Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Week 2: Chapter 1 — Community
Read Chapter 1 ('Community') of Life Together. Primary Scripture: Romans 15:7; John 17:20-23.
Previewing Week 2 of Life Together
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 7-week guide when you’re ready.
Bonhoeffer's first chapter lays the theological foundation for everything that follows — and it begins with a distinction that will feel almost too simple, until you see how radical it is.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Bonhoeffer makes the foundational claim that 'Christian brotherhood is not an ideal which we must realize; it is rather a reality created by God in Christ in which we may participate.' In your own words, what is the practical difference between treating community as an ideal to achieve versus a reality to receive?
2.He introduces the concept of the 'wish-dream' (*Wunschbild*) — the idealized image of community that believers project onto real fellowships. Why does Bonhoeffer say that the person who loves their dream of community more than the community itself becomes a *destroyer* of community, even with the best of intentions?
a.Can you identify a specific way your own wish-dream has led you to criticize, withdraw from, or quietly despair of a real community?
b.Bonhoeffer says that when the wish-dream breaks down, it is actually a 'grace.' Why might disillusionment be a mercy rather than a tragedy?
3.Bonhoeffer distinguishes sharply between a community founded on human *eros* (emotional, sentimental attachment) and one founded on Christ as mediator. He writes that we do not relate to one another directly, but always *through* Christ. What does it look like practically to relate to another believer 'through Jesus Christ' rather than on the basis of personal affinity?