One of my favorite research papers to write was one on Christian German resistance during World War II. My past life is brim-full of God’s goodness and my sins are covered by the forgiving love of Christ crucified.” You must never doubt that I’m traveling with gratitude and cheerfulness along the road where I’m being led. I am so sure of God’s guiding hand that I hope I shall always be kept in that certainty. “Please don’t ever get anxious or worry about me, but don’t forget to pray for me – I’m sure you don’t. Bonhoeffer’s story seems as vitally relevant, as politically prophetic, and as theologically significant today, as it did yesterday.Īnother fantastic one for my quote series: Letters from Bonhoeffer’s parents, siblings, and other relatives have also been added, in addition to previously inaccessible letters and legal papers referring to his trial.Īcute and subtle, warm and perceptive, yet also profoundly moving, the documents collectively tell a very human story of loss, of courage, and of hope. His letters appear in greater detail and show his daily concerns. This expanded version of Letters and Papers from Prison shifts the emphasis of earlier editions of Bonhoeffer’s theological reflections to the private sphere of his life. One of the great classics of prison literature, Letters and Papers from Prison effectively serves as the last will and testament of the Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer.ĭietrich Bonhoeffer was a young German pastor who was executed by the Nazis in 1945 for his part in the “officers’ plot” to assassinate Adolf Hitler.

Letters and papers from prison