DESCRIPTION:

This course is designed to acquaint the student with the life and thought of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer's basic writings will be studied in connection with three stages of his life. The political and ecclesiastical factors which served as context for his life will be considered along with the development of his own theological insights. We will make a critical assessment of Bonhoeffer's thought and evaluate contributions which he has made to contemporary theology and Christian faith.

Students will be enabled to develop a critical theological basis for addressing ethical issues such as advocacy for the oppressed, Christian discipleship in the secular sphere, and the church's ministry to the marginalized in society through this course.

The class will meet for four hours each morning for two weeks. Class sessions will be devoted to lecture and discussion.

Approximately 1,500 pages of reading will be required for A grading track, with 1,000 pages for B grading track, from the following texts:

Bethge, Eberhard: Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Biography. Rev. ed. Fortress Press, 2000

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Discipleship. Fortress Press, 2000.

__________. Ethics. Simon and Schuster, 1995.

__________. Letters and Papers from Prison. Macmillan, 1972.

Wind, Renate. A Spoke in the Wheel: The Life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Eerdmans, 1992.

There will be no quizzes or examinations. Students may select either A level grading track or B level track. Those who select A level track will be required to turn in a reading journal and write an essay dealing with some aspect of Bonhoeffer's life and thought. The reading journal will cover the required reading and is to be no more than twenty pages in length. Students who select B level grading track are only required to turn in the essay.

The essay must be typed, double-spaced, and twelve to fifteen pages in length. It can deal with any subject of the student's choice within the purpose of the course. It will be due on Friday, August 24th, 5:00 p.m. Those on A level grading track must also turn in the reading journal along with the essay. For these students, the grade for the course will be determined by an evaluation of the reading journal as well as the essay.

None.

Elective.

None.