Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, born in Breslau in 1906, became a leading Protestant theologian shaped by Karl Barth’s theology of revelation. He opposed Nazi ideology from the outset, joining the Confessing Church to resist state control of Christianity. His writings, especially The Cost of Discipleship, emphasized radical obedience to Christ and the rejection of “cheap grace.” Working covertly in military intelligence, he aided Jewish escape efforts and was implicated in the 1944 plot against Hitler. Arrested in 1943, he wrote profound reflections from prison, later published as Letters and Papers from Prison. Executed at Flossenbürg in April 1945, Bonhoeffer remains a symbol of faith, courage, and moral resistance.
“Only he who believes is obedient, and only he who is obedient believes.”