Customer Reviews

Discipleship (Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, Vol. 4)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a book that every Christian should read. Bonhoeffer is among the twentieth centuries greatest theologians, and Discipleship (formerly titled The Cost of Discipleship in English translations) is his most popular and enduring work. In it we find the clarion call to return to simple obedience to Christ without the naiveté that can so easily creep into such a call. "A paradoxical understanding of the commandments has a Christian right to it, but it must never led to the annulment of a simple understanding of the commandments. Rather it is justified and possible only for those who have already taken simple obedience seriously at some point in their lives, and so already stand in community with Jesus, in discipleship, in expectation of the end" (80) Bonhoeffer's rejection of "cheap grace," that "mortal enemy of our church," and the accompanying call for disciples of Christ to embrace the way of the cross stands as the central thesis of the book. Such an argument, while never in fashion, is nevertheless needed for every church in every age, and nobody makes the argument like Bonhoeffer.

A brief note on this edition of the book:
The Bonhoeffer Works series is a must-own collection for serious students of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The updated translation is excellent, and though there are times when one longs for a particular turn of phrase from older translations there is little doubt that what is presented here is closer to the actual thought of the author. The introductions, afterwards, bibliography, indexes, and extensive notation apparatus are invaluable tools that enable the reader to go deeper into the text when he/she wants to without being so obtrusive that they preclude him/her from simply taking in the words of the author.

I read the earlier incarnation _The Cost of Discipleship_ years ago and am looking forward to reading the new translation, especially now that I have a better theological understanding of the issues. The introduction alone is a worthwhile read for those looking for a brief overview of Bonhoeffer's thought.

However, the Kindle edition needs work. Footnotes are in-line in the text instead of marked with links. The publisher needs to work on this as it is a tremendous distraction while reading.

I first read this over ten years ago, but I still find Dietrich's words coming out of my mouth in various theological conversations. Absolutely one of the most challenging books I've ever read, especially as an American Christian.

Discipleship is an absolute must (and a great starting point) for people looking to push deeper into their own understanding of what it is to "follow after" Jesus. I particularly enjoyed this version for it's footnotes (something I usually skip).

For those wanting some Bonhoeffer, but not wanting to commit to the larger work, I'd also strongly recommend his "Life Together."

Enjoy!

Ken Clark
Author of The Complete Idiot' Guide to Getting Out of Debt

The fourth volume, "Discipleship" in the Bonhoeffer works series is an outstanding representation of not just Bonhoeffer the theologian, but Bonhoeffer the man as well. The fresh translation brings back to life the passion with which this man of God lived his life. Bonhoeffer viewed the church of his day as falling away from the teachings of Jesus, but within the pages of, "Discipleship", he writes of what is necessary of the Christian, in order that he or she may be true disciples of Christ.

I appreciate the previous reviewers reports about the Kindle formatting problem. I am happy to report that, as of my purchase, the footnoting has been fixed. I am confident their reviews effected the improvement.

Why should you pay more for this edition of "Discipleship" ("The Cost of Discipleship" in other translations) than other editions that are available. This is part of a series that is collecting Bonhoeffer's works, determining the true German original (textual criticism), and adding helpful notes in order to understand the "sitz im leben" at the time Bonhoeffer wrote particular things, their place in his theological corpus, and relationship to the rest of the corpus.

The notes also help with understanding how Bonhoeffer uses particular German words and, for those with some German ability, allows you to see the actual German word used when the editors believed it would be helpful.

The editors also explain Bonhoeffer's use of certain Greek words, eg, they tell us Bonhoeffer uses the Greek "philanthropia" in the literal sense of "love of human persons," rather than as the word "philanthropy" is used in American culture. I note that the Greek fonts appear fairly clearly, a quality that is not uniform among Kindle books.

I believe this critical edition is worth the added expense.

I totally agree with D. Arnold, the footnotes being in line are very troublesome in reading and thinking through the statements being addressed. I have completed the introductory material and about to begin the "Discipleship" itself.

I am looking forward to the reading, but would greatly appreciate and up date on the footnotes location and the possibility of an active link from to the footnote itself to the footnote material. The link to a footnote, and the footnote itself should not interrupt the actual reading of the text.

You need to be able to go from the footnote to the text of the footnote and return to the location of the link in the book. Other than this very akward reading of footnotes I'd rate this book thus far a "five star". However, because of the awkarwness of the footnotes and the lack of needed links I'm rating it with "two stars". I paid a "lot" less for much better structured (links) books.

My comment on this Kindle Version of Bonhoeffer's Discipleship is twofold.
1. The intensity and detail with which Bonhoeffer describes what it means to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus blows into the face of the modern faceless, characterless, charismatic entertainment churches and their teaching. I came from that background, had gone a long way and was thrilled to find in this book the light and salt I was always searching for. The book is certainly not an easy bedtime reading, but absolutely recommended for anyone seeking reason and meaning in Christianity.

2. This Kindle Edition of Bonhoeffer's Discipleship is a cheap production that is not worth the money currently asked for. The worse thing are the original footnotes that appear in the middle of the electronic text anywhere on the page. It looks to me the publisher just scanned the book and put the text online without any formating. It would take only 2-3 hours to convert the text into a readable Kindle Version. There should be some basic quality control at AMAZON to ban those kind of publishers. There are is a ton of free books on the internet that have much higher formating qualities.

Conclusion: The poor formating quality takes all joy reading this gem of Christian literature. A paper copy I would have returned instantly. Therefore only 3stars.

A much needed reminder on the importance of obedience to the Word of God if we claim to be Christians. Bonhoeffer certainly has the anointing to make a case for what being a real follower of Jesus is, as opposed to mere lip service. I recommend this book highly.

I could not stay interested in this book. I guess it is the style it's written in. Put it up after a few chapters.

The book arrived in a timely manner and was in great condition. I would do business with this seller again.