critical evaluation

yes

no

possibly downplays joy n hope of the message of the Resurrection » The Good News

Bonhoeffer’s notion of discipleship n Church depends upon the existence of injustice n the suffering this causes

poss Bon’s thinking is too closely ‘stuck’ on the cross instead of the empty tomb n the hope of the Resurrection n defeat of sin n death

all experience suffering in their life » injustice, illness, betrayal, bereavement

Bon’s msg doesnt dwell on suffering but solidarity

have to pass through the cross: costly grace

Matt 16:24-28 » Jesus asks whoever wants to follow Him to take up their cross

2 Tim 3:12 » talks about how all Christians will go through persecution

yes

no

Jesus often spoke out against the status quo in society n challenged local religious authorities

Romans 13:1-2: Paul talks of submission to governing authorities

obedience to God over everything else

karl barth could say no because of our flawed human reasoning which would be a problem in opposing authority

context of totalitarian state, democracy ended, oppressive laws » justification of civil disobedience linked to nature of civic authorities

in romans 13, st paul states one should be submissive to authorities

some of the prophets spoke out against the rulers who were not fulfilling their responsibilities to the ppl

if christians aren’t in a christian society, they shouldn’t disobey as what they stand for will not be necessarily shared by the wider society

joseph fletcher taught that we need to do the most loving thing in certain situations, therefore for some Christians, this might be the most loving thing

for a Christian obeying God’s laws, these will supersede the laws of the state as God’s laws always come first

if they are in a Christian society n Christian teachings are being violated, they should disobey

Jesus went into the temple to cleanse if, of those who were selling on the temple grounds which he stated was in violation of the laws of God

yes

no

Christians would state that Jesus sent His Holy Spirit to help them when He left earth, therefore guidance to know God’s will is always available

can easily be misinterpreted

we can naturally know the divine will as it’s intrinsic to all humans as to what is right or wrong - the divine spark is in all humans

not always but time spent in His presence makes it easier

in the Bible it states that all Scripture is God-breathed, which means we can know the will of God through this means

God’s will is a divine mystery that noone can truly know

some may state that one can know God’s will by way of a religious experience where one might have had a divine encounter where the will of God was made known

st aug stated that human reason is corrupted therefore it may not be possible to know God’s will

some may state the epistemic distance can be closed via revelation

the fact that God is transcendent means there is an epistemic distance between humans n God

the 5 Moral Precepts of natural law will give an indicator of what God’s will is

we cannot know the totality of the will of God as he is omniscient and it’s impossible to know the vastness of the mind of God as He is beyond our comprehension; it’s better to know what he wants as the need arises

yes

no

western obsession w material benefit n self-interest » Bon’s challenge to abandon self-interest

maybe key msg of following God’s commands seen as irrelevant

may lead to more meaningful lives

religion seen as a threat to countries, state loyalty n national values encouraged instead

solidarity w poor, lonely and unjustly-dealt with is relevant » counter-capitalism n consumerism

some would argue that his theology was birthed from extreme conditions n therefore no longer applies

his ideas of cheap grace is are still seen as relevant as many do not live up to their responsibilities as Christians, and made religion something that is very easy n not requiring the necessary commitment

his theology emphasises a focus on following God over anything else, which is a message that can be applied under any condition

his theology is based on the teachings of Jesus which are relevant for all Christians regardless of the time they live on