Overview
- Investigates the theological and political ideas of Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- Explores the political implications of Bonhoeffer's popularity with evangelical Americans
- Critically analyzes Bonhoeffer's writing during and preceding his conspiracy involvement
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About this book
Theologian. Conspirator. Martyr. Saint. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was killed in the waning days of World War II, having been implicated in the July 20th assassination attempt on Hitler. Since his death, Bonhoeffer’s life and writings have inspired contradictory responses. He is often seen as a model for Christian pacifist resistance, and more recently for violent direct political action. Bonhoeffer’s name has been invoked by violent anti-abortion protestors as well as political leaders calling for support on a ‘war on terror’ in the aftermath of 9/11. Petra Brown critically analyses Bonhoeffer’s writing preceding and during his conspiracy involvement, particularly his recurring concept of the ‘extraordinary.’ Brown examines this idea in light of ‘the state of exception,’ a concept coined by the one-time Nazi jurist and political theorist, Carl Schmitt. She also draws on the existentialist philosopher Sören Kierkegaard to consider what happens when discipleship is understood as obedience to a divine command. This book aims to complicate an unreflective admiration of Bonhoeffer’s decision for conspiracy, and draws attention to the potentially dangerous implications of his emerging political theology.
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Keywords
Table of contents (10 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Reviews
“Petra Brown’s book offers a new way of looking into Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s deci[1]sion to conspire to kill Hitler and the subsequent public allure of it. … Brown’s book is an excellent addition to the voluminous Bonhoeffer literature.” (Efren Alverio II, Evangelical Quarterly, Vol. 94 (3), 2023)
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Petra Brown is a lecturer in philosophy at Deakin University, Australia.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Bonhoeffer
Book Subtitle: God’s Conspirator in a State of Exception
Authors: Petra Brown
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05698-8
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Religion and Philosophy, Philosophy and Religion (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-05697-1Published: 16 January 2019
eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-05698-8Published: 04 January 2019
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XV, 206
Number of Illustrations: 1 b/w illustrations
Topics: Christian Theology, History of World War II and the Holocaust, Moral Philosophy