2 minute read
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
One of my favourite theologians who modelled joy amid difficult circumstances and social distancing is German pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
Bonhoeffer’s story unfolds with Hitler’s rise to power in 1933. Bonhoeffer's beliefs led him to actively resist the Nazi regime and even establish an illegal underground seminary known as the “Confessing Church.” Subsequently, he was arrested in 1943 by the Gestapo, incarcerated for two years, and finally executed.
How did Bonhoeffer remain joyful during such trying circumstances and social distance? In November 1942, he wrote in a letter to his best friend Eberhard Bethge:
Bonhoeffer’s joyfulness was forged from his unshakeable confidence in God. His immense view of Christ enabled him to remain joyful amid his circumstances. Letus heed the example of Bonhoeffer in these days of physical distancing by remaining devoted to prayer, meditating on God’s word, serving the Lord with gladness, giving hope to others and fixing our eyes on Christ, the source of our joy.
1 Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, vol. 16, Conspiracy and Imprisonment: 1940–1945 (Fortress, 2006), 377–378.
Bill Gemaehlich is the EVP/COO operations at Insight for Living Ministries