Summary
This week on For the Rest of Us, Canon Megan and Adam take us through the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer—a man who went from quiet German theologian to full-blown resistance fighter plotting against Hitler. Yes, you read that right.
They get into all the twists and turns: his early church days, the unexpected soul-shaking experience he had in a Harlem church, and how he helped lead a group of Christians who weren’t about to let the Nazis take over Jesus.
There’s also a secret seminary, some major ethical drama (Can a Christian be part of an assassination plot?), and a legacy that gets misunderstood way too often in today’s headlines. Basically, it's like a theological spy thriller—with a conscience.
Takeaways
🤯 Bonhoeffer literally got involved in a plot to kill Hitler. Not exactly your average Sunday sermon.
🎶 His time in a Black church in Harlem changed his faith forever—he left America with a new fire for justice.
✊ He believed the Church should stop talking about doing the right thing and just do it.
🚫 He wasn’t cool with Nazis using Christianity as a political tool. So he started a resistance church.
🕵️‍♂️ He ran a secret seminary to train pastors who weren’t down with nationalism.
😬 He seriously wrestled with the morality of violence—and didn’t take any of it lightly.
😒 People today love to quote him... usually out of context.
📢 His message? The Church can’t be silent when power goes off the rails.
🧨 European Christianity tanked, partly because it got too cozy with nationalism. Bonhoeffer saw it coming.
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