Heritage of the Saints: Bonhoeffer on the Leader (1933)

Over the 31 years I spent as a contractor to the Department of Energy, I was able to observe and participate in an interesting evolution in management theory. Early on, everyone wanted to advance to be a manager, to be in charge, and there was plenty of literature to help you learn how to be a manager. Most of the literature focused on how to get people to do what you want, and there were aids like Herzog's theory and X-Y Theory on how to evaluate yourself as a manager.

The literature then evolved to an approach centered on becoming more like a father figure. Many managers embraced that approach because they were no longer seen as the bad guy. When your people messed up, it was OK, and they would just do better next time.

During about the last decade of those 31 years, the management literature turned to being a leader. Everyone wanted to be a leader, and most would say they were leaders but continued to do the same techniques they used as managers.

At about that time, I spent several years in an industry program organized by the
Society of Information Management that was designed to take high-performing mid-level managers and prepare them for Board-level executive positions. You were trained and mentored by current Board-level executives in corporate leadership. The starting position of the program was "You can't lead others if you can't lead yourself." An amazing amount of time was spent on self-leadership.

This is the same place that Dietrich Bonhoeffer found himself in 1933 when Adolf Hitler was elected Chancellor of Germany. He found himself writing and speaking about real leadership as opposed to leadership by a Fuhrer (the Leader). Dietric provided a radio address just two days after Hitler was elected titled, "The Younger Generations Altered Concept of Leadership." There is little-to-no known evidence that the radio address was a response to the election of Hitler, it was just timing.

“The difference between real leadership and the false leadership of the Leader was this:  real leadership derived its authority from God, the source of all goodness…But the authority of the Fuhrer was submitted to nothing.  It was self-derived and autocratic, and therefore had a messianic aspect.” Bonhoeffer, Metaxas, page 141

We may even sense that "real leadership" derives its authority from God and performance. A favorite scripture for messages among pastors is the Parable of the Minas, found in Luke 19. We see the concept of authority as each of the servants is given an amount to manage. The two servants who successfully manage what they were given are given more.

“Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.”  Luke 19:17

“Likewise he said to him [the second servant], ‘You also be over five cities.’” Luke 19:19

Considering "real leadership," this can be a challenging teaching. Even in light of some recent teachings focused on "love thy neighbor," it can start to seem unfair in "man's view." Particularly when Jesus somewhat sums it up with,

“For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given, and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”  Luke 19:26

We can see repeatedly in scripture the principle of being given a level of authority by God and, based on performance, that authority being increased or even decreased. As part of his message on leadership, Bonhoeffer stated, 

“A true leader must know the limitations of his authority.”

Many of the troubles that people run into result from overstepping the authority they have been given. Often, the trouble comes from trying to take authority over areas in other people's lives that they have yet to take authority over in their own lives. Ultimately telling people they need to do things they would not do themselves.

I delivered a message in August 2018 titled "You Are The Bishop of Your Own Heart." The message focused on 1 Timothy 3,

“It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer [bishop], it is a fine work he desires to do.

An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, skillful in teaching, 

not overindulging in wine, not a bully, but gentle, not contentious, free from the love of money. He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity 

(but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), 

and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into condemnation incurred by the devil. 

And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into disgrace and the snare of the devil.”                      1 Timothy 3:1-7

Rather than use this scripture for self-evaluation, many people use it to judge those in authority. A key part of this scripture gets to the point, "if you can't lead yourself, you can't lead others." 

1 Timothy 3:5 states, "But if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?" You must be able to lead yourself first. This is a key principle of our Christian heritage. Once someone learns to lead themselves, they can start to understand servant leadership, which is again a key principle of our Christian heritage.

“The good leader serves others and leads others to maturity…Another word for maturity is discipleship.”  Bonhoeffer, Metaxas, page 142

True leadership and discipleship seem to be missing in much of the Body of Christ today. In some cases, there is no discipleship at all. Perhaps an answer to this loss of leadership and discipleship can be found in Bonhoeffer's radio address in 1933.

