Words

At our summer Theological Summit at Winebrenner we had the special priviledge of having Christine Schliesser (professor at Tubingen University in Germany and author of the newly published, Schuld durch rechtes Tun? Verantwortliches Handeln nach Dietrich Bonhoeffer and ‘Everyone Who Acts Responsibly Becomes Guilty’ - The concept of Accepting Guilt in Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Reconstruction and Critical Assessment) come and give a series of lectures on Deitrich Bonhoeffer. Interspersed with her lectures was a showing of the documentary on his life. The discussions centered on Bonhoeffer’s involvement with the German church, the Confessing church and with the Nazi resistance movement. What was most interesting to me was the discussion on his ethical dilemma in deciding to become a part of the plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler.

As a pastor and theologian (he received his PhD from Berlin at the age of 21 and had been teaching theology in Germany) the decision to join the resistance group was difficult to make. For becoming a part of this meant that he would have to lie, he would have to encourage others to lie, and utlimately take another man’s life. Was this the right thing to do? Was this the will of God? Bonhoeffer did join the group, he felt that his responsibility (defined as “This life lived in answer to the life of Jesus Christ”) meant that as Christ acted on our behalf, he must act on behalf of the other (in this instance the Jews). This responsibility also meant the acceptance of guilt. If he was wrong, then he was wrong, and he relied upon the mercy of God. Now to be sure, he tempered this rationale for his decision by saying that he was in the extreme position, that most people would never face a situation like this.

So was Bonhoeffer right? Can it be the will of God to lie and kill in order for the greater good (the stopping of atrocities)?  Or was he wrong? What are your thoughts?