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The Bonhoeffer dilemma: Sanctification as the increasing awareness of moral chaos

Powers, Brian S.

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Abstract

Dietrich Bonhoeffer's pursuit of a sanctified life took a significant detour from the way in which he thought it would proceed. In seeking ‘good’ moral choices in the crucible of Nazi Germany, Bonhoeffer experienced a profound sense of what we now would recognise as moral injury, which proves to be a powerful and reflexive lens with which to examine his understanding of sanctification. Initially embracing pacifism as a fundamental pillar of Christian life, Bonhoeffer eventually became convinced that there are no pure or ‘right’ moral choices, only competing ‘wrong’ ones. He later wrote from prison that to be like Christ, and to come closer to holiness, was not to seek to avoid guilt, but to take on guilt for the sake of others. This recontextualisation of the idea of sanctification through the lens of Christ's substitutionary guilt suggests that for the responsible actor moral injury may be inevitable.

Citation

Powers, B. S. (2020). The Bonhoeffer dilemma: Sanctification as the increasing awareness of moral chaos. Scottish Journal of Theology, 73(2), 160-170. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0036930620000289

Journal Article Type Article
Online Publication Date May 5, 2020
Publication Date 2020-05
Deposit Date Nov 1, 2024
Publicly Available Date Nov 1, 2024
Journal Scottish Journal of Theology
Print ISSN 0036-9306
Electronic ISSN 1475-3065
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 73
Issue 2
Pages 160-170
DOI https://doi.org/10.1017/s0036930620000289
Public URL https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3025897

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