Bonhoeffer *guest review by my husband*

Book Description

From the New York Times bestselling author of Amazing Grace, a groundbreaking biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, one of the greatest heroes of the twentieth century, the man who stood up to Hitler.

A definitive, deeply moving narrative, Bonhoeffer is a story of moral courage in the face of the monstrous evil that was Nazism.

After discovering the fire of true faith in a Harlem church, Bonhoeffer returned to Germany and became one of the first to speak out against Hitler. As a double-agent, he joined the plot to assassinate the Führer, and was hanged in Flossenberg concentration camp at age 39. Since his death, Bonhoeffer has grown to be one of the most fascinating, complex figures of the 20th century.

Bonhoeffer presents a profoundly orthodox Christian theologian whose faith led him to boldly confront the greatest evil of the 20th century, and uncovers never-before-revealed facts, including the story of his passionate romance.

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 GUEST REVIEW BY MY HUSBAND!!

So Tara asked me to read this book and tell her (or all of you, her loyal readers) what I thought of the book.  I enjoyed the book greatly.  It's been sitting in the back of my mind for some time.

Most of us do not face the kind of things that Bonhoeffer did.  He faced decisions that would challenge anyone.  One of the quotes in the book (it's also on the back cover) is this:

"Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless.  Not to speak is to speak.  Not to act is to act."

I had heard this thought before.  However, it was a challenge to think about what that meant with the circumstances that Bonhoeffer faced.  We have the luxury of hindsight.  The details of all the Third Reich were doing were not widely available to the general German populace.  These were after all their countrymen, at what point does a Pastor become an enemy of the state?  At what point does a Christian not only begin active deception but begin to plot an assassination?  How do you show Christ's love in such a chaotic time?  

I was challenged by the effort made by Bonhoeffer to write and to study.  He last book published in his lifetime was "Das Gebetbook der Bibel" (The Prayerbook of the Bible).  To publish a book that spoke of the centrality of the Old Testament to the church was a rebuke at the Nazi attempt to undermine and delete anything of Jewish origin.

I really enjoyed the book and found it challenging to my life and faith.  I highly recommend it.