Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Final Thoughts on his Life and Death

Before we get to Bonhoeffer, I want to make some observations. If you want to shorten your read and move to the Bonhoeffer part, skip these first nine paragraphs.

Most of the feedback on my blogs has been positive, but I always welcome constructive criticism and disagreement. I really like to learn from input, and it’s not unusual for me to adjust my thinking as a result. My many years of being a writer (not to mention addressing the always-edgy prolife subject) have thickened my skin, and it’s rare that I feel defensive.

Since writing the political blogs ...

Bonhoeffer Resources and Lessons for Today

This photo is of Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Tegel prison, prior to his move to the notorious concentration camp of Buchenwald. Though visits weren’t frequent or long, at Tegel his parents and his fiancé Maria were sometimes allowed to bring him books, such as the one in his hand.

One of the great joys of Christmas for Nanci and me, and many of you, is being with family. Dietrich knew that most of his family and his Maria were gathering for Christmas, while he couldn’t. He wrote from prison this thought about Christmas:  

A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes… and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture of Advent.