The church as community and source of spiritual discipline Learning objective: To know key information about the ‘Confessing Church’ To evaluate why Bonhoeffer first supported the ‘Confessing Church’ and then criticised it. Key Words Discipleship Solidarity Costly grace Passion

Matthew 5:13-16 What is this passage teaching about Christian communities? Bonhoeffer writes, ‘The followers are a visible community; their discipleship visible in action which lifts them out of the world – otherwise it would not be discipleship.’ What type of things might Christians do as examples of their ‘discipleship in action’? What good works do Christians do?

From last lesson… “…the time is fulfilled for the German people in Hitler. It is because of Hitler that Christ, God the helper and redeemer, has become effective among us. Therefore National Socialism is positive Christianity in action…Hitler is the way of the Spirit and the will of God for the German people to enter the church of Christ”. (Hermann Gruner – a spokesperson for the ‘German Christians’.)

The Confessing Church This was the breakaway church that rejected Nazi ideology (in 1934) Skim read the ‘Theological Declaration of Barmen’, written by Karl Barth and the confessing church in Nazi Germany in response to Hitler's national church. Bullet point its key teaching.

p.419-420 blue book What was Bonhoeffer asked to do in 1935? What did they do in the seminary? Why might Bonhoeffer have decided to be involved with this? What did he say the church community must be? Why did Bonhoeffer go on to criticise the Confessing Church?