Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of death and religious discrimination.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) was a German Lutheran pastor, writer, and anti-Nazi activist. Born in Breslau, Germany (now Poland), Bonhoeffer and his twin sister were the sixth and seventh of eight children born to parents Paula and Karl Bonhoeffer. Both parents were highly intelligent and encouraged Bonhoeffer’s natural inquisitiveness and talents from a young age. Bonhoeffer’s career as a theologian was influenced by his family’s history: His father was a neurologist and a psychiatrist known for his criticism of Sigmund Freud, and his mother was a teacher whose grandfathers were a Protestant theologian and a renowned painter. Bonhoeffer knew he wanted to be a pastor as early as 14, when he decided to pursue an education in theology.

Bonhoeffer began his studies at the University of Tübingen before relocating to the University of Berlin. At age 21, he graduated summa cum laude with a doctor of theology degree from Humboldt University of Berlin. He continued his studies by visiting America in 1930 in pursuit of a Sloane Fellowship at the Union Theology Seminary in NYC, but he found himself unimpressed by American theology practices. However, while there, he also became acquainted with Adam Clayton Powell Sr., a pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church, a Black church in Harlem. Hearing Powell’s sermon about the gospel of social justice and seeing firsthand the plight of Black Americans helped solidify Bonhoeffer’s belief that Christians must put their beliefs into action and fight for justice (an idea explored in Life Together’s discussion of The Role of Worship and Scripture in Daily Life). Bonhoeffer returned to Berlin in 1931, but these early years would prove to have a large impact on Bonhoeffer’s future as a theologian and an activist.

Bonhoeffer adamantly opposed Hitler from the start, airing a radio broadcast that voiced his opposition a mere two days after Hitler was installed as chancellor of Germany. He went on to work underground training pastors for the Confessing Church in Finkenwalde. His authorization to teach at the University of Berlin was revoked in 1937, and the Gestapo banned him from Berlin in 1938. At this point, he briefly returned to the United States but ultimately felt that he must return to Germany and fight Nazism.

Back in Germany, Bonhoeffer was not allowed to publish any of his writings or speak publicly. He eventually served as a courier in the German resistance movement and worked to help Jewish Germans escape to Switzerland. He was imprisoned in 1943 and awaited trial for a year and a half at Tegel Prison. It was there that some of the guards worked to preserve Bonhoeffer’s writings, which were published after his death: Letters and Papers from Prison. On April 8, 1945, Bonhoeffer was hanged.

Bonhoeffer’s legacy has inspired generations since his death. His writings, including Life Together, continue to be essential readings for many Christians. Books and films about his life have been made throughout the years, and he is remembered to this day as a man who put his faith into action.