Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Ideology, Praxis and his Influence on the Theology of Liberation

This article traces Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s transition from orthodoxy to orthopraxy. As his life and thought moved ever deeper into resisting Nazism, Bonhoeffer was eventually executed in 1945 in punishment for aiding plots to assasinate Hitler. I argue that the path that led to his praxis of resistan...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Political theology
Main Author: Wiedersheim, Keith Andrew (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group 2022
In: Political theology
Year: 2022, Volume: 23, Issue: 8, Pages: 721-738
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Bonhoeffer, Dietrich 1906-1945 / Liberation theology / Orthopraxie / Christology
IxTheo Classification:FD Contextual theology
KAJ Church history 1914-; recent history
NBF Christology
NCD Political ethics
Further subjects:B Liberation Theology
B Orthopraxy
B Ideology
B Bonhoeffer
B Utopia
Online Access: Volltext (kostenfrei)
Description
Summary:This article traces Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s transition from orthodoxy to orthopraxy. As his life and thought moved ever deeper into resisting Nazism, Bonhoeffer was eventually executed in 1945 in punishment for aiding plots to assasinate Hitler. I argue that the path that led to his praxis of resistance to Nazi oppression is significantly different from orthopraxy as a 'first act' in the Theology of Liberation which arose later in Latin America. Although Bonhoeffer’s work has influenced the Theology of Liberation, I show that his orthopraxy is based on a liberative Christology which, unlike the liberative Christology of the Theology of Liberation, steers as far as possible from political ideology. I claim that, to interpret Bonhoeffer, one must tackle his ideological deconstruction of religion and politics, Church and State. What we discover is a liberation theology based on imitatio Christi.
ISSN:1743-1719
Contains:Enthalten in: Political theology
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/1462317X.2021.1925438