Bonhoeffer and the Responsibility for a Coming Generation: Doing Theology in a Time Out of Joint

by Robert Vosloo (Editor), Jennifer McBride (Editor), Teddy Sakupapa (Editor), Michael Mawson (Editor), Karola Radler (Editor)

Overview

This volume draws together a selection of high-quality presentations at the 13th International Bonhoeffer Congress held in January 2020 in Stellenbosch, South Africa. The theme of the conference was “How a coming generation is to go on living? Bonhoeffer and the response to our present crisis and hope.” The selected essays engage thoroughly and creatively with this concern to take responsibility not only for our own personal and communal life in all of its complexity and richness but also for the ethos and society that future generations will inherit from us.

The pertinence of Bonhoeffer's question is addressed in these contributions anew as we experience threats on a global level to socio-political, economic and inter-religious stability and solidarity. Attention is also given to some important challenges experienced in the so-called global South, and the reality of climate change and ecological devastation implies that the question of how future generations are going to go on living is linked to the fact that we live on a planet that is in jeopardy. Also included as an appendix is the powerful sermon preached by the South African Anglican archbishop of Cape Town Thabo Makgoba at the opening worship service of the congress.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780567711113
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	02/19/2026
Series:	T&T Clark New Studies in Bonhoeffer's Theology and Ethics
Pages:	392
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Robert Vosloo is Professor of Systematic Theology, Faculty of Theology, Stellenbosch University, South Africa

Jennifer McBride is Assistant Professor of Theology and Ethics at McCormick School of Theology, USA.

Teddy Sakupapa is Senior Lecturer in Ecumenical Studies and Social Ethics, University of the Western Cape, South Africa

Michael Mawson is Maclaurin Goodfellow Associate Professor at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. He is also a Research Fellow at the University of the Free State, South Africa.

Karola Radler is Research Fellow and Research Associate in Systematic Theology at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. She has been published internationally in Germany, South Africa, Australia and Canada.

Philip G. Ziegler is Chair in Christian Dogmatics at the University of Aberdeen, UK.

Ashwin Thyssen is Junior Lecturer of Church Polity, Faculty of Theology, Stellenbosch University, South Africa

Table of Contents

List of Abbreviations
Introduction
Foreword (Nico Koopman, Stellenbosch University, South Africa)

Part I - Bonhoeffer, The Generations, and our Heritage

1. Old Man Bonhoeffer, Generativity, Life Span Psychology and Intergenerational Ethics (Frits De Lange, Protestant Theological University, the Netherlands)

2. 'O, Poor Judas, What Have You Done!': On Inheriting History, or a Theological Exploration of Betrayal (Nadia Marais, Stellenbosch University, South Africa)

3. What Does It Mean To Tell The Truth? Bonhoeffer in the Digital Era (Wolfgang Huber, Stellenbosch University, South Africa and Humboldt University, Germany)

4. Guilt, Trauma, Resilience: Transgenerational Aspects in Theology and Psychotherapy in Conversation with Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Hans Joachim Iwand (Anne-Katharina Neddens & Christian Neddens, Lutheran Theological School, Germany)

5. Facing the Past, Taking Responsibility for a Coming Generation: The Legacy of Bonhoeffer's Two 'Testaments' (Gerard Den Hertog, Theological University Apeldoorn, the Netherlands)

6. In the Wake: Reading Bonhoeffer at the Door of No Return (Reggie Williams, McCormick Theological Seminary, USA)

Part II - Bonhoeffer and Earth-Honoring Responsibility

7. Responsivity and Responsibility in the Age of the Anthropocene: Bonhoefferian Reflections on Hope in the Midst of a Climate Crisis (Ulrik Nissen, Aarhus University, Denmark)

8. How is Today's - and the Coming - Generation Is to Go On Living? Bonhoefferian Inspiration for an Eco-Theology and an Eco-ethics (Carlos Caldas, Pontifical Catholic University of Minas, Brazil and University of Pretoria, South Africa)

9. Bohoeffer's Theology of the Body and the Responsibility for the Earth (Gregor Etzelmuller, Osnabruk University, Germany)

10. Toward a Theological Ethic of Intergenerational Responsibility: Bonhoeffer's Christ as Mediator for the Coming Generation (Matthew Puffer, Valparaiso University, USA)

Part III - Bonhoeffer, The Political, and Solidarity

11. The Political Myth of Christian Nationhood: Bonhoeffer and the Public Role of the Churches in Zambia (Teddy Chalwe Sakupapa, University of Western Cape, South Africa)

