DESCRIPTION:

The aim of this course is to acquaint the student with the life and thought of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and to gain an understanding of the key motifs of Bonhoeffer's theology and ethics. The political and ecclesiastical factors that formed the background of his life will be considered along with the development of his own theological and ethical insights. We will also seek to appreciate Bonhoeffer's spirituality in pursuit of deepening our own spirituality and identity as Christians.

The course helps the student acquire critical theological tools for addressing ethical issues such as Christian discipleship in a secular environment, advocacy for the marginalized and oppressed in society, and the struggle of the church with cultural accommodation. Many are also finding Bonhoeffer deeply helpful for developing their identity in a time of scattered and fragmented identity.

The course will meet twice a week for three-hour sessions for five weeks. Class time will be devoted to lecture, discussion and student presentations.

The instructor will indicate some portions of the reading as centrally important and some as less important, in order to help students allocate their time wisely.

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Discipleship. Fortress, 2001.

________. Ethics. Simon Schuster Touchstone Book, 1995.

________. Letters and Papers from Prison. Macmillan, 1972.

________. Life Together. HarperCollins, 2003.

De Gruchy, John, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Cambridge University Press, 1999.

Wind, Renate. A Spoke in the Wheel: The Life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1992.

In preparation for the intensive, students will be expected to have completed reading Renate Wind, A Spoke in the Wheel as well as Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together by the time the course starts. Each student will choose a topic for a 10-minute in-class presentation (25% of final grade). In addition, there will be two brief (8-10 pages) papers (each paper 25% of final grade), one of which the student may choose to substitute for a journal in dialogue with the reading, and a final exam (25% of final grade).

None.

Elective.

Yes.