I have written an endorsement for Eric Metaxas's forthcoming biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It is coming out in April, and you can pre-order it here. It is vintage Metaxas: witty, passionate, and About Something. Bonhoeffer, like Wilberforce before him, is an ideal subject for Eric's trenchant pen. There are a few things in the book with which I take issue, and if I write a full-fledged review after the book comes out, I'll address them. None of my quibbles, however, would take away from the fact that this is a fantastic book on a crucially iconic life that should become standard fare for people concerned about justice, power, the cross, and the Kingdom of God in the 21st century. Buy your copy today.
Here's my endorsement, just submitted. In the copy, this might be boiled down to "radical!" We'll see:
Eric Metaxas has given us a portrait of Dietrich Bonhoeffer whose
prophetic life in troubled times will chasten, clarify, and challenge
our own. Readers will be caught up in this vivid, lucid story that
draws deeply from the intellectual wells and poetic energy that
inspired Bonhoeffer himself. In these pages we come to know a
Bonhoeffer who chose radical Christian discipleship in the context of
spiritual community over all other options, whether the safety of
institutional orthodoxy, the self-satisfaction of ideological
narcissism, or the political evasion of otherworldly pietism. This is
also a deeply humanizing book, full of vignettes that reveal Bonhoeffer
as a son, as a lover, a pastor, a friend, all in the context of the
deadly work for which he is most remembered: resistance to the growing
menace of Nazism.
Some readers may not agree with all of
Metaxas's arguments about Bonhoeffer, but that is not the point of this
book. The point is to unsettle, to provoke, and to inspire. Crammed
with insight, outrage, and urgency, this book is an attempt to position
Bonhoeffer where he belongs, in the ranks of the great Christian
humanists who have struggled against the prevailing winds of culture to
faithfully and bravely interpret Christianity for their historical
moment.
Caleb J. D. Maskell
Doctoral Student, Department of Religion, Princeton University
Associate Director, Jonathan Edwards Center, Yale University (2004-2007)
That's great Caleb. I am a huge Bonhoeffer fan, as we all should be, & if I read another biography of him I will get this one.
Blessings,
Posted by: Sean | March 04, 2010 at 10:59 AM
Just ordered a copy, tnx for heads up :-)
Posted by: Jason Clark | March 04, 2010 at 11:08 AM
well said, my friend!
Posted by: DZ | March 04, 2010 at 12:56 PM