Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s theology emerged from the intersection of several contesting streams of the Protestant tradition: high theological liberalism, and the ‘Luther renaissance’ and ‘dialectical theology’ movements of the early decades of the 20th century. It is marked by consistent and intense engagement with the Bible read as Christian Scripture and so centred upon Jesus Christ. To appreciate Bonhoeffer’s theology requires that we grasp his commitment to Christ as the self-communicative presence of the living God whose identity and agency determines not only Christian life and thought, but all of reality itself.

Bonhoeffer’s theology continues to influence the direction of contemporary Christian life as well as provoke serious theological reflection wherever it is engaged. Examining Bonhoeffer’s theology as a whole, this book points readers to the essential concerns of Bonhoeffer’s theology with an eye to the varied careers this theology has had since his death. Following an introductory discussion of his life and literary legacy, Part One considers Bonhoeffer’s christology, arguing for its decisive significance to his vision of the nature and tasks of Christian theology. Part Two traverses Bonhoeffer’s thought, treating in turn his ecclesiology, anthropology and ethics, and Christian politics. Exploration of each of these themes is deepened by examining the reception and impact Bonhoeffer’s theology upon the intense church struggles of the last half of the 20th century, particularly those within the former East Germany, North America, and South Africa under apartheid