Bonhoeffer Weekend
Lutheran congregations in the Beaverton and Hillsboro area are collaborating to support these timely events. This is a collaboration between Spirit of Grace, St. Matthew Lutheran, St. Andrew Lutheran, Calvary Lutheran, and Shepherd of the Valley.
Workshop
When: Saturday, October 25
Time: 9:30AM- Noon
Where: St. Andrew Lutheran, Beaverton
Click button below or sign up here.
German Lutheran pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer may be best known for his bold, courageous involvement in the conspiracy against Hitler, for which he was executed by the Nazis on April 9, 1945. But in this workshop Dr. Brocker will focus on how Bonhoeffer’s approach to ethics combined both courage and humility in a way desperately needed in our context. To a significant extent, the content of Bonhoeffer’s Ethics reflects the time in which it was written. Nonetheless, his ethical approach is as relevant for us today as it was in the time of Nazi Germany. It can be applied to both ordinary and extraordinary situations. It emphasizes dependence on God’s grace and yet affirms that human beings have real responsibility for history. It recognizes that we are called to act with boldness and courage, but always with a profound sense of ethical humility.
During the first part of the workshop, Dr. Brocker will offer a presentation entitled “With Courage and Humility: Bonhoeffer’s Ethical Approach for Us Today,” based on a paper he presented in January 2024 at the XIV International Bonhoeffer Congress in Sydney, Australia. He is under contract with Fortress Press to publish a book by that title in 2026. During the second part of the workshop, Dr. Brocker will lead participants in doing a case study utilizing a discernment process inspired by Bonhoeffer’s ethical approach.
Lecture
When: Saturday, October 25
Time: 7:00- 8:30PM
Where: St. Matthew Lutheran, Beaverton
“Life Together as Resistance”
Two days after Hitler came to power in Germany on January 30, 1933, Bonhoeffer was on the radio warning the German people of the dangers of making an idol out of the political leader. For the rest of Bonhoeffer’s life, until he was executed by the Nazis on April 9, 1945, for his role in a conspiracy to assassinate Hitler, he struggled to find ways to resist the Nazi regime. In 1935 Bonhoeffer faced a decision of whether: (1) to continue as pastor of two German-speaking congregations in London; or (2) to travel to India to study non-violent resistance under Gandhi; or (3) to accept an invitation to direct one of the Confessing Church’s illegal seminaries. Bonhoeffer accepted the invitation to direct the Finkenwalde Seminary. In 1939 he published Life Together, an account of the community life that he and his seminarians shared in which they sought to make clear that their ultimate loyalty was to Jesus, not to a political leader. Their life together was an act of resistance. In what ways is our life together in communities of faith an act of resistance in our context?
Worship and Adult Forum
When: Sunday, October 26
Time: 10:00AM-12:15PM
Where: Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, Beaverton
Dr. Mark Brocker, will give a sermon, “A Miracle of Divine Mercy.” God’s deep love for the world was the firm ground on which Dietrich Bonhoeffer took his stand in his resistance to Hitler and the Nazis. In Ethics he affirms that “the central message of the New Testament is that in Christ God has loved the world and reconciled it with himself.” Bonhoeffer emphasizes that the world God loves is not some ideal, but the real world, the lost and condemned world. One marvels that this strong affirmation of love was written in the early years of World War II when Hitler and the Nazis were at the zenith of their power.
Adult Forum (After worship, 11:15-12:30PM):
“What Does It Mean to Tell the Truth?”
Bonhoeffer wrote his essay “What Does It Mean to Tell the Truth?” while he was being interrogated by the Nazis. In the typical understanding of telling the truth he was lying through his teeth to protect not only himself but also his family members and fellow conspirators. For Bonhoeffer “telling the truth” is a matter of speaking the necessary, life-giving word in a given situation. One’s intentions and the real circumstances must be taken into account. As Bonhoeffer explains, some public leaders are incapable of telling the truth because they lack a firm grasp of reality.