Retrieving a Theology and Methodology for Community in the Local Church from Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Life Together

Abstract

In his book Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer showed that Christian community is created and maintained in Christ through the ordinary means of grace and spiritual disciplines. Chapter 1 surveys the prominent literature on Bonhoeffer and displays the need for applying Life Together to the local church. Chapter 2 explores Bonhoeffer’s life and major theological writings, showing the progression of his major theological emphases. Chapter 3 details the historical context of Life Together looking back from Martin Luther to the time of Bonhoeffer. Chapter 4 is a detailed summary of Life Together, which also explores the various sources and biblical texts Bonhoeffer used. Chapter 5 traces major theological themes in Life Together, from their beginning in Bonhoeffer’s early work to his time in Finkenwalde and weighs the biblical fidelity of Bonhoeffer’s theology of community. Chapter 6 looks at how Life Together can be retrieved and applied in the context of a contemporary local church.