A Year with Dietrich Bonhoeffer

by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

s/t: Daily Meditations from His Letters, Writings, and Sermons
In time for the 100th anniversary of his birth come daily inspirations from a beloved pastor, theologian, and martyr.

Genres: Theology, Devotional, Religion, Christian, Christianity, Nonfiction

416 pages, Hardcover

First published December 27, 2005

About the author

Works of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Protestant theologian of Germany, concern Christianity in the modern world; for his role in a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, people executed him.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer served as a Lutheran pastor. He, also a participant in the movement of Resistance against Nazism and a member, founded the confessing church. Members of the Abwehr, the military intelligence office planned his involvement, which resulted in his arrest in April 1943 and his subsequent hanging in April 1945 shortly before the end of the war. His secular view influenced very many people.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietric...

Reviews

[Kpent · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dietrich Bonhoeffer being one of my heroes, I was eager to read this compilation of excerpts from his books. I found it to be a great asset in determining which of his books I'd like to read next, but it was hard to gain a context of what he was saying from the small passages quoted. Now, I'm anxious to read "Life Together" and his "Letters and Papers from Prison." I highly recommend, from past reading, his "The Cost of Discipleship."

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

The introdution by Wallis is a gem. My wife and I read several days at at time and find this an excellent way to read DB's original works and decide which of his books speak most directly and clearly to us. Testament, Letters and Discipleship have proven our favorits, while Ethics remains too doficult and laborious.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting devotional; sometimes his points of view were difficult to understand and really required some additional thought and research but that made it all the more challenging to read and absorb.

[Ryan Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great way to be in Bonhoeffer daily. He has a way of making you stop and think after a paragraph, so this is a great way to take chunks of his thought and mull over them. Better if you have read his books and are familiar with the overall context, otherwise it would lack this crucial aspect.

[Evelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great way to read short snippets of Bonhoeffer. I learned so much about his theology and struggles. Fascinating, especially considering all he went through.

[Phil Whittall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I also used this in my daily devotional readings this year. Selections from various of Bonhoeffer's writings and they consistently provided something thoughtful, provoking, reflective. The depth is just great in a short extract. Occasionally, they didn't always work as a single entry but worked over a few days. Occasionally the extracts were a little academic and needed some context but the number of 'hits' over the year made this a rich vein from which I could dig up treasure over the course of the year.

Many of Bonhoeffer's observations about his time were also absolutely nailed on for our time too, which showed what a good observer of human nature he was, and also that in many ways we are still in the same time.

[Mickey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried hard -- stuck it through to the end of the year -- but honestly, I could not understand his messages. I picked a page at random and came upon this: "The way of Jesus Christ, and thus the way of all Christian thought, is not the way from the world to God but from God to the world." Takes a bit to wrap my head around his point. I guess I need messages to be way less intellectual and more plain and direct.

[Colin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book started out fine; I even gleaned a handful of interesting quotes. Then it got boring and hard to connect to, I'm sorry to say.

[Matthew Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great taste to Bonhoeffer's writings but often I felt the excerpts were lacking context. It did make me want to read the full books they cam from though.

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting selection of readings. The translators refused to use the masculine pronoun for God, as Bonhoeffer did, so some of the passages read rather awkwardly.

[andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not grabbing me like I hoped but some days are really profound.

[Sandra K. Schroeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dieterich Bonhoefer was a martyr in Nazi Germany. He is so inspiring. One of my favorite devotional books

[Susan]

Amazing - little excerpts from all of his writings. I love his perspective!

[Jamie Smet · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great way to dive into Bonhoeffer's writing in a manageable way. Highly relevant for today's follower of Jesus.