Reading from the Underside of Selfhood: Bonhoeffer and Spiritual Formation

by Lisa E. Dahill

Dietrich Bonhoeffer's example of self-sacrificing discipleship has for over fifty years inspired Christians around the world in both their resistance to evil and their devotion to Jesus Christ. Yet for some readers--particularly those who suffer trauma, abuse, and other forms of violence--Bonhoeffer's insistence on self-sacrifice, on becoming a "person for others," may prove more harmful than liberating. For those already socialized into self-abnegation, uncritical applications of Bonhoeffer's teachings may reinforce submission, rather than resistance, to evil. This study explores Bonhoeffer's understandings of selfhood and spiritual formation, both in his own experience and writings and in light of the role of gender in psycho-spiritual development. The central constructive chapter creates a mediated conversation between Bonhoeffer and these feminist psychologists on the spiritual formation of survivors of trauma and abuse, including not only dimensions of his thinking to be critiqued from this perspective but also important resources he contributes toward a truly liberating Christian spirituality for those on the underside of selfhood. The book concludes with suggestions regarding the broader relevance of this study and implications for ministry. The insights for spiritual formation developed here provide powerful proof of Bonhoeffer's continuing and concretely contextualized relevance for readers across the full spectrum of human selfhood.

284 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2008

Reviews

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dietrich Bonhoeffer is one of the most important theologians of the 20th century. Lisa Dahill masterfully sketches Bonhoeffer's theological development and critiques it sympathetically as a Lutheran theologian and spiritual director herself. By placing his terminology and thought alongside feminist psychology, she also delineates the dangers of a straightforward reading of Bonhoeffer for one who is suffering abuse and instead teaches how one can "read Bonhoeffer against the grain" to benefit from his teaching in that circumstance. This is good news for the many people of all social settings and educational levels who suffer abuse. FInally, her familiarity with Bonhoeffer's own family context, the assumptions of his upbringing, and his own life experience help us to read his work realistically and benefit from his profound theological insights without having them unintentionally cause further harm for those suffering from abuse; rather, using them to help those suffering from abuse to reclaim their selfhood.