Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Christian Nationalism

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was arguably one of the greatest theologians of the 20th century. By way of a quick biography from the International Bonhoeffer Society, Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran "pastor, theologian, ecumenicist, and peace activist." He wrote extensively about theology and the Christian life. 

In this writer's opinion, his works should be required reading for every seminarian and lay Christian. Despite his work, he is best known for his participation in an unsuccessful plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler. He was arrested, spent the last two years of his life in prison, and was executed weeks before the end of World War II.

Recently, Bonhoeffer's descendants and scholars have spoken out against a new film about his life and against conservatives who they feel may be co-opting Bonhoeffer's legacy. According to an article in the Roys Report, these scholars and family members are concerned about the work of podcaster, author, and speaker Eric Metaxas and others in or near his circle, who have used Bonhoeffer's life and work as an example that U.S. conservatives should follow. 

The piece states that Metaxas has likened himself to Bonhoeffer and urged conservatives to embrace the "Bonhoeffer Moment" of the current day and oppose evil — in this case, the Democrat Party. Metaxas has also penned his own Bonhoeffer biography. The group is also opposed to the mention of Bonhoeffer's work in the Heritage Foundation's "Project 2025" document. The fear is that such things will stoke the fires of Christian nationalism. These scholars, including members of the Bonhoeffer Society and other Christian leaders, released a statement that read in part:

This portrayal glorifies violence and draws inappropriate analogies between our political system and that of Nazi Germany. It is a dangerous misuse of Bonhoeffer’s life and lessons, particularly in this election season in the United States.

 From Project 2025 to violent political rhetoric, the legacy of German pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer is being invoked this election season on behalf of Christian Nationalism,” the scholars said in their statement. “It is a dangerous and grievous misuse of his theology and life.

Also at issue is a biographical film set for release in November about Bonhoeffer. The poster for the film reads: "Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin." Bonhoeffer's descendants stated, “He would never have seen himself anywhere near the right-wing extremist, violent movements that are trying to appropriate him today. On the contrary, he would have criticized these very attitudes.” 

Aside from the belief that the man is being mischaracterized, one of the core of their objections is that too much emphasis is being placed on Bonhoeffer's role in the assassination attempt while eschewing his theological and pastoral work. And I find that particular concern to be reasonable.

One can see why conservatives might find a kindred spirit in Bonhoeffer, given some of his thoughts:

Silence in the face of evil is evil itself.

Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.

If I sit next to a madman as he drives a car into a group of innocent bystanders, I can't, as a Christian, simply wait for the catastrophe, then comfort the wounded and bury the dead. I must try to wrestle the steering wheel out of the hands of the driver.

Destruction of the embryo in the mother's womb is a violation of the right to live which God has bestowed upon this nascent life. To raise the question whether we are here concerned already with a human being or not is merely to confuse the issue. The simple fact is that God certainly intended to create a human being and that this nascent human being has been deliberately deprived of his life. And that is nothing but murder.

Christianity stands or falls with its revolutionary protest against violence, arbitrariness and pride of power and with its plea for the weak. Christians are doing too little to make these points clear rather than too much. Christendom adjusts itself far too easily to the worship of power. Christians should give more offense, shock the world far more, than they are doing now. Christians should take a stronger stand in favor of the weak rather than considering first the possible right of the strong.

It is easy and tempting to think of Bonhoeffer only in terms of his participation in the plot to kill Hitler. With that in mind, it is crucial to remember that Bonhoeffer was well-known as an insightful theologian, and we do him a disservice by only focusing on the admittedly thrilling image of his engagement in espionage. Bonhoeffer meant for his words to cut across political ideologies and give every person pause, no matter their party affiliation. In "The Cost of Discipleship" and other works, Bonhoeffer speaks about Christians taking their faith and its mandates seriously:  

Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession.... Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.

Cheap grace is the idea that "grace" did it all for me, so I do not need to change my lifestyle. The believer who accepts the idea of 'cheap grace' thinks he can continue to live like the rest of the world. Instead of following Christ in a radical way, the Christian lost in cheap grace thinks he can simply enjoy the consolations of his grace.

The person who’s in love with their vision of community will destroy community. But the person who loves the people around them will create community everywhere they go.

God comes into the very midst of evil and of death and judges the evil in us and in the world. And by judging us, he cleanses and sanctifies us, comes to us with his grace and love. He makes us happy as only children can be happy.

Bonhoeffer's work offers comfort and conviction to everyone.

