Peace and Violence in the Ethics of Dietrich Bonhoeffer

My first book entitled Peace and Violence in the Ethics of Dietrich Bonhoeffer: An Analysis of Method has finally been published! While the journey from writing to publishing took longer than expected (about four years), primarily because I had so many other academic ventures going on, I'm glad I found the time to get this done.

My approach is unique because I take Bonhoeffer's words seriously. When Bonhoeffer writes from Tegel Prison towards the end of his life that his thinking never changed on important matters of theology, I believe him. And the point of my book is to get past the narrative that has him moving from violence to peace and then from peace to violence. Bonhoeffer's consistency lies in the measured approach of his Christological ethic. But to understand his ethic is to understand his rejection of social ethics, including those that derive from biblical interpretations.

I was happy that Reinhard Krauss, an institution in Bonhoeffer scholarship and translator on the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Werkes Series that was translated over many years into English, agreed to read my book and then write the forward.

I hope my blog readers take the opportunity to purchase a copy and read this book. I think it will provide an appreciation for a man who under the most extraordinary circumstances remained true to his intellectual grid.