A Month of Martyrdom: Dietrich Bonhoeffer
At the 2008 General Conference, Dietrich Bonhoeffer became the first martyr to be officially recognized by the United Methodist Church. What was so compelling about this man and his death? An ordained Lutheran clergy person and scholar of theology, Bonhoeffer was given the opportunity to flee from Nazi Germany during World War II, but he refused to do so. He heard a call to share in the suffering of his fellow Germans and Jewish neighbors and not abandon them for his own sake. As a vocal opponent of Nazism and the extermination of Jews, he was arrested, imprisoned, sent to an extermination camp, and then hanged for treason. All the while, Bonhoeffer wrote, preached, and taught “a love worth dying for,” and did so. As we live in a time when hatred can and does kill, we need to hear the call of Bonhoeffer to live out the profound love of Christ, even if we die doing so. This Sunday, discover the person behind the sainthood of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Associated Scripture: 2 Timothy 2: 3-10