I honor the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who gave his life today (April 9) living the way of Christ in the face of evil.
Two of my favorite quotes are from “Life Together,” and very profound in these times of divisiveness, when those who have led the charge in leaving the UMC were, in my opinion, more interested in their vision of what community should be like than in actually being in genuine community, and more interested in what they thought love ought to be like than in giving themselves to Christ’s love. Lord, have mercy. It breaks my heart.
“Every human wish and dream that is injected into the Christian community is a hindrance to genuine community and must be banished if genuine community is to survive. He who loves his dream of a community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter, even though his personal intentions may be ever so honest and earnest and sacrificial.”
“What love is, only Christ tells in his Word. Contrary to all my own opinions and convictions, Jesus Christ will tell me what love toward the brethren really is. Therefore, spiritual love is bound solely to the Word of Jesus Christ.”
I still have the book of devotional excerpts my daughter Deborah gave me years ago, and I open it from time to time. It is dear because she gave it to me.
Unlike Shane Claiborne, I’m unwilling to say his attempt on Hitler’s life was a mistake. Ethics are rather complex when it comes to extreme evil.
