I have ever read. I have saved a few books for myself to read at a later date. What an awesome gift this is to me!