April 9, 2022 - Once in a great while, we encounter a person who isn't afraid to speak truth to power. A person who puts their own safety at risk, in order to stand up for what is right. The German pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer was just such a person.
Bonhoeffer was born in 1906, and as a teenager he surrendered to the ministry. He studied first in his native Germany, and then attended seminary in New York City. While there, he taught Sunday School at a black church in Harlem, and developed a love for spirituals. Bonhoeffer returned to Germany in 1931, and soon Adolf Hitler rose to power. The young Lutheran pastor was one of the few men of God with enough courage to sound an alarm.
Bonhoeffer was driven underground by the Nazis, and began a secret seminary to train other young pastors. In the late 1930's the Gestapo became aware of what he was doing and, at the urging of friends, Bonhoeffer fled to the United States. But a mere two weeks later he decided to return to Germany. He could not justify living in safety, while others lived in danger.
It wasn't long before Bonhoeffer was arrested and spent several years in captivity, continuing to be a pastor to his fellow prisoners. And then, in the spring of 1944, just one month before Germany surrendered, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was led to the gallows. The date was April 9.
I close with this quote from a man of God who had the courage to speak truth to power.
"Silence in the face of evil is evil itself."
Meet you back here on Monday,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
