Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin. Movie (2024)

 

As a boy, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, is portrayed in the new Bonhoeffer movie, as aggressive, energetic and loving. As a man he is depicted as an open minded, eclectic, energetic, fearless, uncompromising, and who stood for and on the truth.

He lived in Germany in the early part of the 20^th century. There were several scenes in the movie where Bonhoeffer visited several countries including the United States and the United Kingdom. He even is seen playing the piano in a jazz club in the U.S.

He belonged to the German Lutheran Church. He was a seminary graduate. He served as a pastor at the time of the rise and bloody reign of Adolf Hitler. Unlike many of his fellow pastors he rejected the church’s subjecting itself to the heavy-handed Hitler. You see Hitler expected the German people and church to bow in reverence to him instead of to the true God. Hitler carried out his plan to exterminate the Jewish race and other inferior persons. Bonhoeffer fought him the best he could.

On the CoachDaveLive.com daily podcast on Monday,10/18/2024, there was a discussion contrasting the 1^st Century Church and the 21^st Century Church. The early church could be characterized by three C’s: courage, confrontation, and conquest. This body of believers at that time were active and involved in what was going on in the culture. Today’s church could also be summarized by 3 C’s: comfort, compromise, and cowardice. Bonhoeffer, as the movie reveals, fits more in the mold of the 1^st Century than today’s Church.

The movie indicts the modern-day church, which for several reasons ignores the moral decay and evil rampant in today’s culture. It uses the Bonhoeffer life story to do just that. Today the Church remains mostly silent on abortion (the murder of pre-born humans), sexual deviancy (taught in our schools and widespread on broadcast and social media), destruction of the family, etc.

Bonhoeffer took a stand against the evil of his day and went to a premature death at the gallows joyfully. Will we and our leaders dare emulate this valent soldier?

This Angel Studio production is currently playing locally (through Monday, 10/25/2024). Everyone, especially Christ-followers, should see this inspirational film.