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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
A marvelous and thought provoking call to action and discipleship. Amazed at the timeliness of the content considering it was written around seventy years ago. While this is not a book for just anyone; those who aspire to understand the challenges, obligations, commitments, and insights associated with living and celebrating a christian life are encouraged to dive in. Enjoy. Peace!
Another fantastic book by Bonhoeffer.
Be warned, the chapters are long, and the wording may be difficult to get through at times, since it was translated from German.
Be warned, the chapters are long, and the wording may be difficult to get through at times, since it was translated from German.
This is a book I've read several times in my life and I will likely read it many more. What you may not know about Bonhoeffer is that he was a Christian in Germany during WWII. He was arrested by the Nazi's (supposedly for plotting Hitler's assassination, though proof is lacking). He spent the rest of his life writing letters and books from prison. He was an intellectual and a theologian. His books can take several attempts at reading before the full weight of them is understood, or more accurately a single sentence from Bonhoeffer can take hours to fully digest. Since I'm a big fan of books that make you think, I am also a big fan of Bonhoeffer. He pushes your mind and your theology to new places and forces you grapple with the weighty truths you find there; you cannot read his books and come away unchanged.
For the Christian and non-Christian alike, I highly recommend The Cost of Discipleship. It spells out Christianity in an in-depth and uniquely engaging way.
To see more reviews check out my blog: This Sporadic Life
For the Christian and non-Christian alike, I highly recommend The Cost of Discipleship. It spells out Christianity in an in-depth and uniquely engaging way.
To see more reviews check out my blog: This Sporadic Life
"Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: 'ye were bought at a price,' and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God."
challenging
slow-paced
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
This is a book you do not read only once. Those of us on "the Way" need to come back to it again and again and learn from this true martyr the way of discipleship. (Rereading again in 2021.)
"When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die." (p. 89)
"They [disciples] must not fear men. Men can do them no harm, for the power of men ceases with the death o the body. but they must overcome the fear of death with the fear of
God. . . . Those who are still afraid of men have no fear of God, and those who have fear of God have ceased to be afraid of men. All preachers of the gospel will do well to recollect this saying daily." (p. 218)
"God's love for man is altogether diferent from the love of men for their own flesh and blood. God's love for man means the cross and the way of discipleship. But that cross and that way are both life and resurrection." (219)
"The object of Jesus' command is always the same -- to evoke wholehearted faith, to make us love God and our neighbor with all our heart and soul. This is the only unequivocal feature in his command. Every time we try to perform the commandment of Jesus in some other sense, it is another sign that we have misunderstood his word and are disobeying it." (229)
"When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die." (p. 89)
"They [disciples] must not fear men. Men can do them no harm, for the power of men ceases with the death o the body. but they must overcome the fear of death with the fear of
God. . . . Those who are still afraid of men have no fear of God, and those who have fear of God have ceased to be afraid of men. All preachers of the gospel will do well to recollect this saying daily." (p. 218)
"God's love for man is altogether diferent from the love of men for their own flesh and blood. God's love for man means the cross and the way of discipleship. But that cross and that way are both life and resurrection." (219)
"The object of Jesus' command is always the same -- to evoke wholehearted faith, to make us love God and our neighbor with all our heart and soul. This is the only unequivocal feature in his command. Every time we try to perform the commandment of Jesus in some other sense, it is another sign that we have misunderstood his word and are disobeying it." (229)
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
In Cost of Discipleship Bonhoeffer is concerned with recapturing the visibility of the Church. In the first century it was dangerous to be a Christian. As a result, Christians were easy to spot. If they went to church they were Christians, for only the true disciple was willing to risk death to worship his Lord. Now days, and in the days of Bonhoeffer, in our post-Constantinian world, Christianity is easy, even popular in some places. Attending Church is no longer the obvious mark of the Christian. Bonhoeffer blames the Church itself. Because we have offered cheap grace, all of the blessing and none of the holiness, all of the table and none of the cross, the Church has lost its visibility. And so many "join the Church" without giving their lives to Christ. We can no longer recognize the Church amidst its pretenders. The Church has become invisible. But, if we dedicated ourselves to the radical holiness to which Jesus calls us, the Church would stand out in the world as light does in darkness. No longer would Church be popular or easy. The world would know better than to think of Church as a social club or as a resource for image management. The world would know once again who Jesus is because they would meet him in the Church. But how are we supposed to recapture this holiness, this true discipleship? Bonhoeffer points to the Sermon on the Mount. His exposition of Jesus' longest sermon serves as the core of this work. I regret not giving more attention to Bonhoeffer earlier in life. He's a true Christian, a pastor, a prophet, and a theologian of the first degree. On top of these great honors, God bestowed upon him that highest honor and most awesome of callings, the call to martyrdom. His life was cut short when he was executed under Hitler's regime just days before his camp was liberated by Allied forces. Bonhoeffer will bless his reader, and challenge every Christian who has ears to hear.
Has had the same impact on me as Lewis. Bonhoeffer was an incredibly interesting man, and his analysis of ‘cheap grace’ still rings true today especially in large American evangelical circles. I bookmarked about half of this book, the translation doesn’t quite ‘turn a phrase’ like Lewis does, but the depth of content hits hard in every paragraph. Worth going back to frequently, can’t recommend it enough.
challenging
inspiring
reflective
This was a very challenging read, but has a very profound message.