When Christ calls a man, he bids that man to come and die.” These words were written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a well-known Lutheran pastor and theologian, in The Cost of Discipleship, a book that has guided many faithful Christians since it was first published in 1937. Bonhoeffer lived his Christian call to holiness without counting the cost, and he did what God asked of him without qualification, reservation or question. He did not look over his shoulder and wonder why, but rather, he lived what he wrote, for, in the end, his call to discipleship, his ability to choose God over the world, cost him his life.

            Born in the state of Prussia in 1906, Bonhoeffer grew up in an academic environment near the University of Berlin where his father was a professor of neurology and psychiatry. In his own study of theology, Bonhoeffer became interested in the historical-critical method of Adolph von Harnack and was a disciple of Swiss theologian Karl Barth who promoted the new “theology of revelation.” After completing his doctorate, Bonhoeffer spent 1931 at New York’s Union Theological Seminary in a post-doctorate fellowship and exchange program. He then returned to Germany to resume duties that he had earlier begun as a pastor and writer. He became well known through his books, which sought a solution to the root evils of society. He proposed that the rather lax attitude towa

...approximately 1,194 words remaining. You are not logged in. Please see options at the top of this page to view complete sermon.