The Tempest of the Living

God Calls Us to Dare & Do What Is Right While Yet Imperfect

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a dynamic and occasionally controversial theologian who became a household name because of his character and courage. In a time when many of his fellow Germans, including pastors and priests, embraced Hitler and the ideas of the Third Reich, he stood with conviction.

After the Nazis rose to power in 1933, the bulk of German Protestant groups submitted to pro-Nazi leaders. These so-called “German Christians” compromised the eternal truths of God in deference to a racist, statist, and eugenicist totalitarian regime and were left free to practice their faith, as long as they did not transgress Nazi doctrine.

Bonhoeffer, with others such as Martin Niemöller and Karl Barth, did...