“this solitude of man’s position before God, this subjection to an ultimate authority, is destroyed when the authority of the Leader or the office is seen as ultimate authority…Leaders or offices which set themselves up as gods mock God and the individual who stands alone before him, and must perish.”  Bonhoeffer, Metaxas, page 142

Often, those who cannot lead themselves but want to manage or direct others (they like to use the term leader) will take scripture out of context to create fear. Their model is to create fear of not listening to them. A favorite is 1 Chronicles 16: 21-22, which, in context, addresses kings (civil authority) that would come against the people of God. It is part of a Song of Thanksgiving written at the direction of King David.

“He allowed no one to oppress them,
And He rebuked kings for their sakes, saying,

“Do not touch My anointed ones,
And do not harm My prophets.” 1 Chronicles 16: 21-22

Or they will go to the New Testament with the Apostle Paul, who was speaking to the Body of Christ in Rome about the civil authority. He didn't want the Body of Christ to appear as a band of rebels, which would justify the civil authority's execution of them.

Can you imagine a servant leader, a true leader, a good leader telling followers that they must be subjected to them?

“Every person is to be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.”  Romans 13:1

Servant leaders, true leaders, and good leaders who are placed in authority deserve honor in their position. However, they must earn respect. Perhaps a closer scripture that may or may not be slightly out of context is the Fourth Commandment, "Honor your mother and your father," as Bonhoeffer compares it to a good leader and discipleship,

“as a good parent does a child, wishing to lead the child to someday be a good parent.”  Bonhoeffer, Metaxas, Page 142

In the Body of Christ and in the world, Bonhoeffer summed it up very well when he preached at Trinity Church in Berlin four weeks later.

“The church has only one altar, the altar of the Almighty…before which all creatures must kneel.  The church has only one pulpit, and from that pulpit, faith in God will be preached, and no other faith, and no other will than the will of God, however well-intentioned.”  Bonhoeffer, Metaxas, page 144

"However well-intentioned" does not justify poor leadership in the Body of Christ or the world. It sets those who would presume to lead over those who follow and ultimately fails the test of disciplining, as well as perpetuates the problem. Let's posture ourselves to:

ONE ALTAR, THE ALTAR TO THE ALMIGHTY!!

ONE PULPIT, FROM THAT PULPIT, ONLY FAITH IN GOD WILL BE PREACHED!!!

THAT IS OUR HERITAGE!!!!

Heritage of the Saints: Bonhoeffer in Berlin (1932)

 When we consider our Christian heritage in relation to the Bible, we have to read it as God has directed it. Often, our interaction with the Bible comes NOT from our reading but from listening to what someone else tells us about their interaction with the Bible. However, our personal relationship with God is based on our reading of the Bible as He has directed us.

Many people, including family members, noticed a change in Deitrich Bonhoeffer when he returned from America. He seemed more serious about the church.

He was responsible for delivering the sermon at Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church on Reformation Sunday in 1932. It was a day Germany celebrated Martin Luther and the cultural heritage of the Reformation. A day of celebration where Bonhoeffer opened his message with Revelation 2:4-5.

"But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore, remember from where you have fallen, and repent, and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and I will remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent."

Such an opening scripture would have set alarm bells off throughout the congregation gathered for the celebration. His opening statement after the scripture would have put a nail in anything left. He stated,

"the Protestant church was in it's eleventh hour and it's high time we realize this."  Bonhoffer, Metaxas, page 122

Evidently, at that point, some people started leaving the church service. I suppose when you go to a service expecting a celebration message and the message challenges you, it might cause you to leave the service. Not only was the message unexpected, but it was particularly unexpected from Bonhoeffer. Something had happened, and even he knew it, as he stated in a letter written four years later.

