Reassessing Bonhoeffer: A Cautionary Tale for Today

In a world increasingly drawn to the allure of simplified narratives and clear-cut moral battles, the legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer stands as a profound challenge. Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, a recent film purportedly exploring Bonhoeffer’s life and choices, has sparked significant critique—not for illuminating his complex theology, but for dangerously distorting it. As Mac Loftin writes in The Christian Century¹Loftin, M. (2024, November 21). The new Bonhoeffer movie isn’t just bad. It’s dangerous. The Christian Century. https://www.christiancentury.org/features/new-bonhoeffer-movie-isn-t-just-bad-it-s-dangerous, the film is “not just bad. It’s dangerous,” misrepresenting Bonhoeffer’s profound moral struggling to fit a narrative that primes viewers for violence.

To understand the gravity of this distortion, it’s essential to revisit Bonhoeffer’s work and the theological nuances that defined his stance during one of history’s darkest periods. Contrary to the film’s portrayal of him as a decisively righteous warrior, Bonhoeffer’s letters and writings reveal a man acutely aware of his moral ambiguity. Bonhoeffer famously declared, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die”²Bonhoeffer, D. (1959). The Cost of Discipleship. New York, NY: Touchstone. , but he never saw this as a call to simplistic, violent heroism.

The notion of a “Bonhoeffer moment,” where the clarity of good versus evil purportedly justifies extreme actions, dangerously oversimplifies Bonhoeffer’s complex views on ethics and morality. Bonhoeffer himself, tortured by his involvement in the conspiracy to assassinate Adolf Hitler, never believed such action could be morally pure. He wrote, “We are not simply to bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice; we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself”³Bonhoeffer, D. (1997). Letters and Papers from Prison. New York, NY: Touchstone.. Yet, he saw this act as fraught with moral failure, constantly reminding that “any sense of moral clarity we might feel is always an illusion”⁴Loftin, M. (2024, November 21). para. 6. The new Bonhoeffer movie isn’t just bad. It’s dangerous. The Christian Century. https://www.christiancentury.org/features/new-bonhoeffer-movie-isn-t-just-bad-it-s-dangerous.

The film misleads with scenes where Bonhoeffer appears unwavering in his moral certainties, countering what he truly expressed about the murky waters of ethical decision-making. Such representations ignore his declarations about the “huge masquerade of evil,” where evil disguises itself as good, an insight profoundly rooted in his theological critique of fascism⁵Loftin, M. (2024, November 21). para. 12. The new Bonhoeffer movie isn’t just bad. It’s dangerous. The Christian Century. https://www.christiancentury.org/features/new-bonhoeffer-movie-isn-t-just-bad-it-s-dangerous. Bonhoeffer’s actual writings often reflected a haunting awareness of the impossibility of pure ethical choices amid pervasive evil.

Silence in the face of evil is itself evil:
God will not hold us guiltless.
Not to speak is to speak.
Not to act is to act.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

As Loftin⁶Loftin, M. (2024, November 21). The new Bonhoeffer movie isn’t just bad. It’s dangerous. The Christian Century. https://www.christiancentury.org/features/new-bonhoeffer-movie-isn-t-just-bad-it-s-dangerous critiques, the film concludes by sanctifying Bonhoeffer’s decision with an air of moral purity—a misstep that extends the dangerous misinterpretation to viewers, who are invited to see themselves in similar deceptive clarity. The real Bonhoeffer felt far from pure. He wondered deeply, “Are we still of any use?” as he grappled with the inescapable sin in actions taken, no matter how seemingly justified⁷Loftin, M. (2024, November 21). para 28. The new Bonhoeffer movie isn’t just bad. It’s dangerous. The Christian Century. https://www.christiancentury.org/features/new-bonhoeffer-movie-isn-t-just-bad-it-s-dangerous.

For contemporary audiences, it’s vital to approach Bonhoeffer’s legacy with the depth it demands. His life offers neither easy answers nor endorsements for violent solutions to perceived tyrannies. Instead, Bonhoeffer’s “moment” reminds us of the perpetual and complex implication in systems of sin, where clear moral paths are non-existent, and every choice involves wrestling with imperfection.

In remembering Bonhoeffer, let us resist the temptation for simplicity that films like Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy offer. Instead, may we grapple with the earnestness of his struggles, understanding that it is within these struggles, rather than their oversimplification, that his true legacy lies. As we reflect on our own moral decisions, may his prayerful plea for forgiveness in the face of insurmountable wrongs echo as a call to diligent, humble discernment in our pursuit of justice and peace.

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References

• 1
  Loftin, M. (2024, November 21). The new Bonhoeffer movie isn’t just bad. It’s dangerous. The Christian Century. https://www.christiancentury.org/features/new-bonhoeffer-movie-isn-t-just-bad-it-s-dangerous
• 2
  Bonhoeffer, D. (1959). The Cost of Discipleship. New York, NY: Touchstone.
• 3
  Bonhoeffer, D. (1997). Letters and Papers from Prison. New York, NY: Touchstone.
• 4
  Loftin, M. (2024, November 21). para. 6. The new Bonhoeffer movie isn’t just bad. It’s dangerous. The Christian Century. https://www.christiancentury.org/features/new-bonhoeffer-movie-isn-t-just-bad-it-s-dangerous
• 5
  Loftin, M. (2024, November 21). para. 12. The new Bonhoeffer movie isn’t just bad. It’s dangerous. The Christian Century. https://www.christiancentury.org/features/new-bonhoeffer-movie-isn-t-just-bad-it-s-dangerous
• 6
  Loftin, M. (2024, November 21). The new Bonhoeffer movie isn’t just bad. It’s dangerous. The Christian Century. https://www.christiancentury.org/features/new-bonhoeffer-movie-isn-t-just-bad-it-s-dangerous
• 7
  Loftin, M. (2024, November 21). para 28. The new Bonhoeffer movie isn’t just bad. It’s dangerous. The Christian Century. https://www.christiancentury.org/features/new-bonhoeffer-movie-isn-t-just-bad-it-s-dangerous

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