Review of “Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy” a biography written by Eric Metaxas.
I was looking forward to reading this book as I had long been a fan of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I was particularly eager to see how Metaxas would reconcile Bonhoeffer’s discipleship in the way of Jesus and his commitment to non-violence with his participation in the plot to assassinate Hitler. Although Metaxas thoroughly builds the rationale for Bonhoeffer’s eventual participation in the conspiracy as an act of obedience in his commitment to Christ, I felt that he underplayed his belief in and commitment to non-violence. The pieces were there, such as the central place of Jesus’ “sermon on the mount” in Bonhoeffer’s theology and his links to the Moravians through early influences in his mother’s life and the presence of the van Horn sister’s in the Bonhoeffer home as caregivers for the children. Also Metaxas implies that Bonhoeffer had more than a passing interest in Ghandi’s life and teaching. However Metaxas never really draws these pieces together to show how these lead to a commitment to non-violence, if not pacifism, in Bonhoeffer’s theology, something that I believe makes for greater creative tension and ambivalence in his story.
Given the extent to which Metaxas uses material from Bonhoeffer’s friend Eberhard Bethge in this book, one could wonder why another biography was needed as Bethge has already written a rather extensive biography on Bonhoeffer. One wonders what Metaxas work adds to what Bonhoeffer’s friend has already written. Metaxas quotes extensively from source material, sometimes to the extent that the prose becomes a little tedious. I also found that it was not always easy to follow the development of the narrative because of the way Metaxas tended to flash forward and back from cited dates in the narrative. I found that I frequently had to refer back to a previously cited date to re-establish where I was in the time line. I would have appreciated some maps to establish the geographical context at several points in the story.
All in all, I appreciated this refresher on Bonhoeffer’s life and the context in which he lived out his discipleship. His life and teaching continue to inspire admiration and respect for the man and his insights into the Christian life.
This book has been provided courtesy of Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available now at your favourite bookseller.
