Letters and Papers from Prison by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Here is a little history for you.  Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German theologian imprisoned by the Nazis in 1943, for denouncing Hitler's regime.  It was from his cell in Buchenwald that he wrote to his family and to fellow theologian Eberhard Bethge. 
Bonhoeffer retained his sanity by walking his cell, praying and writing letters, eventually coming to see the shortcomings of modern religious practice. 
His cry for 'religionless Christianity' changed the way we live out Christianity today. 
Bonhoeffer was executed two days before the Armistice, at the hands of a hangman in a gestapo prison.
You might say these letters are historic documents or you might say his call for the return to the Way of Christ remains timeless. 
Great reading, especially for those of us who remember the dark days of WWll.

 

-Reviewed by Joy Duncan

 

Last modified on Thursday, 16 May 2024