"...something happened, something that has changed and transformed my life to the present day.  For the first time I discovered the Bible...I had often preached.  I had seen a great deal of the church, and talked and preached about it - but I had not yet become a Christian..."  Bonhoffer, Metaxas, page 123

Here is Bonhoeffer, who has two doctorate degrees, is an ordained minister, and is a lecturer at Berlin University, saying that he had not yet become a Christian with all he had done and studied. Our Christian heritage is not so much about what we know but who we become. Just as when we get married and "become one," we "become Christian."  There is a process of "becoming" that we must go through. He went on in the letter and said,

"It became clear to me that the life of a servant of Jesus Christ must belong to the Church, and step by step it became plainer to me how far that must go."  Bonhoeffer, Metaxas, page 123

 The transformation that Bonhoeffer experienced is the same that we must undergo when we accept Christ. It is foundational to the heritage we enter into at the moment of our conversion. We need to expect and be prepared for such a transformation that those closest to us will note that something is different. It will cause us to speak unexpectedly, as Deitrich did on that Reformation Sunday in 1932.

"He also knew that a word might be delivered that had come straight from heaven and be rejected, just as the messages of the Old Testament prophets had been rejected and just as Jesus has been rejected....the prophet would share in God's suffering."  Bonhoeffer, Metaxas, page 123

The Apostle Paul eludes to the transformative power of scripture in his second letter to Timothy. After his transformation, Paul suffered much at the hands of the Jewish and Roman authorities. Deitrich Bonhoeffer was just stepping into the start of his persecution and had no way of foreseeing how bad it would get. The rise of Hitler and the National Socialist Party in Germany had not yet been fully realized, but it will be in the near future.

Paul tells Timothy to continue advancing in what he has learned and "become convinced of."  There is the process of "becoming" mentioned again. Timothy was "becoming" with the knowledge that "all scripture is inspired by God." 2 Timothy 3:14-17 ends with Paul making sure that Timothy understands the goal of being "fully capable and equipped for every good work."

"You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them,  

and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 

 All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; 

 so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:14-17

As we gain a fuller understanding of our Christian heritage, we need to develop an interaction with scripture guided by the Holy Spirit to develop our unique relationship with God. Our unique relationship with God is not informed by someone else's interaction with scripture but by our personal interaction. While others can help us with interpretation, teaching, and training, it is wholly our own interaction that develops a true relationship. That relationship will be reflected in our lives in very practical ways.

In the end, the interaction with scripture informs our theology, and that theology must lead to the practical aspects of how we live as Christians. 

Heritage of the Saints: Bonhoeffer in America

 I recall sitting in the back of the church on a Sunday over a decade ago when the pastor introduced our guest speaker. I had not heard of the speaker, nor did anyone else act as though they knew him. However, he started his topic, which I'm not sure I remember, but he developed the message using cause-and-effect analysis. When he stated that he was using cause-and-effect analysis, he captured my attention.

What he could not have known, and others in attendance did not know, was that in the late 1980s, I was part of a contract team that performed Probabilistic Risk Assessment and Fault Tree Analysis on commercial nuclear reactors for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Our team also developed models and methodologies for cause-and-effect and root-cause analysis for adverse event investigation. Our work required a deep knowledge of and a strict adherence to the analysis methodologies and principles.

As our guest speaker started, he seemed to understand the principles of cause-and-effect analysis and I was tracking with him. However, I don't recall any scriptural references in his message up to that point. After going through several logical steps, he suddenly leaped to his answer and the topic of his message. He effectively violated a foundational principle of cause-and-effect analysis, and as a researcher using the methodology under strict review, he completely lost me at that point. While others with less understanding of the methodology were happy to follow along, violating a foundational principle discredited his message completely. It seemed he had an answer in mind and only used the analysis to make it sound well-researched and credible.

