Thoughts about Bonhoeffer

    Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote an awesome book called The Cost of Discipleship, and one of the most amazing things about it is that he himself was martyred, and not just martyred, but killed by some of the most notoriously evil people, the Nazis, for plotting to get rid of one of the worst people ever, Hitler.  The story is kind of famous, but the emphasis among Christians is usually on Bonhoeffer’s willingness to die.  That is definitely a compelling thing, especially with his book in mind, but I think people would also benefit from looking at the reasons he died, and seeing that perhaps the more significant issue is that he was willing to kill. That kind of moral courage and sacrifice is not always appreciated as much as dying for something, but I think a lot of people could learn as much from that example as from Bonhoeffer’s willingness to put himself in danger. He cracked the code on what was happening and intended to do something that others did not see as urgent.  And as much as that courage is celebrated now, many people today are still sometimes slow to see the value of justice and the sacrifice of people who make the call on ridding this earth of evil leaders, of murderers and rapists, and of child abusers.