Bonhoeffer and Contemporary Challenges: Crisis and Hope

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The world is in a state of crisis. How can engaging Dietrich Bonhoeffer help with understanding and negotiating some of the many challenges that we are facing today

Bonhoeffer wrote much of his theology during a time of intense upheaval. He developed his rich contributions to theology and ethics in the context of National Socialism and during the Second World War.

This collection of essays draws together the work of established and emerging scholars to engage Bonhoeffer and the present crises. Some chapters explore how Bonhoeffers theology helps us understand and respond to the legacies of colonialism and systemic racism. Other chapters tackle the climate emergency, political authoritarianism, and modern conflicts through Bonhoeffers timeless insights.

With contributions from around the globe, including philosophers, theologians, pastors and activists, this volume is essential for those looking for a theological path through todays divided world.

Reviews

Eighty years after his tragic death, Bonhoeffers legacy continues to challenge and inspire us through a new generation of scholars who help us discern who Christ is for us today in a complex world of pain and suffering. Such voices keep hope alive when tempted to despair. * John W. de Gruchy, University of Cape Town, South Africa *
This collection of essays from the fourteenth gathering of the International Bonhoeffer Society comes at a critical moment in world history. The theme of this work speaks to the direction of the ideas collected here, and their yield is both troubling and deeply insightful. This collection is an example of timely, relevant scholarship by top scholars thinking through the meaning of Bonhoeffers legacy for our time. * Reggie Williams, Saint Louis University, USA *
This is an extraordinarily rich collection of essays, in which a diverse group of leading theologians think with and beyond Bonhoeffer to address the multifaceted challenges ecological, political, intellectual and spiritual of the contemporary world. It demonstrates how Bonhoeffers life and thought continue to draw attention from new generations of scholars, to enable new insights, and to inform debates that he could never have foreseen. The authors take Bonhoeffer seriously in his own context in order to be able to take Christian theology seriously in ours. * Rachel Muers, University of Edinburgh, UK *

Author Bio

Michael Mawson is Maclaurin Goodfellow Associate Professor at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. He is also a Research Fellow at the University of the Free State, South Africa.

Dianne Rayson is Associate Professor in Theology and Ethics at Pacific Theological College, Fiji, and Secretary of the International Bonhoeffer Society, English Language Section.