Reading _Ethics_ with Bonhoeffer (CT9810T)

Content

In this unit students will engage with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, described as ‘the one German theologian who will lead us into the third millennium’ through a structured, facilitated reading as a group through one of his last major publications. Students will locate Bonhoeffer in his historical, theological, and political context, providing the necessary background for understanding his thought. Students will also encounter key themes and terms that emerge in Ethics, through which Bonhoeffer’s fragmentary prison writings can be better appreciated.

Learning outcomes

Unit sequence

at least one unit of CT Or, at least one unit of DT

Pedagogy

Participation in this unit assumes some knowledge of basic theological concepts as well as some understanding of the various ways theology and ethics intersect. Students will build on this foundational knowledge through exposure to a ground-breaking primary text in theological history, and by the opportunity to explore the innovations and challenges that emerged from the text in the context of a facilitated close reading.

Indicative Bibliography

• Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Ethics, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, Volume 6, (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2009).
• Stanley Hauerwas, Performing the Faith: Bonhoeffer and the Practice of Nonviolence, (London: SPCK, 2004).
• Stephen R. Haynes, The Bonhoeffer Phenomenon: Portraits of a Protestant Saint, (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2004).
• Mark R. Lindsay, ‘Same-Sex Marriage, the Australian Christian Lobby and the Politicisation of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’, in The Bonhoeffer Legacy: Australasian Journal of Bonhoeffer Studies, 1.1 (2013), 16-33.
• Andreas Pangritz, Karl Barth in the Theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, trans. B & M. Rumscheidt, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000).
• Stephen J. Plant, Bonhoeffer, (London / New York: Continuum, 2004).
• Stephen J. Plant, Taking Stock of Bonhoeffer: Studies in Biblical Interpretation and Ethics, (Farnham / Burlington: Ashgate, 2014).
• Craig J. Slane, Bonhoeffer as Martyr: Social responsibility and Modern Christian Commitment, (Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2004).

Assessment