Bonhoeffer’s Theology in Historical Context

Upon successful completion of this unit, it is expected that students will be able to:

Undergraduate

1. articulate a holistic understanding of Bonhoeffer’s often controversial theology;
2. outline the major influences upon Bonhoeffer’s theology;
3. analyse the relationship between Bonhoeffer’s theology and his ecclesial and political engagements; and
4. describe the mutual significance of systematic theology and church history in relation to Bonhoeffer’s works as an example of broader applicability.

Postgraduate

1. articulate a holistic understanding of Bonhoeffer’s often controversial theology;
2. outline the major influences upon Bonhoeffer’s theology;
3. critique the relationship between Bonhoeffer’s theology and his ecclesial and political engagements;
4. analyse the mutual significance of systematic theology and church history in relation to Bonhoeffer’s works as an example of broader applicability; and
5. critique both primary and secondary literature in Bonhoeffer studies in light of contemporary challenges.

Undergraduate

• Seminar paper (1,000 words) (25%)
• Book review (1,000 words) (25%)
• Essay (2,500 words) (50%)

Postgraduate

• Seminar paper (1,000 words total) (25%)
• Book review (1,500 words) (25%)
• Essay (3,500 words) (50%)

Set texts recommended for purchase are highlighted in blue*

• Bethge, Eberhard. Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Biography. Translated by Eric Mosbacher, Peter Ross, Betty Ross, Frank Clarke and William Glen-Doepel. Revised ed. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2000.
• Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Discipleship. Translated by B. Green and R. Krauss. Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works. Edited by G. B. Kelly, J. D. Godsey, B. Green and R. Krauss. Vol. 4, Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 2000.
• ———. Ethics. Translated by Reinhard Krauss, Charles C. West and Douglas W. Scott. Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works. Edited by Clifford J. Green. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 2005.
• ———. Letters and Papers from Prison. Translated by Isabel Best, Lisa E. Dahill, Reinhard Krauss and Nancy Lukens. Edited by John W. de Gruchy. Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, Vol. 8. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2010.
• ———. No Rusty Swords: Letters, Lectures and Notes 1928–1936 From the Collected Works, Volume I. Translated by John Bowden and Eberhard Bethge. London: Collins, 1970.
• Clements, Keith. Bonhoeffer and Britain. London: Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, 2006.
• Clements, Keith. W. The SPCK Introduction to Bonhoeffer. London: SPCK, 2010.
• Green, Clifford J., and Michael P. DeJonge, eds. The Bonhoeffer Reader. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2013.*
• Mawson, M. and Ziegler, P.G.(eds). The Oxford Handbook of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019.*
• Pugh, Jeffrey C. Religionless Christianity: Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Troubled Times. London: T&T Clark, 2008.
• Schlingensiepen, Ferdinand. Dietrich Bonhoeffer 1906–1945: Martyr, Thinker, Man of Resistance. Translated by Isabel Best. London: T&T Clark, 2010.
• Scholder, Klaus. The Churches and the Third Reich. Volume 1: Preliminary History and the Time of Illusions, 1918–1934. Translated by John Bowden. London: SCM Press, 1987.
• ———. The Churches and the Third Reich. Volume 2: The Year of Disillusionment, 1934 – Barmen and Rome. Translated by John Bowden. London: SCM Press, 1988.