Most of us are familiar with the name Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Many of us have read, or have at least heard of, his books Life Together and The Cost of Discipleship. But do you really know who Dietrich Bonhoeffer is? Eric Metaxas has written Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy to show us the amazing life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer lived a life in constant pursuit of God's will. He tried to always do what needed to be done when no one else would do it. When in Seminary, Bonhoeffer dared to go against the liberal theology of his professor Adolf von Harnack. He, instead, sought to teach the truths of the Bible and followed instead the theology of Karl Barth. In the 30's and 40's, Bonhoeffer had to make a different kind of stand, but for the same truths. He stood against the Nazi regime and how it wanted to distort and abuse the church. Bonoeffer helped to organize the Confessing Church when the German church allowed the Nazis to take over. He ultimately involved himself in a plot to kill Hitler believing this to be the only course of action to save his country and the countless lives that were being destroyed by Hitler and the Nazis. It is this plot that led to Bonhoeffer's arrest and execution.
Eric Metaxas has done a phenomenal job of telling the story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his struggles. While reading this, I was continually amazed at the amount of detail that Metaxas was able to put into this single volume. His work not only covers the life of Bonhoeffer, but gives detailed history of Germany during the life of Bonhoeffer. Metaxas is able to give a much larger glimpse into history. This book is nothing short of fantastic. There is only one negative thing I can say about it. It is thick. It is a big book with a lot to say. It takes a long time to read, BUT it is well worth the time invested in reading this book. I would encourage anyone to read this book. This is an amazing read for anyone who loves history ( especially World War II) or is interested in Dietrich Bonhoeffer himself. It's now out in paperback, and even though it make take you a long time read, you will not regret it.
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