Dietrich Bonhoeffer Religionless Christianity

Yet i have and have practiced for many years something akin to religionless christianity.

Dietrich bonhoeffer religionless christianity. I don t think i m self deceived in that belief although i have as great a capacity for self deception as anyone else. These writings were composed by bonhoeffer between april 1943 and february 1945 while he was imprisoned in germany. What is bothering me incessantly is the question what christianity really is or indeed who christ really is for us today. Christ did not seek to establish a religion but to speak for the oppressed and downtrodden as well as to save our souls.

I came to dietrich bonhoeffer early in life but came to his discussion of religionless christianity a bit later. He and his first followers sought to establish communities in the midst of empire. Bonhoeffer s religionless christianity thus does have import for us today. Dietrich bonhoeffer and religionless christianity excerpts from letters and papers from prison the following excerpts are taken from letters and papers from prison1 a collection of writings by dietrich bonhoeffer.

In regards to prayer he said the christian needs to be alone during a definite period of each day for meditation on scripture and for prayer even during times of spiritual dryness and apathy. The time when people could be told everything by means of words whether theological or pious is over and so is the time of inwardness and conscience and that means the time of religion in general. Awaiting his execution in prison in berlin in 1944 dietrich bonhoeffer who was one of the first to see nazism for what it was in a series of letters circled around the problem of what religionless christianity might be. But bonhoeffer does not believe god became flesh simply to answer our questions or reduce our stress.

Dietrich bonhoeffer to eberhard bethage april 1944. Dietrich bonhoeffer believed that a religionless christianity would be limited to two things. Bonhoeffer post 2 religionless christianity may seem like a contradiction.