I may have felt the same way Dietrich Bonhoeffer did when he attended Union Theological
Seminary in 1930. He said that he found the theological situation worse than he'd feared, writing,

"The is no theology here... They talk a blue streak without the slightest substantive foundation and with no evidence of any criteria....They are unfamilar with even the most basic questions.  They become intoxicated with liberal and humanistic phrases, laugh at the fundamentalist, and yet basically are not even up to their level."  Bonhoeffer, Metaxas, page 101

 Bonhoeffer was of the opinion that a person could learn very little in America when he reported to the authorities in the German church. He even stated,

"The theological atmosphere of the Union Theological Seminary is accelerating the secularization of Christianity in America."  Bonhoeffer, Metaxas, page 105

I want to be careful not to imply that the issues here are isolated to pastors, particularly not all pastors. We can experience this secularization in discussions with groups of friends. Our Christian heritage would require us to look internally first. We must ask first, "Am I guilty?"

However, often, we start with an answer in mind. If I want to take a position or make a point in a message, I search for a scripture that justifies my position, even if it means taking the scripture out of context.

While this was Bonhoeffer's experience in America some 95 years ago, it may have worsened. A quote from Isaac Pitre just a few days ago,

"I've never heard so many SERMONS without SCRIPTURES!"

Have we moved so far that we don't start with an answer and then try to prove it with scripture? We just say it is so. What happened to the command Jesus left us with and the heritage we are grafted into. Does Paul point us today to that heritage he spoke to the Corinthians about in 1 Corinthians 15?

"1Now I make known to you, brothers and sisters, the gospel which I preached to you, which you also received, in which you also stand,  

2 by which you also are saved, if you hold firmly to the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 

3 For I handed down to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,  

4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,  

5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.  

6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep;  

7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; 

8 and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.  

9 For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.  

10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. 

11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed."

 Our heritage and the commission from Jesus is to preach the "good news" of the gospel:

• Christ dies for our sins
• He was buried
• He was raised on the third day
• He appeared

Should this not be at the core of every sermon, discussion, prayer, intercession...?

Should it bother us, as it did Bonhoeffer, to see the lack of scripture?

Even Jesus addresses a similar situation to the Pharisees in Matthew 15,

"1Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said,  

2 “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”  

3 And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves also break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?  

4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘The one who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death.’  

5 But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,”  

6 he is not to honor his father or mother.’ And by this you have invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition."

At what point do we recognize that we can ultimately "invalidate the word of God by not starting with scripture."  Our heritage is to validate and lift up the Word of God, the gospel's "good news."

Let's commit today to returning to our heritage and start everything—our discussions, conversations, interactions, and sermons—with Christ. 

Let's commit to validating the Word of God!

Heritage of the Saints: Bonhoeffer in Barcelona

 Our Christian Heritage has had us participating in and dealing with religious structures.   Most, if not all, of these religious structures we have erected ourselves and have to spend generations tearing down.    We do it to ourselves.

I believe the original religious structure was erected with Adam and Eve in the garden.   Recall that God told Adam before Eve was created from his rib,

"The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may freely eat;  but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for on the day that you eat from it you will certainly die.”"  Gen 2: 17-17

When the serpent came to tempt, he did not tempt Adam, who heard the command directly from God; he tempted Eve, who likely heard it thirdhand from Adam.   Scripture says that the serpent was cunning; how cunning is it to test the student rather than the teacher?

"Now the serpent was more cunning than any animal of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’”" Gen 3: 1-3

 Notice that God said, "do not eat," and Eve replies, "do not eat or touch."  This may well be the first religious structure.    If I do not touch it, then I cannot eat it.   Religious structures can add rules that may be well meaning but get us in trouble in the long run.   While Adam was also told to tend the garden, how do you tend without touching the tree? It seems to help in one way and can have a more significant effect in another.

Jesus dealt with thousands of years of established religious structures in God's people. He was seen as a threat to those whose lives relied on those structures.   Through scripture, we see the constant testing by those most invested in the religious structures of the day.   They would often tag-team when trying to catch Him in some violation of the religious structure.

