Customer Reviews

Bonhoeffer for Armchair Theologians (Armchair Series)

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I used this book as an "add-on" to by studies in a course I took on the modern church. One of the subjects that was under discussion was Bonhoeffer himself.

I used the recommended text books as well as Bonhoeffer's "Cost of discipleship" and I threw in this little beauty to help my slow mind with some simple clarifications on Bonhoeffer's thoughts.

The book discusses "Costly Grace" in 14 pages (93-106) and it just seemed for me so much more understandable than what my lecturers tried to convey. It was worth it for just that chapter.

Also, the illustrations helped out. I must have a real simple mind because just seeing the illustration of a god hanging from a rope to describe what is meant by "Deus Ex Machina" (p.123) just did it for me. I have even taught the concept with the illustration in my mind.

Its a good buy for what it is, an incredibly helpful supplement to Bonhoeffer.

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This is another excellent entry in the "For Armchair Theologians" series. You will learn about Dietrich Bonhoeffer's life, career, and thought, including major themes of his work. This series is good if you either want to easily just learn the basics about historic Christians, or get started on learning about them as a launching point for further reading.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer is a hero!


I have previously read Bonhoeffer's "The Cost of Discipleship", "Life Together", "Ethics", "Temptation", and "Letters and Papers from Prison". I recommend all of these.

I really like this series of biogaphical books. It mixes in theology and historical data that helps me understand more fully the era and context of the individual. This volume on Bonhoeffer was not an exception. I am again amazed that just a profound thinker would put his ideals into action at the risk of his own life. He certainly challenges me, by his life, to live with sacrifice, suffering, and soul-searching. This is a great introduction to one of the most influential writers of today. The cost he paid is not less then the cost he challenges us to make. May we be ever so mindful and faithful as we live into our theology.

This title is a great entry point into about the life, theology, and legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The key to understanding Bonhoeffer is knowing how his theology flowed out of out he lived his life, and this book offers a brilliant and comprehensive biography which sets the stage for understanding the complexities of Bonhoeffer's thought and life intertwined. What I found exceptionally useful was a chapter on what is being referred to now as Bonhoeffer's "religionless Christianity," and the authors hint at how it has been used and abused by other theologians. Of course, being the Bonhoeffer geek I am, I appreciated the full bibliography and list of books for suggested further reading.

A fantastic introduction to the life and theology of one of the twentieth century's most authentic witnesses for Jesus Christ. Hale and Haynes are seasoned Bonhoeffer scholars, active in the International Bonhoeffer Society, and have produced a marvelous piece for first-time readers or those well-acquainted with the legacy. Read it!