Bonhoeffer-Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy: A Review

Who better to face the greatest evil of the 20^th century than a humble man of faith?

As Adolf Hitler and the Nazis seduced a nation, bullied a continent, and attempted to exterminate the Jews of Europe, a small number of dissidents and saboteurs worked to dismantle the Third Reich from the inside. One of these was Dietrich Bonhoeffer—a pastor and author. In this New York Times best-selling biography, Eric Metaxas takes both strands of Bonhoeffer’s life—the theologian and the spy—and draws them together to tell a searing story of incredible moral courage in the face of monstrous evil. Metaxas presents the fullest accounting of Bonhoeffer’s heart-wrenching decision to leave the safe haven of America to return to Hitler’s Germany and sheds new light on Bonhoeffer’s involvement in the Valkyrie plot and in “Operation 7,” the effort to smuggle Jews into neutral Switzerland. Bonhoeffer is the story of a life framed by a passion for truth and a commitment to justice on behalf of those who face implacable evil.

This book is probably the longest biography that I have ever read. Well over 500 pages long. It is an extremely fascinating story! Bonhoeffer grew up in a large family and was very close to his brothers and sisters. He became a theologian and taught at the University, Pastored, and eventually became very involved in trying to bring Hitler down.

Eventually he was imprisoned and was finally executed. Reading about his time in prison reminds me of Joseph when he was in prison in Egypt. As with Joseph, Bonhoeffer was appreciated by many of the other prisoners and the guards.

I believe it is valuable to read biographies like this and see how God uses people. I highly recommend that you read this book. Check with your local book store for a copy or order on line from Amazon.com or click here.