Theological Journal – June 3 Why Turn to Bonhoeffer: Jeffrey Pugh
Monday Bonhoeffer scholar Jeff Pugh offered five reasons to turn to Bonhoeffer in this crisis-ridden time in a webinar. Drawing from Bonhoeffer’s reflection in Letters and Papers “After Ten Years” Pugh derives the following benefits Bonhoeffer brings to a such a time: 1. A needed vision of what we should be standing in this historical moment The view “from below,” the perspective of the suffering is where God is found, where God’s people must stand if they are to see and hear clearly what God is doing where he is present. This entails vigorous, uncompromising truth-telling : suffering happens, we need to repent of white supremacy, how the view from top looks, that is, how is power marshalled and deployed against people, a stripping away illusions. 2. failing to see others in their suffering leads to contempt for others ; but God does not hold us in contempt, however deserving of it we may be,...