Being Human, Becoming Human

Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Social Thought

Zimmermann, Gregor

• Publisher: Pickwick Publications
• Year: 2010
• ISBN:
  9781630876265
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

Who are we? What does it mean to be human? What is the purpose of our existence? In our time these continue to be urgent questions. The German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer thought deeply about these questions out of a desire to understand the importance of Christ and the incarnation for modern culture. His conviction that Christ died for a new humanity is at the core of his theological anthropology. Bonhoeffer's Christ-centered, Trinitarian theology establishes the intrinsic sociality of humanity as made in the image of God.Being Human, Becoming Human assembles a distinguished and international group of scholars to examine Bonhoeffer's understanding of human sociality. From the introduction of his dissertation, Sanctorum Communio, where he notes the social intention of all the basic Christian concepts, to his final writings in prison, where he describes Christian faith as being for others, the theme of human sociality runs throughout Bonhoeffer's works. This theme links Bonhoeffer with contemporary concerns in theology, philosophy, cultural studies, and science regarding human reason, human nature, and their socio-cultural expressions.Vital reading for Bonhoeffer scholars as well as for those invested in theological debates regarding the social nature of human being, the essays in this volume examine Bonhoeffer's rich resources for thinking about what it means to be human, to be the church, to be a disciple, and to be ethically responsible in our contemporary world.

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Contributors
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• Part 1: Bonhoeffer’s Humanism
• Chapter 1: Dietrich Bonhoeffer as Christian Humanist
• Chapter 2: Being Human, Becoming Human
• Chapter 3: Bonhoeffer’s Theology and Economic Humanism
• Chapter 4: Sociality, Discipleship, and Worldly Theology in Bonhoeffer’s Christian Humanism
• Part 2: Bonhoeffer on Sociality and the Church
• Chapter 5: Community Turned Inside Out
• Chapter 6: The Narrow Path
• Chapter 7: The Christological Presuppositions of Discipleship
• Part 3: Discipleship, Conformation, and Responsibility
• Chapter 8: Following-After and Becoming Human
• Chapter 9: Con-Formation with Jesus Christ
• Chapter 10: Responding to Human Reality
• Bibliography