Ethics [Paperback]

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 1, 1995

The Christian does not live in a vacuum, says the author, but in a world of government, politics, labor, and marriage. Hence, Christian ethics cannot exist in a vacuum; what the Christian needs, claims Dietrich Bonhoeffer, is concrete instruction in a concrete situation. Although the author died before completing his work, this book is recognized as a major contribution to Christian ethics.

The root and ground of Christian ethics, the author says, is the reality of God as revealed in Jesus Christ. This reality is not manifest in the Church as distinct from the secular world; such a juxtaposition of two separate spheres, Bonhoeffer insists, is a denial of God's having reconciled the whole world to himself in Christ. On the contrary, God's commandment is to be found and known in the Church, the family, labor, and government. His commandment permits man to live as man before God, in a world God made, with responsibility for the institutions of that world.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Life He is admired by people as the example of what a modern Christian must be.

About the Author

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was born in Breslau in 1906. The son of a famous German psychiatrist, he studied in Berlin and New York City. He left the safety of America to return to Germany and continue his public repudiation of the Nazis, which led to his arrest in 1943. Linked to the group of conspirators whose attempted assassination of Hitler failed, he was hanged in April 1945.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; 1st Touchstone ed edition (September 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 068481501X
• ISBN-13: 978-0684815015
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,020 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #63 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Theology

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

76 of 79 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A seminal guide for Christian living in today's world June 1, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

"The sword can never bring about the unity of the Church and of faith. Preaching can never govern nations." --Ethics

In an time where secularity is in the mainstream of modern thought, Bonhoeffer's Ethics is a must-read, with regards to Christian behaviour in a modern era.

In this (unfinished) book, Bonhoeffer focuses on the realms of both Heaven and of man, and finely describes how the two are inter-related, and yet separate, outlining true Christianity action, behaviour through love and compassion. As far as Christian action is concerned, he emphasizes the necessity to react against injustice and cruelty, as opposed to a legislated, perhaps even non-existant Christian ethos.

Bonhoeffer's unfortunate and untimely death at the hands of Nazi Germany leaves this book partially incomplete, and to some degree, not fully arranged, thus the footnotes are of utmost importance; A primer on the basic rights of man/social contract might also aid the uninitiated reader. In the end, however, Bonhoeffer's insight is as timely now as it was when he wrote it. Refreshing and vividly spiritual, it is both a comfort and food for thought.

74 of 78 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent but incomplete work October 20, 2001

By Paul D. Baxter

Format:Paperback

I imagine many of you reading this have read _The Cost of Discipleship_. Having just completed _Ethics_, I feel it is a superior work. I was constantly challenged as I was reading to rethink many of my assumptions about ethics from a Christian perspective. The portion at the end about "telling the truth" is alone worth the price of the book.

A couple of difficulties I had were that many sections were left incomplete with a bare outline to indicate where he was heading. Also, some of the latter portion of the book was very heavy on historical Lutheran wrtings, of which I am quite unfamiliar.

It was certainly stimulating for me as an american to read a quite different perspective on some issues, e.g. submissive relationships. It is typical in this country for people to feel that all rules should apply equally to all. Of course this is absurd when applied to parent/child or teacher/student or ruler/subject relations. Since ethics has to do with how people act towards other people, the actual type of relationship involved has to play a role in how to think about ethical behaviour from one individual to another.

85 of 95 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Ethical Living August 10, 2000

By catherine guelph

Format:Paperback

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) was a rare individual. He transcended the human plane as he practiced what he taught. This is his last writing, and it is unfinished because he was executed in prison for living the ethics he preached. In this book, Bonhoeffer states, "Ethics as formation, then, means the bold endeavor to speak about the way in which the form of Jesus Christ takes form in our world, in a manner which is neither abstract nor casuistic, neither programmatic nor purely speculative." Partly because his theology would not allow a speculative ethic, Bonhoeffer returned from the safety of New York City to a Germany ruled by the insanity called National Socialism. There, he became a leader, along with Martin Niemueller and Karl Barth, in the "bekennende Kirche" opposing National Socialism and an advocate on behalf of Jewish People. His efforts earned him imprisonment in 1943. As the Second European War (1939-1945) came to a close, Bonhoeffer was hanged until dead in the concentration camp at Flossenburg. Dietrich Bonoeffer understood the cost of discipleship. I think that this book has something to offer people who have faith, regardless of creed. It is written by someone of strong convictions, and is inspiring to me as I develop my own ethical standards. It is not easy to develop a spiritual relationship in a temporal world. Reading "Ethics" increased my resolve and desire to try. If you are interested in learning about Christianity and ethics from someone who lived what he taught, this book will be interesting to you.