Dietrich Bonhoeffer is one of the most well-known Christians of the twentieth century due to marvelous stories about his defiance of the Nazis and the biographical popularizations of his life and work. In this book, Nicholas Abraham takes us deeper into Bonhoeffer’s true contribution to the church: his theology of community. Abraham’s ability to write clearly while not sacrificing historical and theological nuance makes this book instantly one of the best introductions to Bonhoeffer’s view of ‘life together.’
—Brandon D. Smith, assistant professor of theology and New Testament, Cedarville University; cofounder of the Center for Baptist Renewal
Dietrich Bonhoeffer maintained that believers only truly meet each other through Christ and in Christ. Simply put, there is no Christian community that is more than this, and there is none that is less than this. In Living Together in Unity with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Nicholas Abraham provides a first-class study of Bonhoeffer’s thesis and its contemporary significance for the church. Here is an insightful analysis of how God in Christ is present among his followers and, in turn, how these ‘communities’ of followers assume concrete form in the world.
—J. Stephen Yuille, professor of pastoral theology and spiritual formation, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas
In a culture that values individual identity, expression, and feelings above all else, Nicholas Abraham offers his readers biblical perspective on our need for community. And doing so through the lens of Dietrich Bonhoeffer is a master stroke on his part. By focusing on Bonhoeffer’s biography and thought, in historical context, Abraham offers a more excellent path forward for us than the present practice of viewing all reality through one's own ‘lived experience.’ We know Christ, we know one another, and we know ourselves best when we cultivate both eternal and relational knowledge in community with others.
—John D. Wilsey, associate professor of church history and philosophy, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Everyone has ideas on what Christian community should be like. And, frankly, some of these ideas should be forgotten forever, while others, like Bonhoeffer’s, continue to deserve our attention and contemplation. I’m so thankful for Nick Abraham giving us a beautiful and insightful work on Bonhoeffer’s understanding of a truly spiritual Christian community. Read and be ready to live in step with Christ, his people, and the Spirit.
—Jeff Medders, author of Humble Calvinism
Written with the mind of a scholar and the heart of a Christian pastor, Dr. Abraham, using the life and teachings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, issues an invitation to think theologically and engage experientially in local church life. Readers will find contemporary cultural assumptions exposed and critiqued, pastors will be recalled to a grounding of ministry in the gospel of Christ, and the seeking will discover an old path leading to new clarity.
—Dale Boston, pastor and hospice chaplain