The article touches on the thoughts of Lori Brandt Hale, the professor of religion at Augsburg University and president of the English language section of the International Bonhoeffer Society. Hale is concerned that Metaxas and the filmmakers spent too much time on Bonhoeffer's role in the assassination attempt and that she and other Bonhoeffer scholars are worried that people who may harbor "Christian nationalist" views may see attention placed on the assassination attempt as an excuse for political violence:

Hale said Bonhoeffer’s theological and ethical reflections in the face of the evils of the Nazis are distorted by American Christian nationalists. In America’s current politics, she fears Christian nationalists miss the real comparisons with Nazi Germany, including “threats to political enemies, the free press, and the Constitution, and calls to dehumanize certain groups of people, especially immigrants and refugees.”

 “The people who make comparisons with Nazi Germany and contemporary realities, they are just not doing the work,” she said.

It is worth pointing out that "Christian nationalist" and "Project 2025" have become catch-all references for anyone who identifies as a Christian and a conservative, opposes abortion and transing children, and may also hold a traditional view of marriage. The terms have become cudgels for silencing anyone whose views do not neatly align with the people in power, who wish to retain power, or those who permanently dwell in the fevered marshes of "Orange Man Bad." For that matter, the Left, in all of its incarnations, secular or otherwise, has no problem throwing around words like "Nazi" and 'fascist" to get its point across and browbeat dissenters into silence and submission.

Bonhoeffer would not have approved of the January 6 riot. He might not have approved of Trump's rhetoric. There are some factions of the conservative movement with which he would have taken issue. But would he have given his blessing to abortion on demand? Would he have smiled at the idea of a former British soldier being arrested for silently praying at an abortion clinic buffer zone and convicted in a court of committing an "act of disapproval of abortion?" 

Would he have approved of the press and the Democrats hiding Joe Biden's cognitive decline or the suppression of the Hunter Biden laptop story and dissenting views during the COVID-19 pandemic? Would he have been on board with the federal role in the George Floyd Riots? Would he have given the go-ahead nod to the pre-dawn FBI raid on Marck Houck's home? What about the harassment of parents who dared to speak out at school board meetings?

Would Bonhoeffer have encouraged the mutilation and drugging of children whose bodies and minds are still years away from development? Would he have approved of the sexualization of children in schools and "brunches?" Would he have lent his voice to the school curricula that actively seek to divide people by race and destroy the nuclear family? Would he have sent money, supplies, and support to the antisemitic campus marauders?

Bonhoeffer may well have instructed people to show compassion for immigrants. But would he have agreed with Alejandro Mayorkas knowingly lying about the "whipping" of Haitian migrants? Would Bonhoeffer have stood with the Democrats throwing open the borders and displacing Americans from schools, homes, and jobs to secure a voting bloc and destabilize the country? Would he have glossed over the situation in Aurora, Colo., or the deaths of people at the hands of violent illegal immigrants? Would he have agreed that the human traffickers, drug peddlers, and terrorists making use of a porous border is a non-issue? 

The answer to all of those questions is no. 

Notably, Bonhoeffer believed that people who choose the Christian life are mandated to engage in continuous and rigorous self-examination and regular course correction. He despised cheap grace, which seems to be in abundance these days in churches and beyond. 

We know that in terms of the secular Left, its denizens are driven by a lust for power cloaked in ostensibly high ideals. As to their Christian counterparts? Certainly, there are true progressive believers numbered among the Christian Left and plenty of good intentions. There is also the desire to win the approval of the world, especially since the ideas posited by progressives are popular and appear alluring. There is social credit to earn, after all. 

It is also entirely possible that these people have scented the wind and seen the future. They may simply want to ensure that they stay out of the crosshairs. As the old saying goes, they may be feeding the alligator in the hope that it will eat them last. The problem with that line of thinking is that the alligator may eat you last, but it will eventually get around to eating you.  

The irony is that the Left and its Christian apologists are unaware of their own fatal tectonic drift. They have never engaged in the kind of fierce inventory of themselves that Bonhoeffer would have demanded. They do not see what they are becoming. They can clearly see the flaws in their foes while remaining willfully ignorant of history and their own trajectory. Totalitarian regimes and dystopian countries always begin somewhere. Bitter plants begin as seeds, take root, and mature slowly. Those brave enough to point that out will find themselves in the proverbial "world of hurt." Just ask Gina Carano.     

In "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," there is the great line, "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." And Bonhoeffer has a legend attached to his name. Admittedly, I have not seen the film in question and am only peripherally familiar with Metaxas' work. 

I am in no position to opine on whether or not the filmmakers, Metaxas, and his peers have emphasized Bonhoeffer's role in the plot against Hitler at the expense of recognizing his body of work. I do know that the trend of people tossing about "Christian nationalism" and "Project 2025" while promoting the very kinds of things to which Bonhoeffer would have strenuously objected and becoming the very thing they claim to oppose is dangerous. Very dangerous.