"One of the scribes came up and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?”  Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘Hear, Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one;  and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’  The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”  And the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher; You have truly stated that He is One, and there is no other besides Him;  and to love Him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.”" Mark 12: 28-33

Of course, everyone listening knew that Jesus was quoting Deuteronomy 6:4-5,

“Hear, Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!  And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.  And you shall repeat them diligently to your sons and speak of them when you sit in your house, when you walk on the road, when you lie down, and when you get up.  You shall also tie them as a sign to your hand, and they shall be as frontlets on your forehead. You shall also write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. " Deu 6:4-9

They know the scripture because it was taught in their home, in the frontlets they wore on their heads and hands, and contained in the mezuzah on their doorposts that they touched when leaving and entering their homes.

However, today, some religious structures teach that Jesus was writing a new law to effectively replace the Ten Commandments—something new that says we just need to LOVE—love God and other people (however, we may define those people in a limited sense also). This religious structure ignores that Jesus was quoting scripture, not rewriting it.

If Jesus told us anything, it was the law was not external as for slaves or mercenaries but would be written on our hearts, internally, as with friends.  We follow God's law because it is who we are, not just what we do.

It is Our Heritage!

Dietrich Bonhoeffer experienced some of the same threat issues as Jesus on his first assignment in Barcelona. He was assigned to the children's ministry, but the Pastor took an extended trip for several months. He started several programs for the children and young adults who were not getting much from the church, and it seems that when he spoke at church, the attendance was larger.    Of course, when the Pastor returned, he was concerned about having to keep the programs running when Bonhoeffer left and maybe a bit threatened by his attracting a larger audience.

It is Our Heritage!

I guess it comes with the territory.   Bonhoeffer did not seem to be much for religious structures.

""Factually speaking," he said, "Christ has given scarcely any ethical prescriptions that were not to be found already with the contemporary Jewish rabbis or in pagan literature."  Christianity was not about a new and better set of behavioral rules or about moral accomplishments.  He must have shocked his listeners, but his logic was undeniably compelling.  He then aggressively attacked the idea of "religion" and moral performance as the very enemies of Christianity and of Christ because they present the false idea that somehow we can reach God through our moral efforts..."Thus," he said, "the Christian message is basically amoral and irreligious, paradoxical as that may sound."" Bonhoeffer, Metaxas, page 83

How often does our investment in religious structures get in the way of what God has planned and wants to do in our lives? A prophetic word from Chuck Pierce in 2014 referred to these religious structures.

I will send an awakening shaking against the last main religious structures that will topple that which is stopping the promise from manifesting.

We are not talking about religious denominations but religious structures that can twist the word of God and prevent the purposes of God from coming forth in your life, in a business, city, state, region, or nation.  These religious structures can prevent us from entering into an intimate, vital relationship with God.  We need to spend time examining areas of guilt, rejection, fear, and pride in our lives and the lives of our leaders, as that is where a religious structure can develop.  As Bonhoeffer discusses, calling out and removing religious structures is who we are as Christians.

It is Our Heritage!!

Heritage of the Saints: Bonhoeffer in Rome

 When Deitrich Bonhoeffer turned 18, he had the opportunity to spend a semester of his theology studies in Rome. He became caught up in Michelangelo's art in the Sistine Chapel during his time there.

"I was hardly able to move beyond the Adam.  There is an inexhaustible abundance of ideas in the picture.  The figure of God reverberates with colossal power and tender love, or rather with the divine attributes that supersede these two human attributes that are often far removed from each other.  Man is about to awaken to life for the first time.  The meadow send out shoots in front of unending mountain ranges, thereby foreshadowing man's later fate.  The painting is worldly and yet very pure.  In short, one can't express it."  Bonhoeffer, Metaxas, page 51

 In 1998, my wife and I spent two weeks touring Italy. The tour began and ended in Rome, and due to circumstances, we were able to stay an extra day in Rome at the end of the tour. Not only did we have time at St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel, but we were also in St Peter's Square to see the Pope come to the window and address those gathered in the Square. The experience, as Bonhoeffer stated, "one can't express."

