Eric Metaxas’ biography about Detrich Bonhoeffer is a must read. If you don’t know his story you are missing one of the most inspiring ones of Christian history.
In short… Bonhoeffer was a German pastor and theologian who came to the conclusion that Hitler must be stopped by all means necessary. This meant that he would engage in a plot to end Hitler’s life (Will discuss this tomorrow God willing)… which was not an easy conclusion to come to as a Christian. Ultimately he was hanged just before World War II ended. To get the full force of Bonhoeffer’s life I suggest reading the biography Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas.
Here are a few quotes from our brother in Christ…
One act of obedience is better than one hundred sermons.
The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world that it leaves to its children.
It is the nature, and the advantage, of strong people that they can bring out the crucial questions and form a clear opinion about them. The weak always have to decide between alternatives that are not their own.
It is very easy to overestimate the importance of our own achievements in comparison with what we owe others.
First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Socialists and the Trade Unionists, but I was neither, so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew so I did not speak out. And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me.We must learn to regard people less in light of what they do or omit to do, and more in the light of what they suffer.
Only he who believes is obedient and only he who is obedient believes.
If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the other direction.
Christ is not Lord unless He lives through us in the world. Bonhoeffer exemplified this sentiment…