Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas
Week 4: The Confessing Church and the Battle for the Soul of German Christianity
Read Chapters 8–10 of Bonhoeffer. Key biblical texts: Revelation 2:1–7; Galatians 1:6–9.
Previewing Week 4 of Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 14-week guide when you’re ready.
Out of the ruins of Germany's capitulating church, a remnant gathered — the Confessing Church — and Bonhoeffer became one of its most passionate and theologically precise voices.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.The Confessing Church emerged in part from the Bethel Confession and eventually produced the Barmen Declaration (1934), drafted largely by Karl Barth. What were the core theological claims of the Barmen Declaration, and why does Metaxas regard it as such a significant document? What did it confess, and what did it reject?
2.Metaxas describes the controversy over the Reich Bishop election, in which the Nazis manipulated church processes to install Ludwig Müller over the candidate the church actually preferred, Friedrich von Bodelschwingh. This moment revealed that the state intended to control the church from within. What does the church's vulnerability to this kind of manipulation reveal about the dangers of institutional entanglement with state power?
3.Bonhoeffer made the controversial claim — drawing on an ancient dictum — that 'he who knowingly separates himself from the Confessing Church separates himself from salvation.' This statement shocked even his allies. What did he mean by it, and do you think he was right? Is there a way to hold a high view of the visible church without becoming sectarian?