Three years after his time in Rome, Bonhoeffer had the opportunity to attempt to express his experience and its impact on him to a group called the Thursday Circle in which he participated. In attempting to summarize his thoughts, he wrote a short paper that stated, in part,

"With admirable power, it has understood how to maintain unity in diversity, to gain the love and respect of the masses, and to foster a stong sense of community...We adhere to the same confession of faith, we pray the same Lord's Prayer, and we share some of the same ancient rites.  This binds us together...The designation Catholic or Protestant is unimportant. The important thing is God's word." Bonhoeffer, Mataxas, Page 57

 Deitrich's summary words resonate through the centuries, from Paul's writing to the Galatians. In Galatians 3:26-28 Paul tells them and us today,

"For you are all sons and daughters of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

 Is this where our greatest challenge and greatest advance lie as followers of Christ? Combining the thought and writing of Bonhoeffer and Paul, there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither Catholic nor Protestant, neither denomination nor sect. It is unimportant, as we are all one in Christ Jesus.

We are within a couple of weeks of entering the Hebrew month of Elul, a time of repentance. Elul is a time when we posture our hearts for Techuvah—to repent, confess, and return to God. We renew our positions as all one in Christ Jesus.

Matthew Henry in writing for his commentary on Galatians 3:26-28 further causes us to consider the words of Bonhoeffer and Paul at a much deeper level.

"That this privilege of being the children of God, and of being by baptism devoted to Christ, is now enjoyed in common by all real Christians. The law indeed made a difference between Jew and Greek, giving the Jews on many accounts the pre-eminence: that also made a difference between bond and free, master and servant, and between male and female, the males being circumcised. But it is not so now; they all stand on the same level, and are all one in Christ Jesus; as the one is not accepted on the account of any national or personal advantages he may enjoy above the other, so neither is the other rejected for the want of them; but all who sincerely believe on Christ, of what nation, or sex, or condition, soever they be, are accepted of him, and become the children of God through faith in him."

 Is this an area of our lives where we need to prepare to our heart in Teshuvah?  Do we need God to examine our hearts 

• Do I set myself above others who have been baptised in Christ Jesus?
• Do I believe that my acceptance by Christ Jesus is based on a national advantage?
• Do I believe that my acceptance by Christ Jesus is based on a personal advantage?
• Do I believe that my acceptance by Christ Jesis is based on a denominatinal advantage?
• Do I believe others are rejected by Christ Jesus because they do not share my advantage?
• Do I believe that my sex gives me a special advantage before Christ Jesus?

It is time to do Techuvah—to repent, confess, and return to God.

Join us in returning to our position as "all one in Christ Jesus."

Heritage of the Saints: Bonhoeffer Childhood

 Our voices portray the heritage left to us as followers of Christ. We speak carefully with wisdom but also learn to discern when we are called not to speak - to remain silent. We speak in  decress:

"Your decrees are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart."  Psalms 119:111 

As Deitrich Bonhoeffer grew up, the world entered World War I, with three of his brothers going into military service. The middle brother of the three died in France shortly after enlisting. Deitrich saw the devastating effect on his mother, who took over 10 years to recover to some level of normalcy.

It may have been this experience that caused Deitrich to follow the path of her side of the family to a career in theology. His sister-in-law, Emmi, recalled that once he made the announcement, they peppered him with questions:

"We like to ask him questions that haunted u, e.g. was evil really overcome by good, or did Jesus want us to offer the other cheek to the insolent person too, and hundreds of other problems which drive young people into deadlock when they face real life.  He often countered with another question which took us further than a concise answer might have done, e.g. "Do you think Jesus wanted anarchy? Did he not go into the temple with a whip to throw out the money-changers?"  He himself was one who asked questions.  Bonhoeffer, Mataxas, page 38.

