Title: Bonhoeffer–Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy
Author: Eric Metaxas
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Date: 2010
Pages: 608

Bonhoeffer–Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy (book review)

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German pastor during the time Adolf Hitler rose to prominence and brought on the holocaust. Eric Metaxas writes a biography of Bonhoeffer’s life. It begins with his childhood and ends with his death.

At a very young age, Bonhoeffer had finished getting a college degree in theology. He became a minister and was willing to tell the church that they needed to live their whole life for God, not just a part of it.

Bonhoeffer recognized the dangers of what Hitler was bringing to Germany and warned the church to take a stand against him. Bonhoeffer was not one to just ‘go with the flow’ that everyone else was willing to do. In doing this, he made various church leaders very angry and caught the attention of Hitler. With that attention, Bonhoeffer was eventually placed in prison and later killed for his stand.

While in prison, Bonhoeffer kept his focus upon God. He believed that he had to die to self and to live for God and that the death was the greatest victory for the believer. Death would usher the believer into eternity with God.

Eric does an excellent job at looking at the whole life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer with what can be known about him. Throughout the book, there are many quotes from Bonhoeffer and others. Whole letters that were written by Bonhoeffer are included.

Although this is a long book, I highly encourage one to read it. The life of Bonhoeffer will challenge a believer to take a real stand for God’s word and His truth in this fallen world. One can see many parallels between Germany and Hitler and what is occurring today in America and other places around the world, and how the church responded in both times.