Bonhoeffer Speaks Today: Following Jesus at all Costs [Paperback]

Mark Devine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2005

Imprisoned and eventually executed for his opposition to Hitler's regime, the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer continues to fascinate and inspire Christians across the world. His life epitomizes authenticity, commitment, and sacrifice. Devine writes, “When a man willingly exposes himself to suffering and death for his faith and for others, we take notice and with good reason. While martyrdom neither proves nor produces a spiritual giant, the possibility does arise, and this piques a distinctive longing common to followers of Jesus Christ.” This book is published to coincide with the 100th anniversary of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's birth in 1906. It allows Bonhoeffer to speak to today's believer in the following areas: knowing and doing the will of God, the importance and role of the Church, the call to witness, and the role of suffering and the path to hope.

Product Details

• Paperback: 179 pages
• Publisher: B&H Books (November 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805432612
• ISBN-13: 978-0805432619
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #735,318 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great work on Bonhoeffer for reading by Evangelicals (at least), April 30, 2006

By 

wisdomofthepages.com (St. Louis, Missouri) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bonhoeffer Speaks Today: Following Jesus at all Costs (Paperback)

A book may inform. A book may delight. When a book achieves both goals there is great joy in the reading of it. Bonhoeffer Speaks Today: Following Jesus at All Costs is just such a book. Written by Dr. Mark DeVine, professor of Christian theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, this new release from Broadman & Holman shows the significance of the life and theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The publication coincides with the 100th anniversary of the birth of the German theologian.

Bonhoeffer wrote the popular works The Cost of Discipleship and Ethics. However, he is best known for his role in opposing Nazism and conspiring to help assassinate Adolf Hitler. In a day when the vast majority of the German church acquiesced to Hitler, Bonhoeffer led an opposition group known as "the Confessing Church". Near the end of the war, he was arrested and executed in a concentration camp.

The first chapter of DeVine's work is worth the price of the book because of the lively biographical account of Bonhoeffer. DeVine is a master story-teller, showing the difficult times in which Bonhoeffer lived out his short thirty-nine years.

DeVine does not attempt to cover all of Bonhoeffer's thought. Rather, he shows the relevance of Bonhoeffer to current evangelical Christianity by focusing on four areas of concern.

First, Bonhoeffer wrote a great deal about knowing and doing the will of God. Rather than waiting for a direct divine word from God, he argued for submissive obedience to written Scripture. Bonhoeffer said, "Do not get into the habit of interpreting Scripture in light of personal experience. Do not measure God's word. Let it measure my word, my life." DeVine contrasts this with much of evangelical piety:

"As a Southern Baptist, I rarely encounter a sermon or participate in a Bible study or small-group session without hearing claims of divine leading and guidance. These claims are shared as though the experience of such daily guidance is a matter of course for speaker and hearer alike."

Without neglecting the reality of Holy Spirit guidance, Bonhoeffer and DeVine challenge us to move beyond the murky elusiveness of seeking individualized revelation. God does not play hide-and-seek with His will.
Second, living through the day of a compromised church, Bonhoeffer spoke often on the nature and mission of the true church. Rather than giving up on a church which disappointed him, Bonhoeffer saw that true communion with Christ does not exist apart from our relationships with one another in the body. DeVine says that some modern church practice keeps us from this type of true interaction with one another.

Third, Bonhoeffer emphasized the relationship between the witness and relevance of the church. He said, "The intention should not be to justify Christianity in this present age, but to justify the present age before the Christian message." The church is to be in the world but not of it. Strong proclamation of the Word and a Christ-centered theology is the path of fidelity that avoids cultural accommodation. Again, DeVine draws application from these themes to evangelical practice.

Finally, Bonhoeffer wrote about freedom, suffering, and hope - three themes central to his own story. He exhorts us to "Seek God, not happiness". Unfortunately, many in evangelicalism turn this truth around, focusing on personal fulfillment even at the cost of disobedience to God. God's commands are a gracious gift of God that reveal His desires to us. Believing as he did in the imminent return of Jesus, Bonhoeffer expressed urgency in his call for repentance of sin.

In closing, DeVine says of Bonhoeffer, "We are confronted with a follower of Jesus prepared to died rather than abandon his Lord. Dietrich Bonhoeffer has much to teach us, and we evangelicals need not put our heads in the sand to sit at his feet for a spell." DeVine's exceptional book provides us with an enjoyable opportunity to listen to the voice of Bonhoeffer.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Interpretation of Bonhoeffer, June 29, 2006

By 

Dr. John Laughlin (Glenn Dale, MD) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Bonhoeffer Speaks Today: Following Jesus at all Costs (Paperback)

I recently used this book for a class my wife and I taught on Bonhoeffer for our church. I found it quite helpful because it is more than a biography of him but an interpretation and explantion of his life and ideas. Divine presents good insights in to DB's views on christian community, monasticism, grace, and is especailly good on making Bonhoeffer relavant for today. An easy and informative read. The authors also shares a fair amount of him own thinking and experience on issues as a Southern Baptist Pastor.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Emerging Historically?, May 15, 2006

By 

Micah Fries (St. Joseph, Missouri USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bonhoeffer Speaks Today: Following Jesus at all Costs (Paperback)

Dietrich Bonhoeffer stands historically as one of the more misunderstood characters of the past century. In Bonhoeffer Speaks Today, Mark Devine, Professor of Christian Theology at Midwestern Seminary in Kansas City, MO does an excellent job at helping to wade through the morass of misinformation that is in circulation regarding Bonhoeffer today.

I have often been fascinated by Bonhoeffer and his commitment to his particular understanding of faith in the the face of much opposition, both from his church, his family and his government. Devine does a fantastic job, in this book, of allowing us to glimpse the personal struggles of Bonhoeffer as he progressed through his life to the point where he would lay down his life for his commitment to God and country.

What struck me as particularly interesting about this volume was the message that it communicates to us today. We stand at a place, theologically, where we are battling with the tension that exists between biblical integrity and cultural relativity. We see this evidenced in many streams of the "Emerging Church Movement." As I was reading this book it occured to me that Bonhoeffer was an early precursor to this very same movement. Bonhoeffer's concern for community, transparency, relevance, etc. are all characteristics of much of our struggle in the church today.

This book is an excellent read! It is both enjoyable and very instructional. I would highly recommend it as a tool in understanding both historical precedent and practical application for our situation today. Devine is to be commended for familiarizing us with this wonderful character from our theological history. I think as you read this book, you will find Bonhoeffer standing beside you guiding you towards Christ and His word.