Scholars indicate that in the Gospels, Jesus asked 307 questions. While it is unclear that all the questions are unique, even half of them would be significant, particularly when these scholars also indicate that Jesus only answered three of the 183 questions asked of Him.

Bonhoeffer's observation that "He himself was one who asked questions" is an excellent insight as we seek to discover our heritage as servants of the Lord. The better the questions, the more we are reflecting our heritage.

Asking questions is also a sign of humility. When we are too quick to give answers, it can be a sign of arrogance. Is the answer to educate and lift up, or is it an attempt to show superiority? Might our being quick with an answer before understanding the real question be our answer in action to the question that Jesus asked in Matthew 7:3?

“Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”

 Often, the questions we get asked as followers of Christ are designed to point out what is seen as a speck in our eye, particularly when the question comes from another Christian. We see an example of what should be our heritage in Matthew 15:1- 6. The Pharisees and scribes challenge Jesus with the questions:

“Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”

While it was easy for Jesus to directly answer this question from members of what would be a different denomination today, Jesus points to a more significant question that could apply to more than just the ones asking the question. Jesus begins his reply with:

“Why do you yourselves also break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?

By replying with a question, Jesus gains control of the conversation, which allows Him to bring up a more significant point. One part of heritage is the traditions that we gain from our ancestors. Even as Christians, we have the scriptures, other confirmed writings, and the church's traditions. Jesus has just pointed out that traditions may break God's commandments. A good question we learn to ask in relationship to our heritage is, Do our traditions (religious or otherwise) break the commandments of God?

 Honest answers to these types of questions can cut us to the core of our being, both our spiritual being and our physical being. It gets to the foundation of what we believe and how founded we are in our heritage. It leads to the dialogue that Jesus had with the chief priests and elders as he entered the temple on a defining day for them in Matthew 21:23,

"When He entered the temple area, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?”"

This is again a place where Jesus takes complete control of the conversation by asking a question that seems relatively innocent on the surface but sets a tone of cooperation and engagement. In Matthew 21:24,

"Jesus responded and said to them, “I will also ask you one question, which, if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John was from what source: from heaven or from men?”"

Is this a question that we should be asking ourselves today, not necessarily about the baptism of John but in our daily lives? Questions such as:

• My current job was from what source: from heaven or from men?
• The home I reside in, whether owned or rented, was from what source: from heaven or from men?
• My finances are from what source: from heaven or from men?
• My spouse is from what source: from heaven or from men?

Hopefully, when answering such questions, we do not get caught up as the chief priests and elders did in considering the implications of their answers. We should rapidly see only one answer to these questions and loudly proclaim—FROM HEAVEN!!!!

Of course, the chief priests and elders were too concerned about how their response would appear to others and

"they began considering the implications among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the people; for they all regard John as a prophet.”"

 The questions that Jesus asked in response to the religious authorities of the time make an amazing study all by itself. Often, we can get caught up in the answers and in how we would answer rather than learning to ask the question ourselves, rather than learning that our heritage in Christ and from Christ is to ask questions. We need to get more comfortable having questions rather than having answers.

When the mother of the sons of Zebedee went to Jesus with a request, we can mistake our heritage as going to Jesus with requests. While we can go to Jesus with our requests, and He will answer them, we need to understand that the questions are our heritage to ask. Matthew 20:20 documents the request, and verse 21 contains the question we need to learn to ask:

"Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons, bowing down and making a request of Him. And He said to her, “What do you desire?”"

 While our desire is to become like Christ, which is the foundation of being Christian, we often meet people with an answer rather than a question. Perhaps we come with our Christian hammer (answer), and so everything looks like a nail. Our answer is the same regardless of the question. To be like Christ, should we be asking, "What do you desire?"

In this Hebraic year 5784, as we learn to use our voice and ask questions, perhaps the questions are not all that complex or complicated; maybe they are very simple:

• What do you desire?
• Do you want to be healed?
• What do you need?
• What do you want?

