Week 2: Bonhoeffer's Theological Formation

1.At the University of Berlin, Bonhoeffer studied under some of the greatest liberal theologians of his day, including Adolf von Harnack. Metaxas describes how Bonhoeffer revered Harnack personally but rejected his theological method, insisting that the historical-critical approach had emptied the church of the living Word of God. Why does Metaxas see this as such a crucial fork in the road? What was at stake in the debate between liberal theology and orthodox Christianity?

2.Bonhoeffer's 1924 trip to Rome was a pivotal experience — he was captivated by the universality and beauty of the Roman Catholic church, particularly the celebration of Palm Sunday at St. Peter's Basilica. Metaxas notes that Bonhoeffer saw something there that the German Protestant church seemed to lack: a genuine sense that the church is the church of all nations. How does this catholic (universal) vision of the church connect to Bonhoeffer's later opposition to a 'German Christianity' that was ethnically exclusive?

3.Bonhoeffer's doctoral dissertation, *Sanctorum Communio*, argued that the church is not merely an institution but is itself a social form of Christ present in the world — 'Christ existing as community.' What do you make of this idea? How does it differ from a view of the church as simply a gathering of individual believers?