Dietrich Bonhoeffer – Christian existence on the edge of the future

Abstract

This paper deals with reflections on the relevance of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s legacy for Christian existence in our present world. To do so, the author first concentrates on a specific aspect of Bonhoeffer’s life, the continuous movement of return and new beginning, which is displayed by three stations of his life. Following, the author describes a single characteristic of Bonhoeffer’s theology, the priority of questions over answers, shown likewise by three of his central questions. As in present times Christians are confronted with innumerable challenges that ask for an answer, this paper concludes by taking Bonhoeffer’s three just interpreted questions as indicators for three case studies en miniature on Christian responsibility with regard to the future. In this way, the author wishes to present suggestions for an ethics of responsibility as part of public theology, inspired by the legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.