Asking questions is a massive part of our heritage in Christ. Can we be challenged to ask 307 questions for every three answers?

Heritage of the Saints: Bonhoeffer Introduction

For a couple decades, the words of God in Isaiah 54:17 have had my attention and meditation. This scripture even formed the focal point of my doctoral dissertation.

“This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,”

Isaiah 54:17

When you consider, the chapter and verse structure of scripture was added long after the original writer wrote it down, and it was originally a long scroll, you ask, “how much of the text before constitutes “the heritage of the servants of the Lord.”  Consider the text just 14 verses earlier.

“For you will spread out to the right and to the left.
And your descendants will possess nations
And will resettle the desolate cities.

And your descendants will possess nations

And will resettle the desolate cities.”

Isaiah 54:3

As our cities become desolate, our natural (human) tendency is to move on and abandon the places we’re called to settle. The desolation can be a lack of employment opportunities, issues with the public school system, local dominant politics, or local dominant religion. Where we may see desolation, others may see opportunity. All can be a matter of perspective.

As we consider Dietrich Bonhoeffer as a servant of the Lord and a participant in the heritage mentioned in Isaiah 54:17, his perspective at a time when Germany was driven by a significant political shift can be enlightening to us today.

Dietrich’s fiancee, Maria von Wedemeyer, and oldest sister, Ruth-Alice von Bismark, shared a story that can be helpful:

“…Ruth-Alice recalled…as a teenager in the mid-1930’s - she was taken every Sunday with her brothers and sisters by their heroic mother Ruth von Kleizt to hear Dietrich preach…She vividly recalled how most other young people at the time had gulped down the Nazi propaganda and craned to hear the cackling of its demented standard-bearer, giddily declaring, “This is the future! This is the future!”

…they knew this burgeoning movement was the enemy of everything their beloved parents had taught them about God and about God’s idea of Germany.

…when they heard Bonhoeffer preach those Sundays, they had their answer, “Here!” she said…”Here was our future!”  This golden man and what he said in that chapel was proof God had not forgotten them.”

Page xviii, Bonhoeffer, Eric Metaxas

If Dietrich Bonhoeffer had not chosen to stay in a city that was headed for a form of desolation, no one would have heard an alternate future compared to the Nazi propaganda. 

Are there alternate futures prepared by God that you are called to speak to in your city? Are there places where you must “die to self” and speak the truth?

Bonhoeffer had a vision of what “dying to self” and living for others and for God looked like and lived it.

“In a tired and decadent world where such beliefs had become fatally attenuated, or where they had devolved to pro forma exercises in religious tradition, Bonhoeffer believed them utterly.  And he saw that the failure on the part of the German church to believe these things made the way for the river of blood that was National Socialism.”

Page xxiii, Bonhoeffer, Eric Metaxas

With Bonhoeffer as an example of “the heritage of the saints,” we see that our heritage is to speak truth, particularly during impending desolation. We see  Dietrich perhaps condemning those who would make accusations and speak forth Nazi propaganda.

“And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn.”

Isaiah 54:17

Our heritage as saints is to speak against those things that would be accusative, even when those things come from “pro forma exercises in religious tradition.”  We are not called to be passive in the face of impending desolation but proactive. When events occur to desolate our families, spouses, children, homes, cities, states, country, or church, we are to be proactive and condemn the source. We condemn the source even if it is the government, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer spoke the truth.

“Bonhoeffer’s “radical” theology…which was simply traditional orthodox Christianity rediscovered…did not sit well with those Germans who shrank from bravely standing against the Nazis and hid behind the fig leaves of a deliberately circumscribed misreading of Romans 13.”

Page xxv, Bonhoeffer, Eric Metaxas

As we embrace the “heritage of the saints” we have been grafted into, we must ensure we do not let our voice be silenced  In the face of propaganda or religious tradition, we must bravely stand against those things that attempt to desolate our cities  We must resettle or restore those places and institutions where desolation has already occurred.