Bonhoeffer traveled to New York City in the summer of 1930 to pursue further theological training, arriving in the U.S. as Hitler was beginning his rise to power in Germany. While at Union Theological Seminary, Bonhoeffer was mentored by Reinhold Niebuhr, regarded as the father of modern social ethics. Niebuhr’s influence on Bonhoeffer stimulated Bonhoeffer's thoughts on a more practical social engagement between the Church and the world. Bonhoeffer respected Niebuhr’s deep commitment to linking faith with practical social and political action.
Bonhoeffer's time in New York City exposed him to African American worship with spirituals and vigorous preaching styles. He became active at Harlem's Abyssinian Baptist Church where he taught Sunday School. Founded in 1808 to fight segregated seating, the church became a hub of social activism, civil rights, and community empowerment. Bonhoeffer's formation as a Lutheran pastor and activist clearly were shaped by his experiences at the historic church and Niebuhr's teaching and witness.
As a Lutheran Bonhoeffer advanced the "Two Kingdoms" (or two governances) theory of Martin Luther. He viewed the church and state as distinct "divine mandates," both subordinate to God but with separate roles: the state preserves earthly order through law, while the church proclaims the Gospel. Luther’s Two Kingdoms theory posits that God rules the world in two distinct ways: the spiritual kingdom (right hand) governs souls through the Gospel and grace, while the secular kingdom (left hand) restrains evil through law and the sword. Both are by God's authority but must be separate to prevent church interference in state politics and the state's interference with the Church's Gospel mission.
The best presentation of Bonhoeffer's view on State and Church can be found in his book Ethics, Section III. Here he articulates that true ethics involves taking active responsibility for others and engaging with reality rather than isolating oneself from the world's conflicts. He states that "whether or not government is aware of its own true basis, its task consists in maintaining by the power of the sword an outward justice in which life is preserved and is thus held open for Christ." He believed that "government serves Christ by its very existence."
Ethics was unfinished before Bonhoeffer died. It was edited and published after his death by Eberhard Bethge in 1949. Simon and Schuster published the first Touchstone Edition in 1995 (cover shown above).
Beginning in 1935, Bonhoeffer helped to establish an underground seminary for the Confessing Church in Finkenwalde (now Szczecin, Poland). Before its closure by the Gestapo in 1937, the community focused on spiritual formation, communal living, and training pastors to confront Nazi ideology and defend Gospel truth. Bonhoeffer believed that a "new monasticism" was needed to renew the Church which had become a passive in the face of the rising Nazi power. He was especially critical of German Christians who permitted Hitler to be their conscience (Ethics, pp.139-140). The experiment at Finkenwald resulted in two of Bonhoeffer's most significant works, Discipleship and Life Together.
Bonhoeffer's role in the Nazi resistance and in a failed assassination attempt on Hitler cost his life. He was executed on April 9, 1945, a few months before the end of World War II. He was 39 years old.
Beginning in 1935, Bonhoeffer helped to establish an underground seminary for the Confessing Church in Finkenwalde (now Szczecin, Poland). Before its closure by the Gestapo in 1937, the community focused on spiritual formation, communal living, and training pastors to confront Nazi ideology and defend Gospel truth. Bonhoeffer believed that a "new monasticism" was needed to renew the Church which had become a passive in the face of the rising Nazi power. He was especially critical of German Christians who permitted Hitler to be their conscience (Ethics, pp.139-140). The experiment at Finkenwald resulted in two of Bonhoeffer's most significant works, Discipleship and Life Together.
Bonhoeffer's role in the Nazi resistance and in a failed assassination attempt on Hitler cost his life. He was executed on April 9, 1945, a few months before the end of World War II. He was 39 years old.