12. Reconciliation, Forgiveness, and Scarring Over: Political Dimensions of Moral Concepts (Ralf K. Wustenberg, Europa University Flensburg, Germany)

13. Beyond the Dark Night of the Soul: Bonhoeffer and Jews for Palestinian Rights (Marthie Momberg, Stellenbosch University, South Africa)

14. Bonhoeffer's Idea of Europe as an Answer for the Crisis of Values (Helena Anna Jedrzejczak, Educational Research Institute, Poland)

15. Politico-Religious Messianism: A Critical Analysis of the Brazilian Situation in Conversation with Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Wilhem Sell, Humboldt University, Germany, and Rudolf von Sinner, Pontifical Catholic University of Parana, Brazil)

16. Reading Bonhoeffer Amid the Hong Kong Protests (Jason Lam, Melbourne School of Theology, Australia and Australian College of Theology)

Part IV - Bonhoeffer, the Christ-Reality, and the Law

17. '"The One Realm of the Christ-Reality": A Critical Examination of a Powerful Theological Insight (Gunter Thomas, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, and Stellenbosch University, South Africa)

18. Bonhoeffer's Ethics of Responsibility: Truth-telling, the Law, and the Christ-Reality (Matthias Grebe, St Mellitus College, UK)

19. "Dezision" as a Modern Version of Docetism: Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Disclosure of the Heretical Contrast in Carl Schmitt's Theory of the State (Karola Radler, Stellenbosch University, South Africa)

20. Bonhoeffer, Human Rights and the Natural Law Tradition (Jens Zimmerman, Regent College, Canada)

Part V - Bonhoeffer on Peace, Hopeful Action, and the Future

21. Introducing Bonhoeffer's Newly-Found letter to Gandhi (Clifford Green, Hartford Seminary, USA)

22. Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Steve Biko? Toward a Politics of Hope Among "Born Free" South Africans (Dion A. Forster, Free University, the Netherlands)

23. Bonhoeffer and the Hermeneutic of Hope: The Quest for Existence and Meaning (Peter Frick, University of Waterloo, Canada)

24. 'Make Straight in the Desert a Highway': Relating Present and Future in Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Walter Benjamin (W. David Hall, Centre College USA)

25. 'Seek the Things that are Above': Bonhoeffer on Perceivingand Responding to God's Action in History (Kevin O'Farrell, Joni & Friends, USA)

26. "A Church for the Future": Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Late Ecclesiology in Conversation with Mercy Oduyoye, Teddy Sakupapa, and Vuyani Vellem (Tim Hartman, Columbia Theological Seminary, USA)

Sermon: Most Revd Dr Thabo Makgoba (South African Council of Churches)

Index

Editorial Reviews

This insightful collection of essays reveals the depth of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's enduring legacy for our unsettled times. Selected from papers given at the 13th International Bonhoeffer Congress in Stellenbosch, South Africa, scholars from around the world have taken up Bonhoeffer's question, “how is the coming generation to go on living?” in relation to topics such as intergenerational trauma, the climate crisis, and political conflict. In a world that continues to be rocked by ongoing and escalating crises, including a global pandemic and multiple wars, this question, these explorations, and Bonhoeffer's exhortations to act and to hope are necessary now more than ever.” —Lori Brandt Hale, Augsburg University, USA

“Dietrich Bonhoeffer's enduring influence as a young pastor and symbol of resistance against Nazism resonates globally, offering support and guidance to people of faith and non-believers alike. The discussions surrounding Bonhoeffer and the Responsibility for a Coming Generation underscore the vital significance of his essays, intertwining his thoughts, theology, and ethics with contemporary dilemmas. Bonhoeffer's impact extends beyond his time, shaping societal movements such as the fight against apartheid in South Africa and the pursuit of reconciliation in Rwanda. His theology continues to inspire resistance against injustice and oppression worldwide, making him a beacon of hope and guidance. John D. Godsey aptly recognizes Bonhoeffer's foresight, emphasizing his theology's relevance in navigating the Church's future challenges. Bonhoeffer's life and teachings serve as a constant reminder that true faith requires sacrificial love, echoing Christ's own path. His legacy remains a theological beacon, offering invaluable insights for addressing present and future aspirations, from promoting human dignity to fostering peace and reconciliation on a global scale.” —Pascal Bataringaya, The Presbyterian Church in Rwanda, Rwanda.

From the Publisher