LISTEN NOW - Bonhoeffer in America: The Call Beyond Nationalism
Rise of Bonhoeffer: 8-part audio docuseries on the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Hey Theology Nerds,
In Episode 02 of The Rise of Bonhoeffer, we journey with Dietrich to New York City for a year as a Postdoctoral post at Union Theological Seminary. This school year in New York radically changed him, but the spark that lit his theological imagination was outside the classroom. When he arrived in NYC, he brought an overtly intellectual faith he had used to justify a nationalist and militaristic faith.
(By the way, if you haven’t listened to the first episode yet, you can subscribe and listen for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on www.BonhoefferPodcast.com.)
EPISODE OVERVIEW: Through his encounter with the Harlem Renaissance, Abyssinian Baptist Church, and a road trip through the South, along with power friendships with people like Frank Fisher and Jean Lasserre, his vision of just what a disciple was called to be was transformed. This German who came contemplating the possibility of killing for blood and soil came to see himself anew as a disciple of Jesus. Jesus called his followers to bear a cross and not build one, to love their enemies and not kill them, and to practice solidarity with the suffering and exploited and not race, creed, or nation. Bonhoeffer came to discover that Jesus can always be found in the face of the Other. Without his time in New York and these transformative experiences, we would never have the Bonhoeffer we discover in Discipleship, who says:
“It is the great mistake of a false Protestant ethic to assume loving Christ can be the same as loving one's native country, or friendship or profession, that the better righteousness and things internal are the same... It is the shining light, the city on a hill. It is the way of self-denial, perfect love, perfect purity, perfect truthfulness, perfect nonviolence. Here is undivided love for one's enemies, loving those who love no one and who no one loves. It is love for one's religious, political, or personal enemy. In all of this it is the way which found its fulfillment in the cross of Jesus Christ... What is unique in Christianity is the cross, which allows Christians to step beyond the world in order to receive victory over the world.”
READY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BONHOEFFER?
Join our open online companion class, The Rise of Bonhoeffer, and get access to full interviews from the Bonhoeffer scholars, participate in deep-dive sessions with Tripp and Jeff, unpack curated readings from Bonhoeffer, send in your questions, and join the online community of fellow Bonhoeffer learners. The class is donation-based, including $0. Our next livestream for class members is on Tuesday, October 8th at 10am PT / 1pm ET (with replays available) with special guest Andrew Root!
SHARE WITH A FRIEND: Here are are three websites that are easy to share!
RiseofBonhoeffer.com - invite them to join the online class.
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BonhoefferGiveaway.com - enter to win Bonhoeffer Works worth $1000.
See you inside the class.
Tripp
P.S., After you listen to the first episode, we invite you to leave a review here.
Featured Scholars in This Episode
Reggie L. Williams is an Associate Professor of Theological Studies at St. Louis University. He is a member of the International Dietrich Bonhoeffer Society, as well as the Society for the Study of Black Religion, and is a founding member of the Society for the Study of Race, Ethnicity and Religion. He is the author of “Bonhoeffer’s Black Jesus: Harlem Renaissance Theology and an Ethic of Resistance,” which was selected as a Choice Outstanding Title in 2015 in the field of religion. The book focuses on Bonhoeffer’s exposure to Harlem Renaissance intellectuals and worship at Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist during his time at Union Seminary in New York from 1930 to 1931.
Lori Brandt Hale, trained in philosophical theology and philosophy of religion, specializes in the life and legacy of German theologian and Nazi resister Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and currently serves as the president of the International Bonhoeffer Society – English Language (IBS-ELS) Society Board of Directors. In that role, she played a pivotal role in designing the new IBS-ELS website, launched in June 2022, and continues to serve as webmaster. She is the co-editor, with W. David Hall, of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Theology, and Political Resistance. It was the second volume in a series by Lexington Books, Faith and Politics: Political Theology in a New Key. Together with Hall, she now serves as the editor for that series. She is also the co-author of Bonhoeffer for Armchair Theologians.
Stephen Haynes is the Albert Bruce Curry Professor of Religious Studies at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee and Theologian-in-Residence at Idlewild Presbyterian Church. He is a Dietrich Bonhoeffer scholar and author or editor of over 14 books including The Bonhoeffer Phenomenon, The Bonhoeffer Legacy, and The Battle for Bonhoeffer: Debating Discipleship in the Age of Trump. In this book, Haynes examines “populist” readings of Bonhoeffer, including court evangelical Eric Metaxas’s book Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy.
Gary Dorrien is Reinhold Niebuhr Professor of Social Ethics at Union Theological Seminary and Professor of Religion at Columbia University. He is also the author of Anglican Identities: Logos Idealism, Imperial Whiteness, Commonweal Ecumenism, Social Ethics in the Making: Interpreting an American Tradition, American Democratic Socialism and In a Post-Hegelian Spirit: Philosophical Theology as Idealistic Discontent.
Register Now for the Online Class!
An Original 8-Part Audio Docuseries
Our audio docuseries will guide you through Bonhoeffer's life, giving the details needed to read his texts in a historical context.Interviews with Prolific Bonhoeffer Scholars
Extended interviews with many of the prolific living Bonhoeffer scholars will deepen your understanding of his life.9 Livestreams With Dr. Pugh & Dr. Fuller
Our hosts Dr. Jeffrey Pugh and Dr. Tripp Fuller will unpack the selected readings and Bonhoeffer scholarship.Class Resource Page With Access to Replays
Can't make one of the livestreams? All replays will be available on the Class Resource Page, and you can go back to listen anytime during the class.Private Online Community to Connect and Share
Join the private Facebook group to connect with other participants and access all lectures and livetream replays.Answers to Your Questions
Dr. Jeffrey Pugh and Dr. Tripp Fuller will answer questions from class members during the livestreams.
COST: A course like this is typically offered for $250 or more, but we invite you to contribute whatever you can to help make this possible for everyone - including the option to donate $0!
ASYNCHRONOUS 100% ONLINE - You can participate fully without being present at any specific time. All lectures, livestreams, and replays are available on the Class Resource Page.
About Dr. Jeffrey C. Pugh
Dr. Jeffrey C. Pugh recently retired as Maude Sharpe Powell Professor of Religious Studies and Distinguished University Professor from Elon University in North Carolina. The author of six books ranging from Barth, religion and science, and the apocalyptic imagination to Bonhoeffer, Pugh’s work has focused on Christian complicity in the Holocaust and the lessons that can be applied to instruct future generations. His latest work, a chapter on his reflections while he was participating in the clergy resistance at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, is found in Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Theology, and Resistance. He and his wife Jan, a retired United Methodist minister, make their home in Charlottesville, Virginia.
About Dr. Tripp Fuller
Tripp Fuller recently moved back to North Carolina and started as Visiting Professor of Theology at Luther Theological Seminary after three years as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Theology & Science at the University of Edinburgh. He recently released Divine Self-Investment: a Constructive Open and Relational Christology, the first book in the Studies in Open and Relational Theology series. For over 15 years Tripp has been doing the Homebrewed Christianity podcast (think on-demand internet radio) where he interviews different scholars about their work so you can get nerdy in traffic, on the treadmill, or doing the dishes. Last year it had over 4 million downloads. It also inspired a book series with Fortress Press called the Homebrewed Christianity Guides to... topics like God, Jesus, Spirit, Church History, etc. Tripp is a very committed and (some of his friends think overly) engaged Lakers fan and takes Star Wars and Lord of the Rings very seriously
Reggie's talk was great. I really got a lot of that one.
And as an aside, all y'all okay up there?