Bonehoeffer -Documentary Critique

The author would want to point out that according to Bonehoeffer, Nazism was evil which he thought was a monster and wanted to fight it. He was doing this through faith in God, even though there were dark moments ahead of what he and his group were doing. But one other thing to note here is that he was theologically informed and very “Smart” in doing his work.

In the year 1914 the German Church was at war and they believed that God was on their side a war that was later lost. It was at this time that Bonehoeffer wrote that “when death comes at the door of every house.” He hungered to become a theologian. This helped his leadership in the church. He preached against war and condemned the killing of humans regardless of their faith. In the documentary it is clear that his experience with the church as young man was not very positive.

While at the University, he wanted to study abut human pretenses, which he did, and graduated with a doctorate degree at the age of 21years. In his thesis he wrote that “the church is a community of Saints” He further asserts that the church was a way to create community. In American where he studied at Union University, He came across many people who influenced his fight for what he thought was right. One of the great influences that were remarkable was his visit to a black church in America. He met people who where involved with the struggle to freedom, and they played a major role on in is future life. It is here that he proclaimed that, “I have heard the Gospel preached.” He was humbled by his experience in America.

Other influences

While a student in America he was able to understand that Jesus intended people to live a good life. He learnt a lot from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.

On his return to German the situation had worsened, for Hitler was appointed the head who was “Called by God” and he was recognized by the church as the sole appointed leader. The church filled and Bonehoeffer opposed this pointing out that God alone is the head of German. Hitler became the Chancellor in German claiming that he has been called to save German. Since the church was blinded to this, there was struggle to restore the true church which was being mislead my Hitler. At this time of confusion Bonehoeffer was teaching at the University of Berlin where he taught his students that Salvation is not in Hitler but in God.

In the mid 1933 new laws were instituted that Jews should not hold public office, and there was boycott to the Jews community. This affected him directly. Bonehoeffer asked Christians to stand by Jews and argued that the church should create a friendly environment with all the people. Since the church was blinded support Hitler, the Catholic Church the biggest denomination in German at that time, signed a concordat to support Hitler. This was a big victory for him

Observation

The author sees Bonehoeffer going places at the time he should stay back to his people and help with ideals. He moved to England while situation was tense in his home/Country.

The confessing church refused to obey the Nazified believes. Therefore, on his return he started calling for peace which he said was the higher calling from God. He called the confessing church to resist war. He believed that “Whenever Christ calls his call leads to death”

In his early struggle for peace he also became a leader of Findenwalde Seminary where he set out to create a family committed to study the word of God. He introduced music as part of communicating the art he had learnt while in the US. The Seminary was considered illegal and graduates were not supported in any way by the state. It was closed later on. While at the Seminary he wrote his book Discipleship.

When ant Jewish plot broke in 1938 property was destroyed, and Bonehoeffer condemned the act saying that it is an attack on the God of the Old and the New Testament. At this time most of his family members were involved in Political conflict among other people. Thousands of Pastors were in Prisons.

Criticism

In September 1939 he was to join in the plan to assassinate Hitler. He moved again to America at the beginning of war. Although he was against the killing of the Jews by Hitler he was plotting to kill Hitler. He became an inspiration moral guide for the German. On several occasion he went out of German to gather information on intelligence. He became a conspirator. At this time he believed that the old rules of ethics had charged. He was in the same time writing his book “Ethics” Ha haa…

His plans to kill Hitler filled. He was arrested and imprisoned in Berlin. In 1945 Berlin was in total ruins and the war was lost, with Bonehoeffer being sentenced to death with others that worked with him.

Preaching the Psalms - Book Review

J. Clinton McCann JR, James C. Howell. Preaching the Psalms. Nashville: Abingdon
press, 2001.

Clinton is an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church (USA). He has also served as a co- pastor of three churches in North Carolina from 1978 to 1987. He attended Davidson College, AB., 1973, Union Theological Seminary in Virginia, D. Min., 1977, Union Theological Seminary Virginia, Th. M, 1978, Duke University, Ph. D., 1985.He is professor of Old Testament at Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. He is also the author of, A Theological Introduction to the book Psalms, The Shape and Shaping of the Psalter (1993); The Psalms a Torah (1993); Facing the Music: Faith and Meaning in Popular Songs (1999); The Psalms commentary in the New Interpreters Bible (Vol.IV; 1996); The Annotations of Psalms in the access Bible, The learning Bible, and The Westminster Discipleship Study Bible. His most resent book I Judge (2002) in the Interpretation commentary series. Recently Clinton has been involved in developing a course that approaches biblical material through reading and discussion of novels and short stories.

James C. Howell is Senior Pastor of Davidson United Methodist Church in Davidson, North Carolina.

