Community & the Cost of Discipleship: The Seminary that Defied Nazis

Tripp Fuller

In this episode of The Rise of Bonhoeffer, we explore Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s transition from London back to Germany, focusing on his time at the Finkenwalde seminary. This period is crucial as it shapes Bonhoeffer’s most significant works like ‘The Cost of Discipleship and Life Together. The discussion delves into his influences in London, his unfulfilled desire to study under Gandhi, and his visits to monastic communities. The conversation also highlights Bonhoeffer’s struggle against the Nazi infiltration of the church, his emphasis on the Sermon on the Mount, and his commitment to forming an authentic Christian community as a means of resistance. The episode ends by addressing the challenges faced by Finkenwalde due to increasing Nazi oppression, leading to its eventual shutdown.

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Featured Scholars in this Episode:

Andrew Root is Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is the author of more than twenty books, including Bonhoeffer as Youth Worker: A Theological Vision for Discipleship and Life Together, Faith Formation in a Secular Age, The Pastor in a Secular Age, The Congregation in a Secular Age, Churches and the Crisis of Decline, The Church after Innovation, and The End of Youth Ministry? He is a frequent speaker and hosts the popular and influential When Church Stops Working podcast.

Michael DeJonge is Professor and Chair of the Religious Studies department, where he teaches about the history of Christian thought, theories and methods in religious studies, and religion in modern society. He’s been teaching at USF since earning a Ph.D. in Religion from Emory University in 2009.

Lori Brandt Hale, trained in philosophical theology and philosophy of religion, specializes in the life and legacy of German theologian and Nazi resister Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and currently serves as the president of the International Bonhoeffer Society – English Language. She is the co-editor of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Theology, and Political Resistance. She is also the co-author of Bonhoeffer for Armchair Theologians.

The Rev. Dr. Jennifer M. McBride (Ph.D. University of Virginia) is Associate Rector for Formation at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Atlanta. Previously she served as Associate Professor of Theology at McCormick Theological Seminary and held the Board of Regents Endowed Chair in Ethics at Wartburg College. McBride is the recent past president of the International Bonhoeffer Society and serves as co-editor of the T&T Clark book series, New Studies in Bonhoeffer’s Theology and Ethics. She is author of You Shall Not Condemn: A Story of Faith and Advocacy on Death Row, Radical Discipleship, The Church for the World, and is co-editor of Bonhoeffer and King: Their Legacies and Import for Christian Social Thought.

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