The Christian scholar today and Bonhoeffer’s legacy of the transformative gospel

Abstract

This article seeks to draw some useful guiding principles for Christian scholars from Bonhoeffer’s work, applied primarily in the US context. These take note of: (1) the power and relevance of his contextual expression of the gospel message; (2) the intellectual and academic responsibility of his scholarship; (3) the distinctive elements of his ethics; and (4) his expression of the transformative symbiosis of the divine will and human agency. Based on these principles, recognised in Bonhoeffer’s historical and theological legacy, the article will explore the current legacy of Bonhoeffer’s work and contextualise it in the current battle for Christian values in society. Contribution: Within the current US political polarisation between forms of Christian nationalism and the anti-racist movement in the US, this article is a special contribution to the debate of Bonhoeffer’s theological or political momentum.

Keywords

• dietrich bonhoeffer
• ethics
• scholarship
• social justice
• bonhoeffer legacy.