Christian moral action Flashcards

Question

Bonhoeffer quote on being passive

Answer 1

"Silence in the face of evil is evil itself"

Answer 2

"No rusty swords" Encourages Christians to engage with the world with in date ideologies

Answer 3

Reaching peace and justice requires engagement with current politics and ideologies.

Answer 4

Bonhoeffer criticised mainstream Christianity for preaching ‘cheap grace’, the idea that just believing and saying the right things without actually doing what’s needed – will save you. E.g. in Catholicism you simply have to confess your sins to be saved.

Answer 5

“Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ”

Answer 6

Bonhoeffer says true grace is costly because it requires actually “following” Jesus. Jesus said to be his disciple you "should pick up your cross and follow him" (Mark 8). The imagery of the cross refers to Jesus’ willingness to sacrifice and even suffer to do what’s right. He didn’t just sacrifice and suffer for its own sake, but for others. Bonhoeffer is arguing this is what all Christians must be prepared to do..

Answer 7

arguably his idea of costly grace is irrelevant today. We aren’t in Nazi Germany. We’re not going to need to suffer or do civil disobedience like that to achieve grace. Bonhoeffer’s emphasis on suffering is radically disconnected from the life of many people today, especially in developed countries

Answer 8

Picking up your cross might not require suffering, but it at least requires sacrifice and the risk of suffering. Sacrifice is still relevant today – there are still problems like sexism, racism, war and climate change that all require sacrifice and maybe even suffering to combat.

Answer 9

Martin Luther King. Bonhoeffer would have likely approved of King’s actions, because they worked to resist evil in his time. That is ultimately Bonhoeffer’s approach. His ethics is stated in a timeless and universal way, to do whatever it takes to resist evil. There is always some sacrifice a person could do to make the world a better place. Bonhoeffer is saying that’s what is required for grace.

Answer 10

Bonhoeffer was a lutheran and followed Martin Luther’s argument that we should generally obey the rulers of a state because order is useful for sinful creatures. However, if a ruler acts against God’s will – Christianity should act as a check on state power and Christians should engage in civil disobedience even if it causes them suffering (Bonhoeffer was executed) since that solidarity is the cost of discipleship.

Answer 11

Bonhoeffer’s first civil disobedience was being part of the confessing church with Karl Barth. They resisted Nazi control, because the Nazis created rules for Churches. Barth created the Barman declaration which said the state doesn’t have the right to impose rules, such as the Nazi rule that tried to ban Jews who converted and became priests. The Nazis shut the confessing church down in response. Then, Bonhoeffer started an illegal secret seminary at Finkenwalde, which was further civil disobedience. The plot to kill hitler is an extreme case of civil disobedience, arguably going beyond the ‘civil’ aspect.

Answer 12

A moral system which justifies evil acts (like killing) as God’s will is argued to be dangerous. Bonhoeffer recommended civil disobedience against rulers who acted against God. He took part in the plot to kill Hitler because of this theology. That might have made sense in his time and situation, but is not relevant today. This is because his principle is suggesting that if a Christian thinks that the ruler of a state is acting against God to a serious degree, then it’s ok to kill them. Bonhoeffer is arguably justifying the assassination of politicians!

Answer 13

Knowing God’s will is totally subjective, as shown by the Nazis themselves thinking God was on their side.

Answer 14

Bonhoeffer’s theology could justify anyone’s views, because anyone can think they are doing God’s will. Even American president George Bush claimed to be inspired by Bonhoeffer in starting the war in Iraq, which is now generally viewed as a disaster. Paul Hill killed an abortion doctor and claimed to be inspired by Bonhoeffer.

Answer 15

Bonhoeffer says that to follow God’s will you have to meditate on the bible in a christian community like at Finkenwalde. Clearly none of these people (George Bush and Paul Hill) who misused his theology did that. So they weren’t really following Bonhoeffer.

Answer 16

Moral action, even if it risks suffering, is crucial to Christian ethics. He justified this through his analysis of our fallen state and the terrible consequences of not acting.

Answer 17

For evil to triumph, all that is required is for good people to do nothing.

Answer 18

Taking part in violence goes against the apparently clear will of God as stated in the Bible, and Jesus’ teachings and actions. Jesus never hurt anyone – he said turn the other cheek and ‘do not resist an evil person’ – but Bonhoeffer is not doing that – not turning his cheek to Hitler. In Romans 13 St Paul says we should obey the rulers. This makes Bonhoeffer’s teachings seem unbiblical and thus irrelevant to Christians.

Answer 19

Bonhoeffer had a neo-orthodox view of the Bible, inspired by Karl Barth – that the bible was not the perfect word of God – but is nonetheless a miraculous document. If you put aside your own personal desires/feelings, you might be able to hear the word of God ‘through’ the Bible, like a religious experience. You can still never be sure of God’s will, but this is the best guidance we can hope for in our fallen state.

Christian moral action Flashcards

(44 cards)