April 21, 2026

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Living Faith in Perilous Times:

Lessons from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Part Two

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In a year that REPAIR has dedicated to the theme of Reclaiming Christianity, the life and message of Dietrich Bonhoeffer provides a powerful model—one that can teach, challenge, disturb, and ultimately inspire us.

 

A theologian and pastor in the German Lutheran church, Bonhoeffer was deeply committed to following the example of Jesus in his daily life. Drawing insights from sources that included the struggle for freedom of the African-American church and the nonviolent activism of Mohandas K. Gandhi in India, Bonhoeffer provoked the ire of the Nazi movement in 1933 when he delivered a radio address warning against idolatry of a deceitful Führer. Later accused of joining a plot to assassinate Hitler, he was arrested and ultimately executed at the Flossenbürg concentration camp in April, 1945, just two weeks before it was liberated by American forces.

 

What can American Christians learn from Bonhoeffer as we face our own struggles of conscience in a time of division, violence, and anger? Join REPAIR on Tuesday, April 21, as we explore his legacy for a second session with the help of special guest Thomas K. Johnson.

 

Thom was director of the Center for Lutheran Studies at Claremont School of Theology in Los Angeles and has organized the center’s annual Bonhoeffer Festival for the past 15 years. We’ll consider how Christians today are called to put our own faith into action, with Bonhoeffer’s example of “costly grace” as a possible guide.

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DATE: Tuesday, April 21

TIME: 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

ZOOM LINK: Scan the QR code at right, or click here.

 

 

FOR ADVANCE VIEWING / READING:

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Turning Points in the Life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer—And in Yours. Handout to be used during the program. Download by clicking on the PDF link at left.

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Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Spy, Assassin (2024). A fictionalized drama about Bonhoeffer’s life directed by Todd Komarnicki. Available for viewing on YouTube.

 

Bonhoeffer (2003). Documentary film directed by Martin Doblmeier. Available for viewing on YouTube.

 

The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1937).

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Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community by Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1939).

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I Want to Live These Days With You: A Year of Daily Devotions by Dietrich Bonhoeffer (2005).