This book is about preaching from the Psalms. As indicated in the forward of this book,the Psalms are often neglected in preparing for the central act of worship which is preaching. The authors indicate that if we do not attend to the Psalms in our proclamation of the word than the church is impoverished. (P 15). The authors asserts that a number of people feel that the Psalms are for singing, and not preaching. To clarify this point they observe that seminarians are not given much encouragement to preach the Psalms. They give an example of how Psalms has been preached to great effects throughout history. To illustrate how Psalms has been used over the years, the authors give an example of Bonheffer and Niemoller who preached from the Psalms in the twentieth century. They mention other People like Martin Luther King Jr. who have looked at Psalms as a rich resource for preaching. It is clear from the authors of this book that the early church fathers too used the book of Psalms citing that it contains the entire bible in nuce, they were pointing to Augustine and Jerome when they observed that Augustine expositions of the Psalms are marvels of the theology and pastoral care (p 25). They call the Psalms the manner of the church. They assert that the Psalms like any other book of the bible are part of our Canon of the scripture.

The authors point out that the church has never bracketed the Psalms off in a separate category, as if the book were somehow not as inspired. If the Psalms were not part of the revealed word of God, than it would not have been included in the Holy bible. They assert that they hold to an incarnation view of the Scripture, and just as God can be known and extolled through shimmering words of praise, so also God is known precisely in the dungeons of despair and agony (p 34) as expressed in most Psalms. They point out that the Psalms not only propose and constitute a world; they intend also to unmake, deconstruct and unmask other worlds which seduce and endanger.The authors take a step further to show how to explore the Psalms by creating two topics, i.e. preaching the Psalms- How? And Preaching the Psalms -What? The main aim that they point out in preaching the Psalms HOW?, is for the preacher or the reader to look at the images /metaphors, or figures which the authors argue appeal to imagination. They assert that every sermon must be attentive to these world pictures. If the preacher is tone-deaf or color blind to world pictures, the sermon will plod about, flat-footed, and fail to draw the listener into the heart and spirituality of the Psalmist.(p 51).God is apprehended, not finally through scientific, rational, controllable categories, but by of the imagination.The authors assert that the fantastic images in the Psalms are not merely vehicles to say better what we already know and feel. An image they say may instead evoke some inner plight that had not previously been noticed; the image than works like an archeologist, poking, digging about, and brushing away layers of dirt accumulated over time until well look, a broken pot( p 55). The authors argue that each image explodes in recognition, dismantling the way we had previously imagined the world to be, surprising us, evoking much that is deep, burrowing out passageway to a new world. For the Psalter’s images are pregnant with hope (p 63).

On the WHAT question, the authors deal with how the preacher weave a sermon on the subject in a way that answers the American pursuit, but in a theological manner. In this case the authors assert that Pursuit here means independence = autonomy that we have not time for, no much interest in, others. No time for God. No time for each other (p93) which they assert lead to ruin and the American dream becoming a nightmare. The authors argue that in control of once state, there a particular heresy in American Christianity, the perpetuation of illusion that we are in charge. They point out that it helps to resign as a controller of once fate, and to translate that message into its biblical- theological version. God’s real world is constituted by God and People who accept the invitation to reign as controllers of their fate. And they point out that God’s real world is sung in Psalms a world where happiness is pursued by constant orientation to God rather than self, where people are attentive to God’s instruction and find refuge or security in
him.

On a critical look, this book seemingly does not contain what it seems to have as one read its title. The authors call it “preaching the Psalms” While a reader may be looking at guidelines on how to preach from Psalms this can not be found in this book. In the forward it is named as a "comprehensive guide to how, and why to preach from the book of Psalms.” Although there seems to be some samples from Psalms preaching one is not able to get them easily. It is the feeling of this reviewer that the authors would have come up with a more detailed and specific way of Psalms preaching in order to keep the book’s title. Also the Authors have two chapters in this book on: 1. preaching from Psalms How? 2. Preaching from Psalms What? These two does not tell how one should do it. It is not a straight forward. How and What to preach form Psalms. It is the feeling of this review author that they should have been more open or intentional in directing the readers on how to preach from Psalms.

However, there are good examples of people who have preached from Psalms with illustration why it is important to preach from it today. And as the authors illustrate the Psalms are rich and are manner for the church. By this the authors point out that the Psalms minister and satisfy every man in all emergencies and situations something that this reviewer agrees with. It is a worthy reading book to be able to use the Psalms as inspired scripture that lead people to know and build there relationship with God. Somehow the author of this review feels that the two authors of this book have made there point in this small book. It is highly recommended that anyone who is a preacher should read this book.