New class on Bonhoeffer

During the spring 2018 term, students were offered the opportunity to take a new 10-week class focused on the life and writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

The class, which was taught jointly by Tutor in Theology and Ethics Rev Dr Jon Coutts and Tutor in Christian Doctrine Dr Justin Stratis, worked chronologically through Bonhoeffer’s writings, from his dissertations to his posthumously published Ethics and Letters and Papers from Prison. In between, the group looked at Bonhoeffer’s time in Harlem, his Creation and Fall letters, his controversies with the National Socialists and the nationalised church, and his popular Discipleship and Life Together.

‘Learning about Bonhoeffer and reading his work has stretched me,’ says ordinand Emily Swinerd. ‘His life reflected the development of his theology. He was an inspired theologian.’

‘More than seventy years later, Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s question still demands a contemporary response: “Who is Jesus Christ for us today?”‘ says Dr Stratis. ‘In our module, students are challenged by Bonhoeffer’s prophetic vision, and they begin to think through how it might guide the church through the rough waters of the 21st century.’

The class on Bonhoeffer will be offered again to students this autumn (2018), and a new class on Calvin’s Institutes will be offered in the spring (2019).

Posted June 2018