Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy (Hardcover)

I had heard of Bonhoeffer prior to reading this book, and I had some basic knowledge of his theological beliefs and of the fact that he had participated in a plot to assassinate Hitler. I thought that was probably all I needed to know about the man, so I was hesitant when a former college professor (an old friend of many years) recommended this biography as a must-read. I probably would not have read it but for that recommendation, but I'm definitely glad I did: There is much more to Bonhoeffer than I had previously suspected, and the details of his life and theology are well worth exploring.Metaxas does an excellent job detailing the Bonhoeffer family history (and the family's legacy). The explanation of Bonhoeffer's theology and its evolution over the course of Bonhoeffer's life is thorough and substantive, but not so complex that one needs a philosophy/theology/seminary degree to comprehend it. Metaxas frequently offers insightful analysis regarding how...Read more

On the morning of April 9, 1945, German pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer was executed at Flossenburg concentration camp. The camp doctor, H. Fischer-Hullstrung, later remembered:Just "I saw Pastor Bonhoeffer kneeling on the floor, praying fervently to God...so certain that God heard his prayer...I have hardly ever seen a man die so entirely submissive to the will of God."Others testified that, up to his last day, the 39 year old Bonhoeffer remained cheerful. He knew what he had to do, was reconciled to God's will, and was able to climb the steps to the gallows "brave and composed."Who was this man who died so bravely--who Hitler himself, from his bunker beneath Berlin just three weeks before his suicide, ordered to be "destroyed?" He's the subject of best-selling author Eric Metaxas's new biography, "Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy."Shortly after his conversion in 1988, Metaxas read Bonhoeffer's The Cost of...Read more