Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy »

Eric Metaxas is the author of Everything You Always Wanted to Know About God (But Were Afraid to Ask) and thirty children's books. He is founder and host of Socrates in the City in New York City, where he lives with his wife and daughter. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Atlantic, Washington Post, Books & Culture, Christianity Today, Mars Hill Review, and First Things. He has written for VeggieTales and Rabbit Ears Productions, earning three Grammy nominations for Best Children's Recording.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Amazing Grace, a groundbreaking biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, one of the greatest heroes of the twentieth century, the man who stood up to Hitler.

A definitive, deeply moving narrative, Bonhoeffer is a story of moral courage in the face of the monstrous evil that was Nazism.

After discovering the fire of true faith in a Harlem church, Bonhoeffer returned to Germany and became one of the first to speak out against Hitler. As a double-agent, he joined the plot to assassinate the Fuhrer, and was hanged in Flossenberg concentration camp at age 39. Since his death, Bonhoeffer has grown to be one of the most fascinating, complex figures of the 20th century.

Bonhoeffer presents a profoundly orthodox Christian theologian whose faith led him to boldly confront the greatest evil of the 20th century, and uncovers never-before-revealed facts, including the story of his passionate romance.

Publishers Weekly

In this weighty, riveting analysis of the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Metaxas (Amazing Grace) offers a comprehensive review of one of history's darkest eras, along with a fascinating exploration of the familial, cultural and religious influences that formed one of the world's greatest contemporary theologians. A passionate narrative voice combines with meticulous research to unpack the confluence of circumstances and personalities that led Germany from the defeat of WWI to the atrocities of WWII. Abundant source documentation (sermons, letters, journal entries, lectures, the Barman Declaration) brings to life the personalities and experiences that shaped Bonhoeffer: his highly intellectual, musical family; theologically liberal professors, pastoral colleagues and students; his extensive study, work, and travel abroad. Tracing Bonhoeffer's developing call to be a Jeremiah-like prophet in his own time and a growing understanding that the church was called "to speak for those who could not speak," Metaxas details Bonhoeffer's role in religious resistance to Nazism, and provides a compelling account of the faith journey that eventually involved the Lutheran pastor in unsuccessful attempts to assassinate Hitler. Insightful and illuminating, this tome makes a powerful contribution to biography, history and theology.
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Contents

Foreword....................xiii
Prologue....................1
CHAPTER 1: Family and Childhood....................5
CHAPTER 2: Tübingen, 1923....................41
CHAPTER 3: Roman Holiday, 1924....................49
CHAPTER 4: Student in Berlin, 1924-27....................58
CHAPTER 5: Barcelona, 1928....................69
CHAPTER 6: Berlin, 1929....................88
CHAPTER 7: Bonhoeffer in America, 1930-31....................99
CHAPTER 8: Berlin, 1931-32....................119
CHAPTER 9: The Führer Principle, 1933....................138
CHAPTER 10: The Church and the Jewish Question....................150
CHAPTER 11: Nazi Theology....................165
CHAPTER 12: The Church Struggle Begins....................176
CHAPTER 13: The Bethel Confession....................183
CHAPTER 14: Bonhoeffer in London, 1934-35....................195
CHAPTER 15: The Church Battle Heats Up....................204
CHAPTER 16: The Conference at Fanø....................234
CHAPTER 17: The Road to Zingst and Finkenwalde....................246
CHAPTER 18: Zingst and Finkenwalde....................261
CHAPTER 19: Scylla and Charybdis, 1935-36....................278
CHAPTER 20: Mars Ascending, 1938....................302
CHAPTER 21: The Great Decision, 1939....................321
CHAPTER 22: The End of Germany....................347
CHAPTER 23: From Confession to Conspiracy....................358
CHAPTER 24: Plotting Against Hitler....................380
CHAPTER 25: Bonhoeffer Scores a Victory....................394
CHAPTER 26: Bonhoeffer in love....................405
CHAPTER 27: Killing Adolf Hitler....................423
CHAPTER 28: Cell 92 at Tegel Prison....................432
CHAPTER 29: Valkyrie and the Stauffenberg Plot....................475
CHAPTER 30: Buchenwald....................504
CHAPTER 31: On the Road to Freedom....................517
Notes....................545
Bibliography....................567
About the Author....................571
Acknowledgments....................575
Index....................577